Taylor’s the top Malaysian varsity in QS world ranking

PETALING JAYA: Taylor’s University has again achieved Malaysia’s highest rank in all of the 48 subject tables in the latest edition of the Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) World University rankings by subject.

According to the 2019 instalment of the ranking, the private institution has risen seven positions to 14 in the Hospi­tality & Leisure Manage­ment ranking.

Taylor’s University vice-chancellor and president Prof Michael Driscoll (pic) said the achievement was especially significant with the change in the employer reputation component for this subject.

“This year, there is an increase in the weightage of how the institution is viewed by employers.

“Our strong performance is indicative of how our students are viewed by industry players and proves to us that our approach is well received by the industry,” he said.

Prof Driscoll said this was the first time its Business and Manage­ment Studies subject made it into the rankings.

UCSI University Institute of Music director Prof Dr P’ng Tean Hwa said this was the second year they were listed in the 51-100 bracket for Performing Arts.

“The ranking, once again, cements UCSI’s Institute of Music standing as the nation’s foremost music school and one of the best in the region,” he said.

“We always work together with our students so this achievement belongs to our alumni and students, just as much as it does to our teaching staff.

“We are also grateful for the support given by our partners from the music industry in contributing to this milestone.”

Other Malaysian universities have taken a tumble in this edition of the rankings with only four Malaysian departments ranking among the top 50 in the world for their subject compared to nine in 2018.

Universiti Malaya (UM) is Malay­sia’s most ranked university with placings in 34 subjects.

Despite it being the most ranked local varsity, all of UM’s subjects have seen a drop in their positions.

Among them are Library & Information Management, which is down seven places to 31 and Development Studies which has dropped eight places to 38.

The global higher education analysts said the drop in the rank of Malaysia’s universities occurred primarily because employers were recording less satisfaction with the country’s graduates.

This decrease in employer satisfaction outweighed improvements in research performance, the statement said.

In total, 157 Malaysian university departments are ranked with 26 Malaysian university departments making it into the top 100.

Only 11 departments recorded improvements while 76 departments recording a drop in their position this year.

However, QS research director Ben Sowter said: “There are 78 countries represented in this edition of the rankings, and Malaysia is 22nd globally for the number of university departments featured.

“A positive result for a young nation which is competing on the world’s stage with countries boasting higher education systems established centuries ago.”

The ranking is an extensive overview of international higher education performance, with over 1,200 universities from 78 locations ranked in 48 subject tables and five broad disciplinary tables.

For more information, visit https://www.topuniversities.com/subject-rankings.