UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Penn State ranks in the top 50 in 16 subject area rankings and in the top 100 in the world in an additional 14 subjects, according to the Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU), which released its 2022 Global Ranking of Academic Subjects (GRAS) on July 25.

According to its website, GRAS evaluates the performance of world universities in relevant subjects, using a number of metrics including research output, research influence, international collaboration, research quality, and international academic awards.

The 2022 GRAS contains rankings of universities in 54 subjects across the broad categories of Natural Sciences, Engineering, Life Sciences, Medical Sciences, and Social Sciences.

More than 1,800 universities across 96 countries and regions are listed in this year’s rankings.

Penn State ranked in the top 50 of the following subject areas:

• Sociology (7)
• Materials Science and Engineering (14)
• Mining and Mineral Engineering (15)
• Hospitality and Tourism Management (15)
• Business Administration (18)
• Education (20)
• Management (20)
• Communication (21)
• Atmospheric Science (29)
• Psychology (30)
• Statistics (30)
• Chemical Engineering (32)
• Metallurgical Engineering (43)
• Earth Sciences (46)
• Aerospace Engineering (49)
• Political Sciences (49)

In addition, the University ranked in the top 100 in 14 additional subject areas, including:

• Ag Sciences
• Chemistry
• Finance
• Geography
• Law
• Mechanical Engineering
• Nanoscience and Nanotechnology
• Physics
• Water Resources
• Biotechnology
• Economics
• Energy Science & Engineering
• Environmental Science & Engineering
• Public Administration

“Penn State having 16 subject areas in the top 50 and 30 different subjects in the Top 100 in the 2022 ARWU Rankings by Subject confirms the outstanding scholarship and research undertaken, as well as the deep commitment across the faculty and staff to the outcomes and impacts of a world class land-grant university,” said Roger Brindley, vice provost for Global. “I'm particularly impressed by the broad interdisciplinarity evident in these subject rankings. It speaks to the academic and research excellence found across the whole Penn State community.”

ARWU began to publish world university rankings by academic subjects in 2009, and also are known as the Shanghai Rankings, as the organization is based in Shanghai, China.

For a full view of Penn State’s profile on ARWU, visit its institution page. For a full rundown of the rankings, visit the 2022 Global Ranking of Academic Subjects.

This story was updated on 8/1/22 to add Management (20) and Atmospheric Sciences (29). A previous version of the story had erroneously omitted them.