UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Penn State programs rank among the top 200 institutions worldwide in 31 out of 36 academic disciplines reviewed by the 2015 QS World University Rankings by Subject, released April 29.

In addition, Penn State ranks in the top 50 in the world in eight subject areas: 28 in materials science; 31 in agriculture and forestry; 32 in education; 32 in geography; 36 in earth and marine sciences; 38 in mechanical, aeronautical and manufacturing engineering; 44 in communication and media studies; and 47 in statistics and operational research.

The QS World University Rankings by Subject are an extension of the overall QS World University Rankings, which are released each fall. According to the company's website, the by-subject rankings are designed to "provide comparative information at discipline level and to highlight the excellence of institutions in specialist areas."

For the 2015 edition, QS Intelligence Unit (QSIU) — a division of QS Quacquarelli Symonds, an international higher education data-research firm — ranked 894 institutions in total, out of 3,551 universities evaluated.

The subject rankings' methodology draws together such indicators as academic reputation, employer reputation, citations per faculty, and faculty productivity and impact, to form an international ranking of universities.

More information and a full list of 2015 rankings are available on the QS website.