Penn State performed well in the 2023 World University Rankings by Subject, with eight subjects cracking the top 25.

The rankings, released by QS, an international organization that ranks academic institutions annually, ranked 1,594 institutions across 54 subjects based on academic and employer reputation surveys, research output, and, as a new metric, international research network.

The eight subjects that ranked in the top 25 were sports-related subjects (No. 13), earth and marine sciences (No. 14), geophysics (tied for No. 14), geology (No. 15), mineral and mining engineering (tied for No. 17), petroleum engineering (No. 19), hospitality and leisure management (No. 23), and communication and media studies (No. 25). 

QS also ranked 19 Penn State subject areas within the top 50 and ranked Penn State in the top 75 for natural sciences, social sciences and management, and engineering and technology. 

“The University’s subject rankings reflect the strength of our faculty across a broad range of disciplines,” associate vice provost for Penn State Global, Sabine Klahr, said in a release. “It’s one of the factors that makes the University very attractive to international students and to partner institutions worldwide.”

QS is the most widely read and trusted of the three university ranking systems, with the other two being the Academic Ranking of World Universities and the Times Higher Education.

The ranking comes on the heels of a No. 93 ranking for Penn State in the 2023 QS World University Rankings.