Curtin University’s continued rise in world university rankings an assurance of quality

Miri – 18 July 2017 – Curtin University’s continued rise up the prestigious world university rankings is an assurance of the quality of education it provides, including at its international campuses which provide the same courses, learning experience and degrees.

Professor Jim Mienczakowski, Pro Vice-Chancellor, president and chief executive of Curtin Malaysia, Curtin University’s largest international campus and Asian hub here in Malaysia, said university rankings, which compare universities at an institutional or faculty, field or subject level, are used by students to inform decision-making, and by institutions to compare research and teaching performance and inform related strategies.

“The field of global rankings is intensely competitive and we are very proud of our university’s achievements. We have found Curtin University’s rankings are a very important consideration for potential students as a measure of our own standards of teaching and excellence here at Curtin Malaysia, and Curtin’s latest rankings are timely now that we are into our Semester Two intake,” said Professor Mienczakowski.

Curtin University has most recently risen to a ranking of 22 in the 2018 edition of the QS Top 50 under 50, which recognises the world’s top 50 universities founded less than 50 years ago. The university moved up five places in the ranking to fifth in Australia, positioning the university among the top young institutions in the global higher education sector.

Curtin University Vice-Chancellor Professor Deborah Terry also said she was thrilled that Curtin continued to climb the prestigious world university rankings.

“Curtin might be a young university by global standards, but we continue to thrive on the world stage because of our commitment to quality education, research and international collaboration with key partners,” Professor Terry said.

According to Professor Terry, Curtin’s improved international reputation is a credit to the hard work of both its staff and students, and an indication of the growing recognition of the university’s graduates.

“This incredible achievement follows Curtin’s increase in the QS World University Rankings last month when we rose to 262 in 2017-18, up from 306 in 2016-17,” she said.

The QS Top 50 under 50 are sourced from the latest QS World University Rankings (QSWUR), which are regarded as among the most trusted world university rankings.

The latest University Ranking by Academic Performance (URAP) field-based ranking has also been released with Curtin University placing in 28 out of 41 fields, up from 23 last year. Five of Curtin’s field rankings were in the top 100 and an additional ten fields placed in the top 200. Curtin’s highest ranking was in Geology, increasing from 16th place to 6th worldwide.

Curtin University appears in more than 30 ranking publications. In addition to the QSWUR, Curtin University is ranked in the top two per cent of universities worldwide in the highly regarded Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU) 2016.

Earlier this month, it ranked in 21 subjects in the ShanghaiRanking Global Ranking of Academic Subjects released for 2017 and is placed in the top 100 in the world in five subjects. It is positioned 19th in the world for Mining and Mineral Engineering, 24th or Nursing and 45th for Chemical Engineering. ShanghaiRanking Consultancy is the same group that publishes the ARWU.

In the 2017 QS World University Rankings by Subject, Curtin University has 16 subjects ranked in the top 200 worldwide, including second in the world for Mineral and Mining Engineering, up 17 places from last year. Overall, it achieved ranking in 25 subjects, seven more than last year, and ranked as a top 100 university in seven subjects in that ranking.

In addition, Curtin featured in the world’s top 150 for Engineering/Technology and Computer Sciences and top 200 for Natural Sciences and Mathematics in the 2016 ARWU Field ranking.

Curtin was also awarded five stars overall in the 2017 QS Stars University Ratings, receiving 5 Stars for the categories of Teaching, Employability, Internationalisation, Facilities, Innovation and Inclusiveness, and 5 Stars for Engineering – Mineral & Mining. It was awarded 4 Stars for Research, an increase from 3 Stars in 2016.

“We at Curtin Malaysia are very pleased with Curtin’s outstanding rankings of late and are glad to have a played a part in achieving them. They keep the university on track to meeting its vision of being a truly global university,” Professor Mienczakowski remarked.

He added that Curtin University’s outstanding global subject rankings, coupled with the professional accreditation of its courses, have contributed greatly to the reputation and strengths of the Curtin engineering and science, business and humanities programmes Curtin Malaysia offers at degree and postgraduate levels.

Curtin Malaysia’s second semester intake is still in progress and potential students can enquire or apply via its website at www.curtin.edu.my. Classes for undergraduate programmes will commence on 31 July and foundation programmes on 14 August 2017.

Students are assured of quality when enrolling at Curtin’s campuses.

Curtin Malaysia Pro Vice-Chancellor, President and Chief Executive, Professor Jim Mienczakowski.