These are the best subjects to study at South Africa’s top universities in 2020

The latest edition of the QS World University Rankings by Subject has been released, featuring 12 South African universities with courses that are among the top 600 in the world.

The QS rankings identifies which subjects universities are particularly strong in relation to international competitors, looking specifically at academic reputation and research output.

Research citations, along with the results of major global surveys of employers and academics are also used to rank the universities.

The 12 universities ranked in the 2020 subject listing marks the most South African institutions ever ranked, and includes the debut of the International Hotel School of South Africa.

South African universities ranked in 38 of the 48 subjects covered in the QS listing, with a particularly strong showing in Chemical Engineering, Medicine and Chemistry.

The best performances were seen in Development Studies, Mining and Mineral Engineering, Veterinary Sciences and in Hospitality, where the International Hotel School made its debut, ranking 44th.

The University of Cape Town ranking in the most subjects (34), followed by Wits (26), Stellenbosch University (23), the University of Pretoria (18) and UKZN (9).

Other South African universities ranked include the University of Johannesburg (7 subjects), Unisa, North West University, and the University of the Western Cape (2 subjects each), and the University of the Free State, Rhodes University and the International Hotel School (1 subject each).

The tables below outline which are the highest ranked subjects at each university. Subjects in green indicate they are ranked within the top 100, and bolded subjects are where the university was uniquely ranked in South Africa (eg, UCT was the only South African university ranked for Politics).

University of Cape Town

University of the Witwatersrand

Stellenbosch University

University of Pretoria

University of KwaZulu Natal

University of Johannesburg

University of South Africa

University of the Western Cape

North West University

International Hotel School

University of the Free State

Rhodes University

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