Chinese universities lead in tech, computer science

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Chinese universities have once again performed well in global rankings for computer science and engineering technology, according to the Times Higher Education (THE) league table released on Thursday.

Ellie Bothwell, a global rankings editor at THE, told Xinhua in an exclusive interview: "China always performs very well in technology-focused subjects," adding that "China has only a handful of universities listed in the top 100 universities globally, however, Chinese universities are gradually sliding up in the list of top 100 for computer science."

China's prestigious Tsinghua University, also high-rated nationally, ranks 20 on the top 100 universities for computer science in the world.

Screenshot from the official website of Times Higher Education

The Shanghai Jiao Tong University has made it to the top 50 this year, ranking 49. The university has shown great improvements in its industry income and international outlook score.

The University of Science and Technology of China has jumped to rank 57 from 71, sharing the dais with U.S.' Rice University.

The Peking University, however, slipped from rank 25 to 32 due to a fall in its industry income and international outlook and research scores.

Five universities from Hong Kong, China's Special Administrative Region, have made it to the list of top 100 universities globally, with the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology securing the 28th position for the second consecutive year.

Screenshot from the official website of Times Higher Education

In the field of engineering technology, Peking University fell seven places to number 14. While Tsinghua University climbed two places to reach number 20, scoring well in teaching and citation impact.

The Zhejiang University jumped to rank 37 from 50, sharing the position with the University of Tokyo, and U.S.' Johns Hopkins University.

Screenshot from the official website of Times Higher Education

The Huazhong University of Science and Technology finally secured a position in the top 100, at 99. The university has shown improvements across the board, scoring exceptionally well in research influence, citation impact and industry income.

Hong Kong retained five universities in the global top 70 for engineering, led by the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology.

Screenshot from the official website of Times Higher Education

Bothwell said that China had led Asia in quality higher education, not just in computer science and engineering technology but also in global research, and prestige.

"The rise of Asia, but China specifically, has been a noticeable trend across our various rankings," said Bothwell.

A part of China's investment focus has been on science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) subjects, and Bothwell said this had paid off: "A big part of why China is becoming more prominent in these tables is because it invests a huge amount in higher education and science."

In the top 100 computer science rankings, seven out of the top 10 universities are from the U.S., with Britain's University of Oxford on number one position for the first time, followed by ETH Zurich on the second position.

In engineering technology tables, the Oxford University once again took the lead, with U.S.' Stanford and Harvard universities in second and third positions respectively.

The National University of Singapore is Asia's highest entrant at eighth position.

(Top image: Foreign students at the Weiming Lake in Peking University, Beijing, March 25, 2011. /VCG Photo)

Source(s): Xinhua News Agency