04 March 2021
Agriculture at Reading has once again been ranked among the global elite, topping UK institutions offering courses in this field in the QS World University Rankings by Subject 2021.
The University is ranked 12 globally for Agriculture & Forestry, a classification that includes study across a range of areas at Reading, including agriculture, food science, ecology, and soil sciences. The league table considered 1125 institutions and published a ranking of the top 400 for Agriculture.
Professor Simon Mortimer, Head of the School of Agriculture, Policy and Development, said:
“I am delighted that the University of Reading has once again been recognised as Britain’s leading centre for Agriculture in the latest QS World University Rankings by Subject. Being the top ranked UK institution underlines our position built up over a century as one of the very best universities globally in our subject area, and reflects our commitment to build on this strength for many years to come.”
Professor Richard Frazier, Head of the Department of Food and Nutritional Sciences, said:
“We are proud that our reputation for Food Science is continuing to be recognised in the latest QS World University Rankings by Subject. As one of the largest Food and Nutritional Sciences departments in the UK, we give home to an extensive range of facilities that enable us to engage in uniquely diverse teaching and research.”
Elsewhere in the QS World University Rankings by Subject 2021, Reading is ranked among the world's top 200 higher education institutions in 12 subjects, including highly placed rankings in Archaeology, Architecture/Built Environment, and Environmental Sciences, and is given a ranking in Earth and Marine Sciences for the first time.
Reading is ranked internationally as:
Professor Robert Van de Noort, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Reading, said:
“I’m pleased to see this new ranking reflects our strengths across a wide range of subjects, from Agriculture and Food, and Environmental Sciences, to Arts and Humanities courses, including my own subject, Archaeology.
“Our position in the subject rankings reflects our reputation as a global institution, the excellence and dedication of our staff and students and our high quality research and teaching.
“I’m especially proud of the strong performance for Environmental Sciences and Earth and Marine Sciences, which demonstrates that the commitment to sustainability of our students, staff and wider community is completely in line with our excellent research and teaching in this area.”
Read more about Reading’s performance in environmental subject areas
The QS World University Rankings By Subject are based on measures of academic reputation, the employability of graduates as rated by major employers, and citations for published research.
Find out more about the University of Reading’s placement in QS World Rankings by Subject at:
https://www.topuniversities.com/universities/university-reading
We are in the process of finalising our postgraduate taught courses for 2026/27 entry. In the meantime, you can view our 2025/26 courses.
