UT Austin Math and Computing Named Among Best in Global Ranking of Academic Subjects

UT Austin has been ranked fifth in the world in mathematics and eighth globally in computer science and engineering in the Global Ranking of Academic Subjects, published by ShanghaiRanking. 

In math, the University jumped five places globally, from its 10^th-place ranking of a year ago, to become the highest-ranking public university for mathematics in the United States. In computer science and engineering, the University leaped 13 spots over the last year, placing second-highest in the U.S. among public institutions.   

The latest rankings, published late last month, are calculated and shared by ShanghaiRanking Consultancy, an independent organization not affiliated with any university or government. Factors such as world-class faculty, high quality research, research impact and international collaborations figure into the ranking.

“This demonstrates the continued growth of mathematical research at UT Austin,” said Francesco Maggi, chair of the Department of Mathematics. “UT math faculty have been creating more and more original and impactful mathematics, involving graduate students and postdocs in the process.”

The accolades are among the latest for two disciplines that have had a remarkable string of successes. Mathematics faculty at UT Austin took the top prize in the field, the Abel Prize, twice in five years, with Karen Uhlenbeck winning it in 2019 and Luis Caffarelli in 2023. In 2023, the top prize in computing, the Turing Award, went to a UT faculty member, Bob Metcalfe, now professor emeritus in the Chandra Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering. The University is currently concluding its “Year of AI,” in which several prestigious awards involving computing and AI were secured and many new faculty hires announced. 

“I think this ranking is a real tribute to this strength of computing research at UT across many colleges and departments,” said Don Fussell, chair of the Department of Computer Science. “This is reflected in multidisciplinary initiatives that computer science and the College of Natural Sciences have spearheaded. Texas Robotics, the Machine Learning Lab, the Center for Generative AI and the Institute for Foundations of Machine Learning all involve work by faculty across multiple departments and colleges.”

The Global Ranking of Academic Subjects is one of several to place UT Austin and its STEM disciplines in the top tier among universities. In November, Times Higher Education ranked UT Austin 14th out of 749 universities in 92 countries for interdisciplinary science. U.S. News and World Report also ranked UT Austin this year first among public universities in Texas and in the top 10 overall for computer science, plus in the top 10 for three mathematics specialties (analysis, applied math and topology).