Thames Valley Universities and Business Schools ranked highly for key subject areas in Guardian University Guide

Amongst increasing competition in the undergraduate sector, and highlighting the excellent quality of the universities in the region, a number of the Thames Valley’s academic institutions have been ranked in the UK’s top 10 for key subject areas by the Guardian University Guide 2018.

Oxford University ranked second overall and in the top three for the following subjects:

Medicine (1^st); Biosciences (3^rd); Chemistry (1^st); Earth Sciences (2^nd); Engineering (Materials & Mineral) (1^st); Physics (2^nd)

Reading University was placed 29^th overall in the rankings.  Six subjects taught there are in the top ten in the country: Education (3rd), Earth & Marine Sciences (4th), Agriculture, Forestry & Food (4th), Film Production & Photography (5th), Building, Town & Country Planning (8th) and Pharmacy & Pharmacology (9th).

Sir David Bell, Vice-Chancellor of the University, said: “This latest result shows Reading is consolidating its position at the top end of the national league tables. Our academic and professional support staff deserve praise for their hard work, which makes Reading one of the best universities to study in the world.

While individual positions tend to fluctuate from year to year, it is clear that the longer-term picture is one of overall improvement. We are focused on making sure that we provide the highest quality university experience for all our students, both now and in the future.”

Oxford Brookes University also ranked highly in the league tables for key subjects and was placed 5^th in Hospitality, Event Management & Tourism and 4^th in Journalism, Publishing & PR.

Brendan Casey, Registrar and Chief Operating Officer at the university commented: “These latest national rankings, in addition to our recent successes in other national and international higher education rankings, demonstrate Oxford Brookes’ excellent and growing reputation for teaching and support.”

Other high performing academic institutions in the Thames Valley are Henley Business School, ranked 8^th for Real Estate and Planning, Brunel University, ranked 9^th for Engineering (Mechanical) and Bucks New University, placed 8^th in the league tables for Engineering (Materials & Mineral).  The University of Surrey achieved an overall position of 10^th in the league tables.  It was ranked 4th in Mathematics and 6^th in Computer Science and Information Systems.