The Top 50 Agriculture Colleges in the World Countdown
No matter the subject, being at the top of your class comes with accolade as well as bragging rights. Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) knows a thing or two about the collegiate elite and has just released its 2019 QS World University Ranking by Subject report. Among the nearly 50 different fields of focus in the report stands overachievers in agricultural education and research.
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50. Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology
Welcome to the mix! This is the first time Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology has earned a Top 50 spot in the QS ranking by subject in Agriculture & Forestry.
Learn more about this school.
Photo by Nurul Syahirah Baharudin
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49. Universidade de São Paulo (Brazil)
Last year's QS by subject ranking: #39
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48. Alma Mater Studiorum - University of Bologna (Italy)
The University of Bologna features 215 degree programs among its 33 departments, 11 schools, and more than 84,000 students.
Learn more about this university founded in 1088.
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47. South China Agricultural University
2019 marks the first time the university has cracked the Top 50 in QS' ranking by subject in Agriculture & Forestry.
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46. McGill University (Canada)
McGill University boasts 50 research centers and institutes, plus more than 400 programs.
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45. Kansas State University
Founded in 1863, Kansas State was the first land grant university in the U.S.
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44. Washington State University
Last year's QS by subject ranking: #29
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43. University of Helsinki
Learn more about the university built on the philosophy: “All teachers are researchers, and all researchers teach.”
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42. The University of Western Australia
Last year's QS by subject ranking: #32
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41. The Australian National University
Last year's QS by subject ranking: #19
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40. Kyoto University (Japan)
Last year's QS by subject ranking: #30
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39. University of Minnesota
Last year's QS by subject ranking: #37
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38. The University of Melbourne (Australia)
Last year's QS by subject ranking: #28
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37. Ohio State University
Last year's QS by subject ranking: #31
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36. Montpellier SupAgro (France)
Among this learning institution's main missions is sustainable development in agriculture, agri-food science, environment, and rural management.
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35. Aarhus University (Denmark)
According to the university, more than 120 nationalities are represented among its students.
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34. University of Florida
Last year's QS by subject ranking: #26
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33. University of Natural Resources and Applied Life Sciences Vienna (Austria)
Last year's QS by subject ranking: #39
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32. Penn State University
Last year's QS by subject ranking: #24
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31. Seoul National University (South Korea)
Last year's QS by subject ranking: #34
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30. Massey University (New Zealand)
Last year's QS by subject ranking: #22
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29. N.C. State University
Last year's QS by subject ranking: #27
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28. Warsaw University of Life Sciences - SGGW (Poland)
The origins of the Warsaw University of Life Sciences date back to the creation of the Institute of Agronomy in Marymont in 1816, the first agricultural institution of higher education in Poland and only the fourth in Europe.
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27. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Last year's QS by subject ranking: #21
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26. Technical University of Munich (Germany)
Learn more about this school, which moved up 23 spots from last year's QS by subject ranking in Agriculture & Forestry.
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25. Nanjing Agricultural University (China)
Learn more about this school, which moved up 22 spots from last year's QS by subject ranking in Agriculture & Forestry.
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24. University of Göttingen (Germany)
Learn more about this school, which moved up 24 spots from last year's QS by subject ranking in Agriculture & Forestry.
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23. Oregon State University
Consistent achiever. Last year's QS by subject ranking also was #23.
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22. University of Tokyo
Last year's QS by subject ranking: #14
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21. Ghent University (Belgium)
Highest QS ranking in this subject since 2013.
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20. University of Guelph (Canada)
Last year's QS by subject ranking: #18
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19. Texas A&M University
Last year's QS by subject ranking: #20
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18. Iowa State University
Last year's QS by subject ranking: #13
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17. The University of Queensland (Australia)
Last year's QS by subject ranking: #25
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16. University of British Columbia (Canada)
Last year's QS by subject ranking: #12
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15. University of Hohenheim (Germany)
Big mover in the QS rankings by subject in Agriculture & Forestry, rising 20 spots from last year.
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14. Norwegian University of Life Sciences (Norway)
Last year's QS by subject ranking: #15
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13. University of Copenhagen (Denmark)
Last year's QS by subject ranking: #17.
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12. Purdue University
Last year's QS by subject ranking: #9
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11. Michigan State University
Last year's QS by subject ranking: #8
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10. China Agricultural University
Last year's QS by subject ranking: #16
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9. University of Reading (U.K.)
Last year's QS by subject ranking: #6
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8. University of Wisconsin-Madison
Last year's QS by subject ranking: #7
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7. University of California-Berkeley
Last year's QS by subject ranking: #5
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6. Cornell University
Last year's QS by subject ranking: #3
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5. ETH Zurich - Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (Switzerland)
Last year's QS by subject ranking: #11
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4. Agro Paris Tech
Last year's QS by subject ranking: #10
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3. Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
Last year's QS by subject ranking: #4
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2. University of California, Davis
Since the ranking by subject in Agriculture & Forestry was first launched by QS seven years ago, UC Davis has finished at either No. 1 or No. 2.
Learn more about the school.
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1. Wageningen University (Netherlands)
Congratulations goes once again to Wageningen University & Research. This marks four years in a row at the QS top spot in Agriculture & Forestry.
To see the QS listing in its entirety, click here.
View all
50. Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology
49. Universidade de São Paulo (Brazil)
48. Alma Mater Studiorum - University of Bologna (Italy)
47. South China Agricultural University
46. McGill University (Canada)
45. Kansas State University
44. Washington State University
43. University of Helsinki
42. The University of Western Australia
41. The Australian National University
40. Kyoto University (Japan)
39. University of Minnesota
38. The University of Melbourne (Australia)
37. Ohio State University
36. Montpellier SupAgro (France)
35. Aarhus University (Denmark)
34. University of Florida
33. University of Natural Resources and Applied Life Sciences Vienna (Austria)
32. Penn State University
31. Seoul National University (South Korea)
30. Massey University (New Zealand)
29. N.C. State University
28. Warsaw University of Life Sciences - SGGW (Poland)
27. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
26. Technical University of Munich (Germany)
25. Nanjing Agricultural University (China)
24. University of Göttingen (Germany)
23. Oregon State University
22. University of Tokyo
21. Ghent University (Belgium)
20. University of Guelph (Canada)
19. Texas A&M University
18. Iowa State University
17. The University of Queensland (Australia)
16. University of British Columbia (Canada)
15. University of Hohenheim (Germany)
14. Norwegian University of Life Sciences (Norway)
13. University of Copenhagen (Denmark)
12. Purdue University
11. Michigan State University
10. China Agricultural University
9. University of Reading (U.K.)
8. University of Wisconsin-Madison
7. University of California-Berkeley
6. Cornell University
5. ETH Zurich - Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (Switzerland)
4. Agro Paris Tech
3. Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
2. University of California, Davis
1. Wageningen University (Netherlands)
According to QS, each of the subject rankings is compiled using four components. The first two (academic reputation and employer reputation) are obtained via global surveys of academics and employers. The second two analyze research impact based on research citations per paper and h-index in the relevant subject. These are sourced from Elsevier’s Scopus database.
This is the seventh year the London-based education marketing and networking firm has compiled rankings specifically for Agriculture & Forestry.
QS points out that its goal behind the annual rankings is to “help prospective students identify the world’s leading schools in their chosen field in response to high demand for subject-level comparisons.”
In reviewing QS’ latest breakdown of agricultural academic standouts, there appears to be a fair amount of movement among mid-pack rankings, plus several newcomers to the upper echelon. But what about at the very top? For the last three years, Wageningen University in the Netherlands earned the No. 1 spot in Agriculture & Forestry. Top honors for the report’s first three years went to University of California, Davis.
Learn how the 2019 honor roll unfolds by scrolling the slideshow above.
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Paul Rusnak is the Senior Online Editor of American Vegetable Grower, American Fruit Grower, and Greenhouse Grower magazines, all Meister Media Worldwide brands. He is based in Northeast Florida. See all author stories here.