QS Ranking: the best universities in business education and the magnifying glass on Spain

Several Spanish universities are among the 20 best in the world, such as the University School of Hospitality and Tourism of Sant Pol de Mar, the Complutense of Madrid and the Polytechnic of Madrid, according to a ranking published this Wednesday that indicates that that country stands out in business education.

The fourteenth annual edition of the QS World University Rankings by Subject (world ranking of OS universities by majors 2024) prepared by the international higher education analyst QS Quacquarelli Symondsprovides independent data on the performance of 462 subjects in 37 Spanish universities.

According to its new report, the Sant Pol de Mar University School of Hospitality and Tourism is ranked 16th in Hospitality and Leisure Management, the Complutense University of Madrid in 18th in Dentistry and Polytechnic University of Madrid (UPM) among the 20 best in the world in Architecture and Urbanism.

The classification shows how Spain has 80 entries in the five major disciplines (Arts and Humanities, Engineering and Technology, Life Sciences, Natural Sciences and Social Sciences and Management).

The University of Barcelona It is the most represented Spanish institution in the general classification, with 42 races, 23 of them among the 100 best in the world and one among the 50 best.

It is closely followed by Complutense University of Madridwith 37 programs, 13 of them in the top 100, five in the top 50 and one in the top 20.

The highlights of Spain

QS Quacquarelli Symonds finds that Spanish higher education stands out in Arts, Management, Life Sciences and Natural Sciences and that the ten best-ranked courses in Spain belong to these fields.

It also detects that Engineering is the most represented in Spain, with 50 entries in the five areas of engineering (Chemistry, Civil and Structural, Electrical and Electronics, Mechanics, Aeronautics and Manufacturing, Mineral and Mining, and Petroleum) and nine candidates among the Top 100 in the world.

The report indicates that two new Spanish institutions have been included this year in the ranking: The University of Valladolid and the University of Leonwith one entry each in Agriculture and Forestry, in positions 301-350 and 401-450 respectively.

Instead, ESADE Business School of the Ramon Llull University It leaves the world top 20 in Business and Management Studies, ranking 21st, while the Polytechnic of Madrid (UPM) rises to this level in Architecture and Urban Planning, going from 26th to 20th.

According to this, three Spanish universities are among the 30 best in the world in Business Studies and Management ESADE Business School in position 21, IESE Business School in 27th place and IE University in 30th place.

Another notable fact is that the Polytechnic University of Madrid (UPM) It is the Spanish university that improves the most among those with 10 or more classified courses. Five of its programs have improved year-on-year, while three have decreased and six remain stable, which represents an increase of 14%.

The program that has improved the most in Spain is Linguistics of the Autonomous University of Barcelonawhich rises 29 places and is in 62nd place after having improved its indicators of academic reputation, reputation as an employer, citations per article and H index.

“Spanish universities continue to offer first-class business and management education. Always at the forefront of pedagogical advances in this field, it is this focus on reinvention that contributes to Spain’s good results in this matter.“said the senior vice president of Q.S., Ben Sowter.

The manager added that “With a large number of engineering degrees ranked, Spanish universities have the opportunity to find ways to innovate in this field if they hope to gain ground on global competitors.”.

He also noted that “With traditional study destinations such as the UK, Canada and Australia implementing policies to contain international student numbers, Spain is in an excellent position to attract more international students to its excellent universities.”.