A new ranking from the Centrum für Hochschulentwicklung, (Centre for Higher Education Development, (CHE)) shows Chalmers is the most popular in Chemistry and second most popular in Physics with European post-graduate and Master’s students.
The ranking, performed in cooperation with the Die Zeit magazine, is designed to help prospective Master's and PhD students identify the best places to study. It evaluates a number of disciplines, instead of the university as a whole, as is often the case in other rankings.
Institutions in the Excellence Group in CHE's ranking are said to offer exceptionally strong research and international programmes. Chalmers University of Technology belongs to this group in Physics and Chemistry, along with about 70 other universities.
An in-depth analysis of the excellent institutions/departments gives Chalmers seven stars in Physics and six stars in Chemistry, out of a maximum of eleven. The best result in both disciplines was seven stars, which puts Chalmers in the top tier within the excellence group.
The strengths of Chalmers include a high proportion of foreign PhD and Master’s students, good gender balance among both teachers and students compared to other universities, and excellent library resources. Physics also had a high proportion of foreign teachers and a high participation in editorial committees for international journals.
Additionally CHE conducted a survey among students in which PhD and Master’s students in Chemistry gave Chalmers 16 stars out of maximum 19, the highest ranking in Europe. Students in Physics gave Chalmers 15 stars. Only students at the Friedrich-Alexander-University Erlangen-Nuremberg were more satisfied.
The results show Chalmers’ strength in Physics and Chemistry. “In addition, we are particularly strong in Materials Science and Nano Science, disciplines that cross the boundary between Physics and Chemistry – that is, we are even stronger here than is perhaps apparent from this ranking,” said Stefan Bengtsson, First Vice President of Chalmers University of Technology.
The Centre for Higher Education Development (CHE) is an independent institution working for reforms in higher education. CHE is headquartered in Gütersloh, Germany, and presents each year the CHE University Ranking of German and foreign colleges and universities for prospective students. The CHE Excellence Ranking is to date the most detailed ranking that compares the best research institutions in Europe for the future Master’s and PhD students.
The full results can be read on the CHE website.
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