In 2014, we ranked the best universities in the world for engineering. Four years on, we’re long overdue an update. These rankings are based on data from the Times Higher Education World University Rankings for 2018. Although the USA and UK dominate the very top of the list, China actually has the most institutions in the top 500, ahead of Germany, Australia and Canada.
1. Stanford University
Named after its founder, Leland Stanford, who founded the University in 1891, Stanford has 16,000 students studying at its campus in Palo Alto near San Francisco. With 2,043 faculty members the student to faculty ratio is 5:1. A private university, it is known to be one of the most selective in the US and is intrinsically linked with Silicon Valley. Many of the technologies that led to the region’s rise and continued prominent role in the electronics sector were pioneered at Stanford.
The university’s engineering school has nine departments, plus institutes, laboratories and research centres aime at tackling the “most daunting human challenges of the coming decades,” including robotics, healthcare and bioengineering.
2. California Institute of Technology
Caltech is one of the smallest universities in the world but has a strong emphasis on engineering. Located on a 124 acre campus in Pasadena, California, near Los Angeles, the University has around 2,200 students and 300 faculty members.
The University is organised into six academic divisions, including Biological Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Engineering and Applied Science, Physics and Astronomy. The emphasis of research is on physical science – for which it receives amongst the highest amounts of grants for and dedicates the most research space to. There are five distinct engineering majors.
Caltech's claims to research fame include being the University where physicist Richard Feynman conducted research into quantum computing and electrodynamics while introducing the concept of nanotechnology. The University also has strong links to Nasa and space research – Nasa's Jet Propulsion Laboratory was established here in the 1940s and the University continues to manage its activities.
3. University of Oxford
Although it’s one of the world’s oldest universities, Oxford is a new addition to this list from 2014. Undergraduates can take a four-year course in engineering science – specialising biomedical, chemical, civil, electrical, information or mechanical engineering. It’s famously competitive – around half of applicants get to interview stage, with only 15% successfully securing a place.
4. Massachusetts Institute of Technology
A wide range of engineering courses, from mechanical and materials to aeronautics and nuclear science are offered alongside science, humanities and management courses. According to MIT, research is its “soul” - this is where the guidance system for the Apollo space program was developed, where penicillin was synthesised chemically for the first time and where computer memory was invented. Today, the broad range of pioneering research regularly grabs headlines around the world, whether in materials, the process industry, or worm-inspired robotics.
MIT is also behind one of the internet’s most successful online schools for engineering and technology. Edx offers MOOCs (Massively Online Open Courses) as a viable way for those who want to sample the Institute’s teaching.
5. University of Cambridge
Cambridge has a huge engineering department, with more than 1000 undergraduates and notable alumni including Frank Whittle, who invented the jet engine, and Harry Ricardo, famous for his work in automotive engine design. Students can specialise in a wide range of subjects, ranging from instrumentation to aerothermal engineering, but there are seven applications per place.
6. Princeton University
As one of the eight Ivy League universities, New-Jersey based Princeton has a rich pedigree. It provides undergraduate degrees in a wide range of engineering including chemical and biological, civil, electrical and mechanical and aerospace, with 550 graduate students and nearly 1000 undergraduates. Notable engineering alumni including Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos, Google’s Eric Schmidt, Alan Turing and a number of astronauts.
7. Peking University
Founded in 1898, this Beijing institution has a multidisciplinary approach, meaning students focus on a wide range of engineering issues. There are 120 teaching and research staff at the university with a wide range of international experience, and departments for study including aeronautics and astronautics, materials science, and mechanics.
8. National University of Singapore
The institution as a whole is ranked the best in Asia by the Times World Rankings. Its engineering department, which dates back to 1955, says its mission is to nurture “Engineer-Leaders with a global perspective”. It’s the university’s largest school with nearly 10,000 students taking courses across a wide range of engineering topics. Research includes work on flexible electronics, and nanotechnology that could filter pollution out of the air.
9. ETH Zurich
This Swiss university has more than18,000 students form 110 countries, 500 professors and 10,500 staff members. ETH Zurich was founded in 1855 and its focus on technology and natural sciences. The university's most famous alumnus is Albert Einstein, although it has produced 20 other Nobel Laureates.
The University is split into four main faculties, architecture and civil engineering, Engineering Sciences and Natural Sciences. The language of instruction at undergraduate level is German and at graduate level it is English, while a massive 70% of ETH Zurich's are from outside of Switzerland, making this a very international institution. The University also has very strong links to industry.
10. Imperial College London
This London institution has one of the largest engineering faculties in Europe, with almost 6000 students studying everything from mechanical engineering to computing. It was officially part of the University of London until 2007, but became fully independent to mark its centenary year. There’s a wide-range of research – it’s particularly strong on robotics and environmental issues, and famous alumni include the science-fiction author HG Wells, and Alexander Fleming, who discovered penicillin.