Once you've made the decision of
what to study, the next big decision is
where to study, so comparing the quality of each institution by subject is vital to your choice -
QS World University Rankings® 2014/15 has revealed the top fields of study at South Africa's top universities.
According to QS World University rankings, South African universities stand out for expertise in development studies, of which the University of Cape Town ranked 7th worldwide.
The tables below provide a breakdown of subjects in which South African universities ranked within the top 400. Top 100 subjects have been highlighted.
University of Cape Town
Subject | Field | QS Rank |
Developmental Studies | Social sciences | 7 |
Geography | Natural sciences | 39 |
English Language & Literature | Arts and humanities | 51-100 |
Agriculture & Forestry | Life sciences and medicine | 51-100 |
Earth & Marine Sciences | Natural sciences | 51-100 |
Education | Social sciences | 51-100 |
Law | Social sciences | 51-100 |
Politics & International Studies | Social sciences | 51-100 |
Biological Sciences | Life sciences and medicine | 101-150 |
Medicine | Life sciences and medicine | 101-150 |
Environmental Sciences | Natural sciences | 101-150 |
Sociology | Social sciences | 101-150 |
Linguistics | Arts and humanities | 151-200 |
Philosophy | Arts and humanities | 151-200 |
Civil & Structural Engineering | Engineering and technology | 151-200 |
Pharmacy & and Pharmacology | Life sciences and medicine | 151-200 |
Psychology | Life sciences and medicine | 151-200 |
Modern Languages | Arts and humanities | 201-250 |
Mechanical, Aeronautical & Manufacturing Engineering | Engineering and technology | 201-250 |
Physics & Astronomy | Natural sciences | 201-250 |
Mathematics | Natural sciences | 251-300 |
Computer Science | Engineering and technology | 301-400 |
Chemistry | Natural sciences | 301-400 |
University of the Witwatersrand
Subject | Field | QS Rank |
Developmental Studies | Social sciences | 15 |
Geography | Natural sciences | 51-100 |
English Language & Literature | Arts and humanities | 101-150 |
Earth & Marine Sciences | Natural sciences | 101-150 |
Law | Social sciences | 101-150 |
Politics & International Studies | Social sciences | 101-150 |
Medicine | Life sciences and medicine | 151-200 |
Communication & Media Studies | Social sciences | 151-200 |
Education | Social sciences | 151-200 |
Physics & Astronomy | Natural sciences | 251-300 |
Biological Sciences | Life sciences and medicine | 301-400 |
University of Pretoria
Subject | Field | QS Rank |
Developmental Studies | Social sciences | 51-100 |
Agriculture & Forestry | Life sciences and medicine | 101-150 |
Law | Social sciences | 101-150 |
English Language & Literature | Arts and humanities | 151-200 |
Philosophy | Arts and humanities | 151-200 |
Geography | Natural sciences | 151-200 |
Communication & Media Studies | Social sciences | 151-200 |
Education | Social sciences | 151-200 |
Environmental Studies | Natural sciences | 201-250 |
Biological Studies | Life sciences and medicine | 301-400 |
Medicine | Life sciences and medicine | 301-400 |
Stellenbosch University
Subject | Field | QS Rank |
Developmental Studies | Social sciences | 46 |
Agriculture & Forestry | Life sciences and medicine | 51-100 |
English Language & Literature | Arts and humanities | 151-200 |
Geography | Natural sciences | 151-200 |
Law | Social sciences | 151-200 |
Biological Sciences | Life sciences and medicine | 251-300 |
Medicine | Life sciences and medicine | 251-300 |
Environmental Studies | Natural sciences | 251-300 |
Mathematics | Natural sciences | 301-400 |
Chemistry | Natural sciences | 301-400 |
University of KwaZulu Natal
Subject | Field | QS Rank |
Developmental Studies | Social sciences | 51-100 |
Agriculture & Forestry | Life sciences and medicine | 151-200 |
Geography | Natural sciences | 151-200 |
Medicine | Life sciences and medicine | 251-300 |
Rhodes University
Subject | Field | QS Rank |
English Language & Literature | Arts and humanities | 151-200 |
Communication & Media Studies | Social sciences | 151-200 |
University of Johannesburg
Subject | Field | QS Rank |
Developmental Studies | Social sciences | 51-100 |
For more information visit
QS World University Rankings by Subject 2015