The University of Arizona earned several top placements in the 2026 Global Ranking of Academic Subjectsreleased by ShanghaiRanking Consultancy.
The rankings evaluate universities across 57 academic subjects including medical, life, natural and social sciences, as well as engineering.
Library and information science, housed in the College of Information Scienceranked No. 4 globally and No. 3 in the United States. The program is the university’s highest-ranked subject in the 2026 listings, and prepares students to explore how information is organized, preserved and shared across libraries and other digital archives.
“Reaching No. 4 in the world was an important achievement, but sustaining that position is especially meaningful,” said Catherine Brooks, interim dean of the College of Information Science. “It reflects the quality and impact of our faculty’s research, as well as the collaborative, interdisciplinary approach that has long defined information science at the University of Arizona.”
Learn more about the library and information science program in this story from the College of Information Science.
Earth sciences, in the College of Scienceranked No. 3 among public universities, No. 7 in the United States and No. 16 globally. The program provides faculty and students the opportunity to conduct research, observation and outreach in the pursuit of knowledge about environmental processes and the influence of human life on the planet.
Also housed within the College of Science, the U of A’s water resources program ranked No. 6 among public and U.S. universities and No. 17 in the world. A cornerstone of U of A research, the university trains students in hydrology and atmospheric sciences, hosts the world-renowned Water Resources Research Centerand supports research developing new models for climate resilience.
The College of Science was also recognized by ShanghaiRanking for ecology. Part of the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biologythe program ranked No. 11 among public universities, No. 14 in the U.S. and No. 28 globally.
Communication studies were also recognized in this year’s list. Offered by the College of Social and Behavioral Sciencescommunication ranked No. 15 among public universities, No. 20 in the U.S. and No. 32 globally.
Source: news.arizona.edu
