The University of Tasmania (UTAS), through Tasmanian Institute of Agriculture (TIA), has been ranked in the top 100 agricultural universities internationally.
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This ranking comes from the QS World University Rankings by Subject, and puts UTAS in the 51-100 bracket in world universities for Agriculture and Forestry.
Last year UTAS was ranked in the top 100-150 universities in this subject area.
TIA deputy director Dr Dugald Close said this was the second year that the university had listed so well in the prestigious international ranking system.
“It's very exciting. Lots of big agricultural universities, such as Wageningen University in The Netherlands, several US universities and Lincoln University in New Zealand, are included in this list,” Dr Close said.
“We’re up against the top agricultural universities in the world. We’re not a large school by international standards, so we’re punching above our weight,” he said.
The subject rankings are compiled using four indicators: academic reputation, employer reputation, research citations and the university’s productivity by subject.
“We are quietly confident that what we’re doing is well above world standard. Getting the support of [employers], who could be our harshest critics is rewarding, and our work is obviously resonating with our peers,” Dr Close said.
More than 6,000 international students from 80 countries currently study at UTAS, with many using this ranking scheme to choose universities.
“We have seen a big increase in our international intake this year compared to last year. It puts the university in a better financial position when it comes to investment,” Dr Close said.
“We’re taking our work out to the world,” he said.
TIA programs are run through the UTAS School of Land and Food, which has campuses at Launceston, Burnie and Hobart.
UTAS has also been ranked 49th internationally for Earth and Marine Science in the same ranking scheme.