Best Canadian Universities: World Rankings of Canadian Universities by Subject in 2023

The University of Toronto boasts the most top-50 subjects in the world, with 48, according to 2023 edition of QS World University Rankings by Subject.

Credit: Patty Brito on Unsplash

QS Quacquarelli Symonds has released its thirteenth edition of the QS World University Rankings by Subject, showcasing the top universities across 54 academic disciplines. This year’s rankings include three new subjects: Data Science, Marketing, and History of Art. The ranking system is based on a comparative analysis of over 15,700 individual university programs taken by students at 1,594 universities across 93 countries and territories.

The rankings consist of five indicators, including academic and employer reputation, research citations per paper, H-index, and international research network based on a global survey of 151,000 academics and 99,000 employers.

The rankings reveal that the United States has the highest number of top-10 programs (256), followed by the United Kingdom (145), and Switzerland (32). Harvard leads in 14 subjects, while MIT leads in 11 subjects. British universities take the top spot in 15 subjects, with the University of Oxford leading in four.

Other countries that have performed well include Australia, which ranks fourth in the world for the most ranked subjects, and China, which boasts the fifth-highest number of top-50 programs. India has shown significant improvement, with its overall performance rising by 17%. On the other hand, Japan’s systemic decline continues, with 43% of its universities falling down the table.

Top Canadian Universities For Engineering & Technology

World ranking in the brackets.

1. (27) University of Toronto, Toronto
2. (33) University of British Columbia
3. (37) University of Waterloo
4. (41) McGill University
5. (93) University of Alberta
6. (119) Université de Montréal
7. (147) University of Calgary
8. (169) Queen’s University at Kingston
9. (214) McMaster University
10. (224) University of Ottawa
11. (249) Western University
12. (293) Concordia University
13. (348) Université du Québec
14. 371) Université Laval
15. (396) Simon Fraser University
16. (399) University of Manitoba
17. (401-450) Carleton University
18. (451-500) Dalhousie University
19. (451-500) University of Saskatchewan
20. (451-500) University of Victoria (UVic)
21. (501-530) Toronto Metropolitan University
22. (501-530) University of Guelph
23. ( 501-530) York University

Top Canadian Universities for Data Science

World ranking in the brackets.

1. (6) University of Toronto
2. (19) University of British Columbia

Top Canadian Universities for Computer Science and Information Systems

World ranking in the brackets.

1. (12) University of Toronto
2. (21) University of British Columbia
3. (22) University of Waterloo
4. (34) McGill University
5. (47) Université de Montréal
6. (114) University of Alberta
7. (139) Queen’s University at Kingston
8. (151-200) Simon Fraser University
9. (151-200) University of Calgary
10. (201-250) University of Ottawa
11. (251-300) Carleton University
12. (251-300) Concordia University
13. (251-300) University of Victoria (UVic)
14. (251-300) Université du Québec
15. (251-300) York University
16. (301-350) McMaster University
17. (301-350) Western University
18. (351-400) Dalhousie University
19. (401-450 Toronto Metropolitan University
20. (401-450) Université Laval
21. (451-500) University of Manitoba
22. (451-500) University of Saskatchewan
23. (501-550) University of New Brunswick
24. (501-550) Université de Sherbrooke
25. (601-650) University of Guelph

Top Canadian Universities for Life Sciences & Medicine

World ranking in the brackets.

1. (13) University of Toronto
2. (22) University of British Columbia
3. (26) McGill University
4. (48) McMaster University
5. (69) University of Alberta
6. (97) Université de Montréal
7. (115) University of Calgary
8. (142) University of Ottawa
9. (175) Western University
10. (185) Université Laval
11. (196) Queen’s University
12. (204) Dalhousie University
13. (217) University of Manitoba
14. (278) University of Guelph
15. (325) University of Saskatchewan
16. (359) University of Waterloo
17. (401-450) Université du Québec
18. (501-520) Simon Fraser University

Top Canadian Universities for Arts and Humanities

World ranking in the brackets.

1. (15) University of Toronto
2. (23) University of British Columbia
3. (36) McGill University
4. (148) Université de Montréal
5. (171) University of Alberta
6. (183) York University
7. (195) Queen’s University
8. (204) University of Calgary
9. (224) Simon Fraser University
10. (236) Concordia University
11. (236) University of Ottawa
12. (247) Western University
13. (293) Université du Québec
14. (327) McMaster University
15. (341) University of Waterloo
16. (376) Université Laval
17. (382) University of Victoria (UVic)
18. (394) Dalhousie University
19. (401-450) Toronto Metropolitan University
20. (401-450) University of Manitoba
21. (451-500) Carleton University

Best Canadian Universities – 2023

(published in 2022)

1. McGill University, Montreal — 31 (World Ranking)
2. University of Toronto, Toronto — 34
3. University of British Columbia, Vancouver — 47
4. University of Alberta, Edmonton — 110
5. Université de Montréal, Montreal — 116
6. McMaster University, Hamilton — 152
7. University of Waterloo, Waterloo — 154
8. Western University, London — 172
9. University of Ottawa, Ottawa — 237
10. University of Calgary, Calgary — 242
11. Queen’s University at Kingston — 246
12. Dalhousie University, Halifax — 308
13. Simon Fraser University, Burnaby — 328
14. University of Victoria (UVic), Victoria — 359
15. Université Laval, Québec — 433
16. York University, Toronto — 456
17. University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon — 473
18. Concordia University, Montreal — 551-560
19. Université du Québec, Québec — 571-580
20. University of Guelph, Guelph — 591-600
21. Carleton University, Ottawa — 601-650
22. University of Manitoba, Winnipeg– 651-700
23. University of New Brunswick, Fredericton — 701-750
24. Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John’s — 751-800
25. University of Windsor, Windsor — 751-800
26. Université de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke — 751-800
27. Toronto Metropolitan University, Toronto — 801-1000
28. Brock University, St. Catharines — 1001-1200
29. University of Regina, Regina — 1001-1200
30. Vancouver Island University, Nanaimo — 1001-1200

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