The Australian National University (ANU) has ranked in the top 12 universities worldwide in arts and humanities according to the 2011 Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) World University Rankings by Subject.

 

In the latest set of international rankings by QS, the University is sixth in modern languages, philosophy and geography and area studies, 10th in linguistics and 12th in history.

 

Dean of the ANU College of Arts and Social Sciences, Professor Toni Makkai, congratulated staff on their strong research performance in the humanities disciplines. 

 

“The College is strongly committed to research-led education while ensuring a strong grounding in the theory and method of the core humanities and social science disciplines,” she said.

 

The modern languages ranking recognises the University’s strong reputation in foreign language teaching as well as its unique focus on Asia-Pacific languages. It places ANU in the company of other internationally-renowned institutions including Harvard, Oxford, Cambridge and Yale.

 

Director of the School of Culture, History and Languages in the ANU College of Asia and the Pacific, Professor Kent Anderson, said the high ranking recognised the language expertise and investment at the University.

 

“We are proud that over the last four years language enrolments at ANU have increased by 22 per cent and nearly 50 per cent over the last decade,” he said.

 

“We are proud that in an increasingly rationalised educational area we have been able to increase the languages taught at ANU from 22 to 24.

 

“And we are proud of the investment the University has made in languages over the last four years, seen in things like securing two of the world’s leading experts in Australian Indigenous languages and the opening of the Ethel Tory Centre –  a state-of-the-art facility which gives students and staff access to the latest in technology-based, flexible and interactive language studies.”