First Ever World University Rankings for Environmental Sciences Shows International Excellence in the Field

LONDON, May 18, 2011 - QS Quacquarelli Symonds, has revealed today the results of the first QS
World University Rankings(R): Environmental Sciences on
www.topuniversities.com/university-rankings/world-university-rankings/
2011/subject-rankings

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- Harvard tops the ranking; UC Berkeley comes second; MIT third

- Cambridge (3rd), Oxford (5th) and Imperial College (9th) the best
performing British institutions

- Australian National University takes the 10th spot while Tokyo
University (12th ) is the best Asian university. ETH Zurich (13th) the top
Continental European

In a world plagued by climate change, wars for water, and the increasing
scarcity of conventional fossil fuel resources required to sustain global
economic progress, the first QS World University Rankings (R) Environmental
Sciences reflects the global academic and research excellence in this topical
discipline.

With 29 countries represented in the top 200, the ranking highlights the
collaborative effort of universities, governments, and businesses as
multidisciplinary research by institutions around the world is creating a
revolution in our quest for sustainable growth and addressing these pressing
environmental issues.

Top 50 for Environmental Sciences by country

    Country/Region                           University (rank)
    United Kingdom                             Cambridge (3rd)
    United States                                Harvard (1st)
    Switzerland                              ETH Zurich (13th)
    Japan                           University of Tokyo (12th)
    Australia            Australian National University (10th)
    France         Universite Grenoble, Joseph Fourier (42nd=)
    Canada               University of British Columbia (11th)
    Singapore        National University of Singapore (14th =)
    China                             Peking University (22nd)
    South Korea               Seoul National University(42nd=)
    Hong Kong                   University of Hong Kong (33rd)
    New Zealand                 University of Auckland (34th=)
    Sweden                             Lund University (39th=)
    Netherlands                   Wageningen University (41st)

Ben Sowter, head of research at QS says, "The US and UK have always been
strong in the field and feature prominently in the top 200, but the fact that
29 countries feature in the top 200 of the rankings shows that universities
around the world are placing a strong emphasis on the importance of
environmental research and teaching. China's strong performance in the field
demonstrates the country's move towards developing a more environmentally
friendly and sustainable approach to its phenomenal economic growth."

The QS Global Academic Advisory Board has developed the inaugural QS
World University Rankings(R) by subject in response to a demand for more
granular detail. Universities are ranked based on academic reputation,
employer reputation and research citations, with weightings tailored to each
subject.

The best-performing universities in Physics, Metallurgy and Materials,
Mathematics, Earth and Marine Sciences and Chemistry are also revealed today
on www.topuniversities.com

Contact: Simona Bizzozero, simona at qs.com, +44(0)7880-620-856; Vickie Chiu, Vickie at qs.com, +44(0)207-284-7292