Veterinary Education: The veterinary schools in Alfort and Toulouse have been included in the Shanghai Ranking of the world’s best

The new Shanghai Ranking of the world’s best universities, which covers 52 different disciplines this year, has just been published by the Shanghai Ranking Consultancy. In the veterinary sciences category, France has made its debut in the top 50 with the ENVA, which ranks 49th among the top-performing institutions. The Toulouse Veterinary School is not far behind, in 52nd place. A total of 19 countries are represented. Unlike other international rankings, American veterinary universities do not lead the pack; first place goes to the University of Ghent in Belgium.   This is a first! The Alfort Veterinary School has just entered the top 50 of the prestigious 2017 Shanghai Ranking, coming in at 49th place in the veterinary sciences category. Since the first subject-specific rankings were released in 2009, this is the first time France has been represented in veterinary medicine. On the 2017 podium of the world’s best veterinary schools, Ghent University (Belgium) takes first place, followed by Utrecht University (Netherlands) and the Royal Veterinary College in London (United Kingdom). In addition, Belgium has another university on the list—the University of Liège—ranked 21st, as do the Netherlands with Wageningen University in 29th place. Two other European countries, Switzerland (7th and 16th) and Italy (34th and 47th), also have two institutions ranked among the top 50. On the French side, the Toulouse veterinary school ranks 52nd, just behind University College Dublin. The national veterinary school in Lyon and Oniris are not in the Top 200. While the inclusion of two French veterinary schools in this ranking is cause for celebration, their performance still falls well short of their potential. The culture of rankings and the process of meeting the criteria set by these international ranking organizations are new developments for French veterinary education. Optimism remains high for future editions. To measure the reputation and performance of universities based on the subjects taught and research programs, the 2017 Shanghai Global Ranking of Academic Subjects combines five objective indicators: the number of articles authored or co-authored with international authors and their impact (via the InCites database), the number of academic awards won, and the number of scientific publications in the world’s top scientific journals (over the 2011–2015 period). The methodology is essentially the same as that used in the Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU). The United States (13 universities ranked among the top 50, including 2 in the top 10) and the United Kingdom (7 universities, including 3 in the top 10) dominate the veterinary rankings. However, Spain (9th, 19th, 36th, and 46th places) and Germany (31st, 38th, 39th, and 48th places) managed to place four of their universities in the global ranking. Across all disciplines, 152 French institutions rank among the best. Among them, Pierre and Marie Curie University is the most highly represented, with 14 entries across several subjects (3rd in mathematics, 13th in physics, 16th in human biology, etc.). In total, more than 1,400 universities located in 80 countries around the world are recognized. In terms of the number of appearances, the United States (3,857) tops the list, ahead of China (1,652) and the United Kingdom. Finally, the Shanghai Ranking still has room for improvement, at least as far as veterinary sciences are concerned. Indeed, some institutions are included in the Top 200 without offering veterinary education.  

Top 50 highest-ranked institutions in veterinary sciences

1 University of Ghent (Belgium) 2 Utrecht University (Netherlands) 3 Royal Veterinary College (United Kingdom) 4 University of Edinburgh (United Kingdom) 5 University of California, Davis (United States) 6 University of Liverpool (United Kingdom) 7 University of Zurich (Switzerland) 8 University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna (Austria) 9 Autonomous University of Barcelona (Spain) 10 Colorado State University (United States) 11 University of Bristol (United Kingdom) 12 Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (Sweden) 13 University of Copenhagen (Denmark) 14 University of Glasgow (United Kingdom) 15 Michigan State University (United States) 16 University of Bern (Switzerland) 17 Cornell University (United States) 18 University of Pennsylvania (United States) 19 Complutense University of Madrid (Spain) 20 Ohio State University – Columbus (United States) 21 University of Liège (Belgium) 22 University of Minnesota – Twin Cities (United States) 23 University of Florida (United States) 24 University of Queensland (Australia) 25 University of Guelph (Canada) 26 University of Sydney (Australia) 27 Norwegian University of Life Sciences (Norway) 28 North Carolina State University – Raleigh (United States) 29 Wageningen University (Netherlands) 30 University of Pretoria (South Africa) 31 University of Hannover (Germany) 32 University of Nottingham (United Kingdom) 33 University of Georgia (United States) 34 University of Milan (Italy) 35 Massey University (New Zealand) 36 University of Murcia (Spain) 37 Texas A&M University (United States) 38 Free University of Berlin (Germany) 39 University of Melbourne (Australia) 39 University of Munich (Germany) 41 Júlio de Mesquita Filho State University of São Paulo (Unesp) (Brazil) 42 University of Helsinki (Finland) 43 Purdue University – West Lafayette (United States) 44 University of Cambridge (United Kingdom) 45 University of Montreal (Canada) 46 University of Castilla-La Mancha (Spain) 47 University of Padua (Italy) 48 University of Giessen (Germany) 49 National Veterinary School of Alfort (France) 50 Iowa State University (United States) 51 University College Dublin (Ireland) 52 National Veterinary School of Toulouse (France)