- September 15, 2026
- By Maryland Today Staff
The University of Maryland has again been recognized for its breadth of academic and research expertise in the 2026 ShanghaiRanking Global Ranking of Academic Subjects, released Tuesday.
UMD placed 12 academic subjects among the top 50 globally, including four in the top 20:
- Remote sensing (No. 15 globally and No. 1 nationally)
- Environmental science and engineering (No. 19 globally, No. 5 nationally)
- Business administration (No. 19 globally, No. 11 nationally)
- Economics (No. 19 globally, No. 15 nationally)
UMD also ranked in the top 10 nationally in civil engineering. Other UMD disciplines ranking among the global top 50 include atmospheric science (No. 23), aerospace engineering (No. 31), library and information science (No. 32), mathematics (No. 36), biotechnology (No. 40), physics (No. 41), psychology (No. 43), and education (No. 44).
The ShanghaiRanking’s Global Ranking of Academic Subjects evaluates universities across 57 disciplines, using objective indicators grouped into five categories: world-class faculty, world-class research output, high-quality research, research impact and international collaboration. The 2026 edition assessed nearly 2,000 universities from 100 countries and regions.
UMD is also ranked among the world’s leading universities in ShanghaiRanking’s 2026 Academic Ranking of World Universities, placing in the top 2% of more than 2,500 universities worldwide and No. 13 among U.S. public institutions.
This ranking adds to the university’s list of global recognitions, including ranking among the top 0.5% of universities in the world — and in the top 25 among U.S. public universities — in the 2026 Center for World University Rankings Global 2000 list. In U.S. News & World Report’s 2026-27 Best Global Universities rankings, UMD placed among the top 4% of universities worldwide, No. 13 among public U.S. institutions and No. 32 overall nationally.