The Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) has made it to the top 100 in the QS World University Rankings this year. QS, for the first time, has released a subject-wise list in which the English department of JNU - Centre for English Studies - has been ranked among the top 100 English departments in the world. Apart from the English department , JNU's departments of geography and area studies, and politics and international studies too, have found a place in the top 100.
Saugata Bhaduri, chairperson, centre for English studies (CES), school of language, literature and culture studies, JNU, says, "Though JNU has been rated as one of the top 100 universities of the world in the past, it is for the first time that the agency has considered individual departments around the world. I am proud that CES has been ranked in the bracket of 51-100 ."
Having achieved this position of standing as one of the top departments in the world, Bhaduri is eager to sustain this position in future too. "I feel that we have to face immense challenges to upgrade to higher levels in the coming lists."
According to Nunzio Quacquarelli, managing director, QS, the subject-wise ranking was launched this year to help students refine their study choices since they show university excellence in a particular area of study on a global scale.
"Students are increasingly looking to pursue their graduate or postgraduate degree overseas. For the student and his/her family, studying abroad represents a major investment , and it is not surprising that people want detailed information upon which to base their educational investment decision. The role of rankings, in this context, is important," says Quacquarelli.
"Our research of tens of thousands of applicants over the last decade shows that students form a clear picture of the subject that they wish to study first, and then decide where they wish to study," he adds. The process of research for the department listing was long; from identifying the subject disciplines, gathering, verifying and analysing data from various universities, focusing on academic and employer reputation, using a measure of citations per faculty, to adaptive compilation and final screening. "The collection of independent and objective data on the performance of universities across a range of measures, such as entry standards , student satisfaction, tuition fees and graduate employment rates, is likely to be helpful for all those concerned with making the right choice on where to study," says Quacquarelli.
The entire credit of this achievement, as per Bhaduri, goes to the quality of research that their students review and the quality of publications that the faculty reviews.
He adds, "The CES has been at the forefront of cuttingedge research in the field of literature and culture studies in English for more than two decades now, with phenomenal output in publications, papers and research projects from both faculty members and students."
Source: TOI
