Lancaster University subjects ranked among best in the world

English language and literature along with marketing also gained coveted top 50 positions in the QS World University Rankings by Subject 2025.

Updated each year, the QS subject rankings are based on analysis of the reputation and research output of more than 5,000 institutions around the globe.

This year, from this group of 5,203 institutions, 1,747 were ranked across 55 narrow subjects and five broad subject areas, creating more than 21,000 entries.

Linguistics at Lancaster has consistently been a high performer in global and national league tables and the university has been at the forefront of linguistics teaching and research for decades.

Whether making a difference in the lives of people with dyslexia or helping the NHS improve services, Lancaster’s world-leading Department of Linguistics and English Language examines how language works in learning, communication and within society.

Meanwhile, two other Lancaster University subjects also took top 50 spots, with English language and literature ranking 38th and marketing ranking 48th.

The full list of high performers taking top 100 positions at Lancaster is:

Linguistics (third)

English language and literature (38th)

Marketing (48th)

Modern languages (joint 66th)

Sociology (joint 67th)

Accounting and finance (joint 90th)

Business and management studies (joint 99th)

Statistics and operational research (51-100)

Data science and artificial intelligence (51-100)

Prof Simon Guy, Pro-Vice-Chancellor Global (Digital, International, Sustainability), said: “Once more, subjects at Lancaster University have been shown to be among the very best in the world.

“From linguistics and literature and to data science and AI, our reputation is held in the highest regard by the research community and employers. We’re proud of our people and our achievements and remain committed to innovating and excelling to ensure Lancaster University continues to make a positive impact.”

Prof Luke Harding, Head of the Department of Linguistics and English Language, said: “Over the past 50 years, our department has developed a reputation for innovative research that advances theory, contributes to methods, and has real-world impact.

"Underpinning all this is a highly supportive, collegial and collaborative research environment, drawing together scholars working across a wide range of linguistics subfields.

"I congratulate all my exceptionally hard-working colleagues on this well-deserved, continuing success.”

QS World University Rankings by Subject use a set of indicators with variable weights. Individual subjects are scored according to their performance in areas including: Academic Reputation, Employer Reputation, Citations per Paper and ‘H-Index’ (which quantifies a researcher’s scholarly output and influence by tallying their most-cited works and the corresponding citation count).