TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – A total of 18 subjects offered in Taiwan’s universities were ranked in the global top 50, according to the 2019 QS World University Rankings by Subject, which was released Wednesday, Feb. 27.

National Taiwan University (NTU) alone accounted for 15 of the country's best performing subjects, with National Taiwan Normal University (NTNU) ranked with a stellar performance in three other subject areas. Among them, sports-related subjects available at NTU scored the highest rank in the global top 50, claiming the 19th place.

A breakdown of the results finds that NTU improved in areas including anatomy and physiology, as well as research and development, while declining in chemistry and computer science, information systems, and others.

NTNU, on the other hand, saw its departments for education, library and information management, and language study, reach the top 50, Liberty Times cited the report.

Quacquarelli Symonds, a London-based higher education analyst company, indicated that overall Taiwan’s universities are competitive in fields of study concerning engineering and technology, as well as social science and management.

Nursing subjects in Taiwan’s higher education system also scored high in the employer reputation indicator, the ones standing out being NTU, Taipei Medical University, and National Yang-Ming University.

QS World University Rankings by Subject 2019 provides insights into how 1,200 universities across 78 countries are performing based on 48 individual subjects, spanning accounting and finance, engineering and technology, arts and humanities, life sciences and medicine, and more.