The UA was placed in the top 100 of the Best Global Universities ranking by a U.S News and World report released Oct. 28, making it the only Arizona institution on the list.

Along with the UA as a whole, many departments and programs in the sciences and other schools ranked in the top 100 as well, with a standout distinction of a No. 5-ranking for Space Sciences globally. Other programs included in the top 100 list were geosciences, ecology, social sciences and public health.

The Best Global University ranking lists the top 500 universities in approximately 50 countries. The list uses a particular methodology to determine the rank and score of each university, taking 10 factors into consideration.

Indicators such as global research reputation, publications, amount of citations and other vital aspects determine if and where a university appears on the list. The list was intended for students to allow them to see higher education options inside and outside of their normal boundaries.

Similarly, in September, the UA was also featured on U.S. News and World Report’s list of the top 100 Public Universities of 2014, ranking No. 58 nationally.

Don McCarthy, a UA researcher in space sciences who also attended graduate school at the UA, said there are different aspects of the program that he thinks allowed the UA to be ranked in the top five programs for space sciences.

“[The UA has a] reputation for its observatories and state-of-the-art technologies,” McCarthy said.

McCarthy said the UA’s involvement in many important projects and research makes it relevant.

Along with faculty, UA students are enthusiastic about this statistic.

Victoria Herbert, a pre-business freshman, said the UA was well-known even on the East Coast.

“Personally, when I first heard of U of A, I heard it was a great school … known for its high standards,” Herbert said.

Economics and business was another category featured on the list as No. 68 globally, along with nine other programs and over 25 departments on the national level. Herbert said she was excited about the university’s business ranking.

“[The UA] seems to have great individualized colleges for each major,” Herbert said.

U.S. News and World Reporting produces these ranking lists annually and breaks them down into particular categories.

“The U of A has had this rich tradition of space projects and ground-based technology and has been a leader in innovation that way,” McCarthy said, “and I’m excited about that.”

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