In the QS World University Rankings by Subject 2026, all of our eligible Arts and Humanities subject areas are placed in the top 50. Theology & Religion is the Faculty’s highest ranked subject at 4th, and the Faculty is joint 31st.
These results confirm a consistently strong showing for Arts and Humanities at Durham. Within the Faculty, Theology, Divinity & Religious Studies (4th), English Language & Literature (26th), Classics & Ancient History (joint 29th), Philosophy (joint 39th), Modern Languages (joint 40th) and History (44th) are all placed in the world top 50. Taken together, this means all of our eligible Arts and Humanities subject areas are now within the global top 50, and the Faculty is joint 31st worldwide.
Professor Janet Stewart, Executive Dean, Faculty of Arts and Humanities, said:
“We’re proud that all of our eligible Arts and Humanities subjects have been placed in the world top 50 in the QS World University Rankings by Subject 2026, led by Theology & Religion at 4th. This performance reflects the strength of our research and the dedication of our staff and students. It is encouraging that our Faculty, with its commitment to our Transformative Humanities approach, has risen to 31st in the world.”
The QS World University Rankings by Subject are among the most prestigious global rankings, assessing universities using indicators including academic reputation, employer reputation, research citations, and international research collaboration. The 2026 rankings analysed more than 6,200 institutions worldwide, with 1,900 universities ranked across 55 subjects, producing over 21,000 individual ranking entries.
As a University, we have achieved a best-ever 22 subjects in the world top 100, including three in the world top 10, and 10 in the world top 50. Four ‘broad subject’ areas and 17 ‘narrow subjects’ improved their positions compared with last year.
/prod01/prodbucket01/media/durham-university/departments-/faculty-of-arts-and-humanities/77666.jpg)