MSU boasts 5 academic disciplines in top 20 globally 

In the 2026 edition of Shanghai Ranking’s Global Ranking of Academic Subjects, Michigan State University is ranked in a total of 41 academic disciplines, including one in the top five, five in the top 20, nine in the top 50, and 17 among the top 100 globally.

MSU’s highest-ranked field is once again Communication, maintaining a rank of No. 5. This marks the 10th straight year MSU ranks in the top five in the world in Communication. Other highly ranked subjects include education at No. 11, environmental science and engineering at No. 15, management at No. 18 and biotechnology at No. 18. This is the second straight year MSU ranks in the top 20 in the world in biotechnology.

“It is rewarding to see these academic programs at Michigan State, a leading global public research university, ranked among the world’s best,” said MSU Provost Laura Lee McIntyre. “Our strong performance in the academic indicators across these disciplines affirms the excellence of MSU scholars who are leading research, advancing innovation and contributing to the greater good.”

MSU also ranks No. 31 in law, No. 39 in agricultural sciences, No. 47 in ecology and No. 49 in hospitality and tourism — all in the top 50 globally.

The ranking’s methodology varies depending on the subject, and up to eight metrics are measured for each one. Metrics can include:

• Number of articles from 2021 to 2025 in journals with a Quartile one, or Q1, Journal Impact Factor (ranks in top 25% in subject)
• Number of articles from 2021 to 2025 in Shanghai top journals or top conferences in the subject
• Number of faculty on Clarivate’s Highly Cited Researchers list in the subject area
• Number of journal editors in the subject area
• Number of faculty in leadership positions in international academic organizations in the field
• Institution’s Category Normalized Citation Impact (for the subject) from 2021 to 2025
• International collaboration on articles in the subject from 2021 to 2025
• Number of faculty with an international scholarly award in the subject

Shanghai Ranking Consultancy is a fully independent organization dedicated to research on higher education intelligence and consultation. It has been the official publisher of the Academic Ranking of World Universities since 2009.