Boston University: Rankings
Boston University ranked 37 in United States, 48 in the global 2026 rating, and scored in the TOP 1-3 across multiple research topics. The ranking is based on 3 factors: research output (EliteDegrees's index has 188,236 academic publications and 8,956,098 citations attributed to the university), non-academic reputation, and the impact of notable alumni.
| Position | Category |
|---|---|
| # 48 of 14,131 | In the World |
| # 1 of 24 | In Boston |
| # 3 of 88 | In Massachusetts |
| # 40 of 2,597 | In North America |
| # 37 of 2,496 | In United States |
| # 37 of 5,373 | For Medicine |
| # 40 of 4,845 | For Psychology |
| # 51 of 5,432 | For Mathematics |
| Top 1-3 | For 12 other topics |
Jump to topical rankings below
Medicine rankings
Boston University ranked 28 for Medicine in United States and 37 in the World with 118,402 publications made and 5,990,540 citations received.
Boston University
Medicine Subfield Rankings
| Field | Nat. | Cont. | World |
|---|---|---|---|
| Epidemiology | #11 | #12 | #15 |
| Cardiology | #14 | #15 | #16 |
| Paramedicine and Emergency | #14 | #16 | #18 |
| Gerontology | #16 | #17 | #20 |
| Healthcare Administration | #16 | #19 | #23 |
| Occupational Therapy | #10 | #15 | #23 |
| Pathology | #21 | #22 | #26 |
| Nursing | #15 | #19 | #28 |
| Pediatrics | #18 | #21 | #28 |
| Clinical Psychology | #18 | #21 | #29 |
| Psychiatry | #20 | #23 | #29 |
| Pharmacology | #22 | #25 | #31 |
| Audiology | #19 | #21 | #31 |
| Physical Therapy | #17 | #23 | #33 |
| Cosmetology | #19 | #21 | #33 |
| Sports | #15 | #22 | #33 |
| Radiology | #27 | #29 | #34 |
| Ethics | #22 | #25 | #34 |
| Orthodontics | #19 | #20 | #42 |
| Health Science | #25 | #32 | #43 |
| Dermatology | #28 | #30 | #46 |
| Dentistry | #21 | #22 | #50 |
| Surgery | #38 | #42 | #56 |
| Immunology | #36 | #39 | #61 |
| Social Work | #38 | #41 | #62 |
| Anesthesiology | #46 | #54 | #73 |
| Ophthalmology | #43 | #46 | #74 |
| Virology | #45 | #48 | #84 |
| Veterinary | #33 | #35 | #89 |
| Obstetrics and Gynecology | #30 | #34 | #90 |
| Oncology | #46 | #49 | #91 |
| Plastic Surgery | #59 | #64 | #95 |
| Urology | #57 | #67 | #127 |
| Optometry | #53 | #60 | #130 |
| Radiation Therapy | #61 | #67 | #135 |
| Toxicology | #56 | #62 | #152 |
| Neurosurgery | #70 | #78 | #250 |
| Pharmacy | #67 | #78 | #344 |
| Forensic Science | #97 | #113 | #371 |
| Respiratory Therapy | #38 | #46 | #70 |
| Sonography and Ultrasound | #46 | #51 | #96 |
| Public Health | #19 | #21 | #26 |
| Anatomy and Physiology | #29 | #32 | #42 |
| Critical Care Nursing | #33 | #37 | #44 |
| Family medicine | #20 | #22 | #25 |
| Medical Physics | #49 | #55 | #76 |
Biology rankings
Boston University ranked 39 for Biology in United States and 68 in the World with 114,004 publications made and 6,193,054 citations received.
Boston University
Biology Subfield Rankings
| Field | Nat. | Cont. | World |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pharmacology | #22 | #25 | #31 |
| Ethics | #22 | #25 | #34 |
| Neuroscience | #28 | #31 | #38 |
| Biotechnology | #30 | #34 | #49 |
| Biophysics | #40 | #43 | #54 |
| Evolutionary | #42 | #45 | #61 |
| Immunology | #36 | #39 | #61 |
| Genetics | #42 | #45 | #63 |
| Molecular | #41 | #44 | #63 |
| Bioinformatics / Computational biology | #39 | #43 | #64 |
| Biochemistry | #40 | #44 | #67 |
| Microbiology | #40 | #46 | #82 |
| Virology | #45 | #48 | #84 |
| Oncology | #46 | #49 | #91 |
| Paleontology | #52 | #59 | #116 |
| Astrobiology | #53 | #59 | #133 |
| Wildlife and Fisheries Management | #56 | #64 | #137 |
| Botany | #58 | #65 | #151 |
| Toxicology | #56 | #62 | #152 |
| Zoology | #62 | #72 | #172 |
| Animal Science | #50 | #61 | #175 |
| Nanotechnology | #62 | #68 | #223 |
| Entomology | #97 | #114 | #293 |
| Forestry | #77 | #91 | #325 |
| Horticulture | #77 | #93 | #468 |
Liberal Arts & Social Sciences rankings
Boston University ranked 38 for Liberal Arts & Social Sciences in United States and 68 in the World with 82,051 publications made and 3,644,218 citations received.
Boston University
Liberal Arts & Social Sciences Subfield Rankings
| Field | Nat. | Cont. | World |
|---|---|---|---|
| Demography | #20 | #22 | #30 |
| Sociology | #36 | #39 | #54 |
| Law | #38 | #41 | #59 |
| Gender Studies | #38 | #41 | #60 |
| Social Work | #38 | #41 | #62 |
| Political Science | #38 | #44 | #67 |
| Linguistics | #40 | #45 | #69 |
| Aesthetics | #38 | #43 | #78 |
| Anthropology | #41 | #47 | #79 |
| History | #43 | #47 | #83 |
| Archaeology | #42 | #46 | #85 |
| Broadcast Journalism | #53 | #59 | #94 |
| Philosophy | #42 | #49 | #101 |
| Special Education | #55 | #61 | #102 |
| Education | #61 | #67 | #104 |
| Genealogy | #52 | #60 | #115 |
| International Law | #56 | #65 | #169 |
| Media Studies | #85 | #99 | #198 |
| Publishing | #72 | #88 | #199 |
| Forensic Science | #97 | #113 | #371 |
| Criminology and Criminal Justice | #59 | #67 | #97 |
| Human Rights Law | #12 | #17 | #42 |
| Communications and Public Relations | #31 | #36 | #62 |
| Intellectual Property and Patent Law | #9 | #9 | #10 |
| Classics and Ancient History | #28 | #30 | #53 |
| Military science | #4 | #4 | #5 |
| Theology / Divinity / Religious studies | #39 | #42 | #80 |
| Sports / Exercise science | #38 | #49 | #83 |
| Law Enforcement | #53 | #55 | #78 |
Chemistry rankings
Boston University ranked 50 for Chemistry in United States and 101 in the World with 76,050 publications made and 4,352,486 citations received.
Boston University
Chemistry Subfield Rankings
| Field | Nat. | Cont. | World |
|---|---|---|---|
| Biochemistry | #40 | #44 | #67 |
| Computational | #49 | #54 | #121 |
| Organic chemistry | #57 | #62 | #155 |
| Biochemical Engineering | #51 | #58 | #208 |
| Nanotechnology | #62 | #68 | #223 |
| Pharmacy | #67 | #78 | #344 |
| Physical | #85 | #98 | #382 |
| Radiochemistry | #91 | #106 | #688 |
Computer Science rankings
Boston University ranked 44 for Computer Science in United States and 76 in the World with 73,180 publications made and 3,592,173 citations received.
Boston University
Computer Science Subfield Rankings
| Field | Nat. | Cont. | World |
|---|---|---|---|
| Neuroscience | #28 | #31 | #38 |
| Cognitive Science | #32 | #35 | #44 |
| Bioinformatics / Computational biology | #39 | #43 | #64 |
| Computational Linguistics | #39 | #45 | #75 |
| Machine Learning | #39 | #45 | #79 |
| Data Science | #48 | #57 | #88 |
| Computer Vision | #46 | #54 | #111 |
| Computer Engineering | #46 | #51 | #121 |
| Cryptography and Distributed computing | #50 | #55 | #128 |
| Management Information Systems (MIS) | #49 | #57 | #131 |
| Information Technology | #67 | #76 | #137 |
| Robotics | #39 | #45 | #142 |
| Telecommunications | #54 | #63 | #157 |
| Multimedia | #74 | #85 | #214 |
| Software Engineering | #61 | #75 | #216 |
| Animation | #91 | #110 | #368 |
| Cyber Security | #47 | #50 | #89 |
Psychology rankings
Boston University ranked 30 for Psychology in United States and 40 in the World with 63,582 publications made and 3,184,777 citations received.
Boston University
Psychology Subfield Rankings
| Field | Nat. | Cont. | World |
|---|---|---|---|
| Human Sexuality | #17 | #19 | #20 |
| Occupational Therapy | #10 | #15 | #23 |
| Clinical Psychology | #18 | #21 | #29 |
| Psychiatry | #20 | #23 | #29 |
| Neuroscience | #28 | #31 | #38 |
| Cognitive Science | #32 | #35 | #44 |
| Social Work | #38 | #41 | #62 |
| Special Education | #55 | #61 | #102 |
| Education | #61 | #67 | #104 |
| Organizational / Business / IO Psychology | #48 | #54 | #79 |
| Child Psychology | #43 | #48 | #59 |
| Social Psychology | #48 | #53 | #70 |
Engineering rankings
Boston University ranked 50 for Engineering in United States and 133 in the World with 61,955 publications made and 3,096,832 citations received.
Boston University
Engineering Subfield Rankings
| Field | Nat. | Cont. | World |
|---|---|---|---|
| Remote Sensing | #24 | #24 | #47 |
| Biotechnology | #30 | #34 | #49 |
| Optics | #42 | #45 | #103 |
| Computer Engineering | #46 | #51 | #121 |
| Robotics | #39 | #45 | #142 |
| Telecommunications | #54 | #63 | #157 |
| Architecture | #47 | #56 | #157 |
| Systems | #60 | #73 | #190 |
| Applied Physics | #64 | #69 | #193 |
| Biochemical Engineering | #51 | #58 | #208 |
| Nanotechnology | #62 | #68 | #223 |
| Automation and Control | #58 | #69 | #241 |
| Metallurgy | #74 | #82 | #255 |
| Construction Management | #66 | #81 | #288 |
| Operations Research | #75 | #92 | #299 |
| Reliability and Quality | #86 | #105 | #309 |
| Aviation | #101 | #117 | #333 |
| Engineering Management | #135 | #151 | #346 |
| Environmental Engineering | #92 | #113 | #483 |
| Renewable Energy | #117 | #148 | #763 |
| Acoustical Engineering | #38 | #42 | #78 |
| Biomedical Engineering | #41 | #43 | #81 |
| Aerospace Engineering | #38 | #44 | #89 |
Physics rankings
Boston University ranked 50 for Physics in United States and 129 in the World with 61,451 publications made and 3,034,405 citations received.
Boston University
Physics Subfield Rankings
| Field | Nat. | Cont. | World |
|---|---|---|---|
| Biophysics | #40 | #43 | #54 |
| Theoretical | #31 | #35 | #65 |
| Optics | #42 | #45 | #103 |
| Condensed Matter | #46 | #48 | #124 |
| Astrobiology | #53 | #59 | #133 |
| Applied Physics | #64 | #69 | #193 |
| Molecular | #65 | #73 | #198 |
| Nanotechnology | #62 | #68 | #223 |
| Astrophysics and Astronomy | #41 | #44 | #83 |
Environmental Science rankings
Boston University ranked 54 for Environmental Science in United States and 126 in the World with 51,850 publications made and 2,497,046 citations received.
Boston University
Environmental Science Subfield Rankings
| Field | Nat. | Cont. | World |
|---|---|---|---|
| Paleontology | #52 | #59 | #116 |
| Geology | #54 | #60 | #123 |
| Wildlife and Fisheries Management | #56 | #64 | #137 |
| Ecology | #60 | #67 | #143 |
| Earth science and Geoscience | #46 | #52 | #147 |
| Oceanography | #63 | #71 | #176 |
| Environmental Management | #63 | #77 | #283 |
| Forestry | #77 | #91 | #325 |
| Environmental Engineering | #92 | #113 | #483 |
| Hydrology and Water resources | #104 | #123 | #689 |
Mathematics rankings
Boston University ranked 35 for Mathematics in United States and 51 in the World with 38,953 publications made and 1,972,121 citations received.
Boston University
Mathematics Subfield Rankings
| Field | Nat. | Cont. | World |
|---|---|---|---|
| Actuarial Science | #24 | #25 | #31 |
| Statistics | #32 | #34 | #45 |
| Econometrics | #37 | #39 | #56 |
| Cryptography and Distributed computing | #50 | #55 | #128 |
| Applied Mathematics | #59 | #66 | #189 |
| Mathematics Education | #95 | #107 | #195 |
| Operations Research | #75 | #92 | #299 |
Business rankings
Boston University ranked 40 for Business in United States and 68 in the World with 23,282 publications made and 1,044,067 citations received.
Boston University
Business Subfield Rankings
| Field | Nat. | Cont. | World |
|---|---|---|---|
| Actuarial Science | #24 | #25 | #31 |
| Marketing | #34 | #36 | #51 |
| Accounting | #36 | #38 | #51 |
| Finance | #34 | #36 | #55 |
| Project Management | #21 | #22 | #56 |
| Risk Management | #34 | #38 | #68 |
| Advertising | #49 | #52 | #79 |
| Entrepreneurship | #36 | #41 | #82 |
| Management | #44 | #51 | #94 |
| International Trade | #35 | #39 | #126 |
| Management Information Systems (MIS) | #49 | #57 | #131 |
| Real Estate | #92 | #102 | #233 |
| Construction Management | #66 | #81 | #288 |
| Operations Research | #75 | #92 | #299 |
| Engineering Management | #135 | #151 | #346 |
| Occupational Safety and Health | #9 | #10 | #13 |
| Investment Banking and Stock trading | #26 | #27 | #40 |
| Public Policy / Administration | #54 | #61 | #100 |
| International Business | #33 | #38 | #100 |
| Tax Law | #45 | #49 | #75 |
Economics rankings
Boston University ranked 35 for Economics in United States and 53 in the World with 23,159 publications made and 938,755 citations received.
Boston University
Economics Subfield Rankings
| Field | Nat. | Cont. | World |
|---|---|---|---|
| Actuarial Science | #24 | #25 | #31 |
| Finance | #34 | #36 | #55 |
| Econometrics | #37 | #39 | #56 |
| International Trade | #35 | #39 | #126 |
| Development Studies | #33 | #36 | #48 |
Art & Design rankings
Boston University ranked 49 for Art & Design in United States and 98 in the World with 10,512 publications made and 379,594 citations received.
Boston University
Art & Design Subfield Rankings
| Field | Nat. | Cont. | World |
|---|---|---|---|
| Acting and Drama | #19 | #21 | #30 |
| Music | #22 | #26 | #44 |
| Aesthetics | #38 | #43 | #78 |
| Literature | #49 | #56 | #103 |
| Photography | #48 | #54 | #112 |
| Creative Writing | #59 | #70 | #140 |
| Architecture | #47 | #56 | #157 |
| Sculpture | #51 | #59 | #207 |
| Cinematography | #58 | #71 | #209 |
| Multimedia | #74 | #85 | #214 |
| Graphic Design | #85 | #98 | #230 |
| Interior Design | #54 | #64 | #315 |
| Animation | #91 | #110 | #368 |
| Fashion Design | #42 | #46 | #82 |
| Singing and Vocal Performance | #39 | #46 | #99 |
