Exeter among top 100 universities in the world to study social sciences and law 

Exeter among top 100 universities in the world for social sciences and law

The University of Exeter has been named as one of the top 100 places in the world to study social sciences and law in new influential rankings.

The Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2019 – which judges the performance of more than 1,250 universities – has rated the University as among the best globally for the subjects thanks to outstanding teaching, research and the impact of the work of academics.

The rankings use 13 indicators to compile the performance tables for universities in 86 countries. Social sciences – which include politics, geography and sociology, is ranked as 90 in the rankings while law is at 72.

Professor Debra Myhill, Pro-Vice-Chancellor and Executive Dean for the College of Social Sciences, said: “Academics are leading pioneering projects which are making an important contribution to people’s lives and government policy, as well as conducting outstanding teaching. We are very pleased this work has again been judged to be amongst the best in the world.”

Richard Edwards, Head of the University of Exeter’s Law School, said: “I am delighted that the excellent work of Exeter Law School is receiving the global recognition it deserves. My colleagues are at the cutting edge of scholarship in a number of fields – including UK divorce reform, space law,  cyber security law and driverless cars to name but a few At the same time this assessment is a reflection of the outstanding education that the Law School provides to its diverse student community drawn from around the world.”

The work of law academics at the University of Exeter includes contributing to draft legislation designed to encourage the Government to make the first major changes to divorce legislation for nearly 50 years, and research to understand how to strengthen relationships. Academics are also researching the impact of driverless cars and how our Earth-bound laws will be applied in times of armed conflict in outer space.

The work of experts in sociology at the University of Exeter includes researching the use of e-cigarettes in stop-smoking services, the therapeutic value of music making, the philosophy of science, genome editing and have helped to create a new national reporting system on the police use of force.

Experts in politics are examining the future of farming, the impact of media on election results, how conspiracy theories are spread, defence policy, and security in Central Asia.

Academics in geography are informing policy in climate change and the environment, antimicrobial resistance and biosecurity and policy responses to domestic violence as well as producing cutting edge research in fields as diverse as migration and refugee studies and artificial intelligence.

Date: 19 October 2018