Essentially, physics is the study of the entire universe. From studying stars far beyond earth, to explaining the shape of a water droplet, physics degrees offer students the chance to understand the world around them in all its enormity and complexity.
You have to go as far down as 13th in this year’s physics & astronomy ranking to find a university with a different rank to last year, and even then Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) has only risen one place from 14th last year.
Fortunately, the rest of the ranking isn’t quite as static, and there are even two universities in the top 300 which weren’t ranked at all last year: Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1 and Wayne State University.
The QS World University Rankings by Subject are based upon academic reputation, employer reputation and research impact. Interested in other courses besides physics & astronomy? The QS World University Rankings by Subject 2018 cover 48 different subjects.