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Ranking Methodology

EngiRank 2023 Methodology

European Rankings of Engineering Programmes - comprehensive methodology for evaluating engineering and technology education across European universities.

EngiRank 2023: Methodology Overview

The European Rankings of Engineering Programmes EngiRank fills a gap regarding current and trustworthy information on engineering education, as well as research and innovation, in European universities and other higher education institutions (HEIs) with strong technical profile.

Our primary concern in designing EngiRank was the highest reliability of the rankings. The geographical scope of EngiRank covers the European Union, leveraging the right of EU citizens to study in other member states under the same conditions as nationals, supported by the Erasmus+ mobility programmes.

University and programs rankings have become an accepted form of comparison and assessment that is understood by a wide range of stakeholders. EngiRank provides meaningful comparisons within the European Union's leveled playing field, particularly relevant for research funding through Horizon Europe programmes and the European Universities initiative.

Main Objectives

Our main concern in developing EngiRank was to ensure the highest reliability of the rankings through trustworthy external databases and unified data collection methods.

  • Based only on trustworthy external databases collected in a uniform way
  • Verified against European Engineering Education Database (EEED)
  • Focus on institutions with significant engineering research output
  • No information collected directly from HEIs to ensure objectivity

Target Audiences

The EngiRank is primarily addressed to the following groups:

Prospective students and their parents

Helping them choose engineering programmes and institutions that will provide the best career opportunities and support international exchanges through Erasmus+.

Employers and industry

Assisting in identifying talented graduates from quality technology institutions across Europe.

University management

Providing insights to monitor governance effects and improve institutional operational quality.

Quick Facts

Institutional Ranking HEIs 178
Countries Covered EU Member States
Subject Rankings 7
Data Period 2018-2022
Maximum HEIs per Subject 191

Innovative Approach

We paid particular attention to the degree of commitment of institutions to their economic and social missions.

  • Academia-industry collaboration
  • Patent applications and citations
  • Sustainable development goals
  • Student mobility and internships
  • Dynamic citation impact changes

Entry Requirements

Institutions must meet both qualitative and quantitative criteria to be included in the EngiRank rankings.

Qualitative Criteria

EEED Verification

Institutions are checked against the European Engineering Education Database (EEED) run by ENGINEERS EUROPE, a federation of professional engineering associations from 33 European Higher Education Area (EHEA) countries.

Quantitative Criteria

Engineering Focus

At least 30% of publications in the last 5 years (2018-2022) indexed in Scopus must be in engineering and technology. Institutions with majority publications in medical/health sciences or social sciences are excluded.

Publication Thresholds by Discipline

Minimum number of publications required in each engineering discipline (2018-2022):

Chemical Engineering 200
Civil Engineering 100
Electrical, Electronic, Information Engineering 200
Environmental Engineering 100
Materials Engineering 250
Mechanical Engineering 200
Medical Engineering 100

Subject Ranking Inclusion

Includes HEIs that meet both the qualitative condition and quantitative conditions: minimum 30% share of publications in E&T and meeting the threshold value for the specific discipline.

Institutional Ranking Inclusion

Includes HEIs that are classified in at least three subject rankings, ensuring broad engineering capability across multiple disciplines.

Institutional Ranking

The institutional ranking is based on five criteria, with Research (28%) and Innovation (27%) being the most important, together accounting for 55% of the ranking.

Institutional Ranking Criteria Weights

28%
Research
27%
Innovation
5%
SDG 9
19%
Internationalisation
21%
Multidisciplinarity

RESEARCH (28%)

This criterion is composed of four indicators taken from the Scopus bibliographic database.

Publications (10%)

Number of publications from 2018-2022 in the field Engineering and technology (FORD classification) in Scopus affiliated with the institution.

Publications in Top 10% Journals (6%)

Percentage of institution's publications published in top 10% journals by CiteScore in Engineering and technology (2018-2022).

Citations (6%)

Ratio of citations received by institution's publications (2018-2022) to the number of these publications.

Change of Impact (6%)

Ratio of FWCI of publications in 2018-2022 to FWCI of publications in 2013-2017 in Engineering and technology.

INNOVATION (27%)

The criterion consists of four indicators measuring research funding, patents, and collaboration.

Research and Innovation Funding (10%)

Value of grants awarded within EU framework programmes funding research and innovation between 2018-2022.

Patents (6%)

Number of patents granted by the European Patent Office in 2018-2022.

Patent-Citation Count (6%)

Average number of patent citations received per scholarly outputs in E&T (2018-2022).

Academic-Corporate Collaboration (5%)

Percentage of publications co-authored with researchers outside academia (2018-2022).

SDG 9: INDUSTRY, INNOVATION AND INFRASTRUCTURE (5%)

Single indicator measuring institution's contribution to Sustainable Development Goal 9.

SDG 9 Publications (5%)

Number of publications from 2018-2022 simultaneously assigned to UN SDG 9: Industry, innovation and infrastructure and to Engineering and technology field.

INTERNATIONALISATION (19%)

The criterion is made up of five indicators measuring international collaboration, student mobility, and partnerships.

International Collaboration (10%)

Percentage of publications with co-authors from multiple countries (2018-2022).

Outbound Student Mobility (2%)

Number of students undertaking studies abroad within Erasmus+ programme (2018-2020).

Inbound Student Mobility (2%)

Number of foreign students undertaking studies within Erasmus+ programme (2018-2020).

Student Internships (1%)

Number of students undertaking internships abroad within Erasmus+ programme (2018-2020).

European University Alliance (4%)

Binary indicator for full membership in any European university alliance as of July 3, 2023.

ENGINEERING & TECHNOLOGY CAPABILITY (21%)

The criterion linking the institutional ranking with the subject rankings. This criterion rewards institutions that are classified in a larger number of subject rankings and that achieve higher scores in these rankings.

Engineering and Technology Capability (3% for each subject)

Scores obtained by HEIs in subject rankings, with 3% weight allocated for each of the seven subject areas.

Subject Rankings

EngiRank provides rankings in seven engineering disciplines, combining research, innovation, teaching quality, and – for selected fields – contribution to the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

The EngiRank rankings in chemical engineering, electrical/electronic/information engineering, materials engineering, and mechanical engineering are based on three criteria: Research (64%), Innovation (26%) and Teaching Quality (10%).

For civil engineering, environmental engineering, and medical engineering, we addressed the potential contribution to specific sustainable development goals (SDGs), adding an additional Contribution to SDGs (5%) criterion, while reducing Research to 60% and Innovation to 25%.

Every indicator refers strictly to the given discipline. While some indicators are similar to those in the institutional ranking, they are calculated within the specific discipline scope, ensuring precision and avoiding duplication.

Subject-Specific Sustainable Development Goals

The following disciplines include an additional SDG contribution criterion:

  • Civil Engineering SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities
  • Environmental Engineering SDG 6: Clean Water and Sanitation
  • Medical Engineering SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being

Research
(60–64%)

  • Publications – number of publications 2018–2022 in the discipline (15–16%)
  • Top 10% Journals – share of publications in top journals by CiteScore (15–16%)
  • Citations – citations per publication ratio (15–16%)
  • Change of Impact – FWCI 2018–2022 vs. 2013–2017 (15–16%)

Innovation
(25–26%)

  • Academic–Corporate Collaboration – % of publications co-authored with industry (15–16%)
  • Research & Innovation Funding – value of EU framework grants 2018–2022 (10%)

Teaching Quality
(10%)

Measured by the number of engineering programmes accredited by ENAEE-authorised agencies (EUR-ACE label) or ABET, valid as of June 30, 2023.

Subject Rankings Coverage

167
Chemical Engineering
145
Civil Engineering
177
Electrical/Electronic/IT
178
Environmental
191
Materials Engineering
169
Mechanical Engineering
91
Medical Engineering

Weight of Indicators by Discipline

Discipline Publications Top 10% Citations Impact Δ Collaboration Funding Accreditation SDG
Chemical Eng.16%16%16%16%16%10%10%
Civil Eng.15%15%15%15%15%10%10%5%
Electrical / IT Eng.16%16%16%16%16%10%10%
Environmental Eng.15%15%15%15%15%10%10%5%
Materials Eng.16%16%16%16%16%10%10%
Mechanical Eng.16%16%16%16%16%10%10%
Medical Eng.15%15%15%15%15%10%10%5%

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