Massey University Enters World Top 15 In 2026 QS Subject Rankings

Te Kunenga ki Pūrehuroa Massey University has achieved remarkable results in the 2026 Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) Subject Rankings with a new global top 15 subject ranking.

Veterinary Science rose five places to be ranked 14th in the world and first in Oceania and Asia. It was also ranked first in the world in the employer reputation component of the ranking, which is a measure of how highly employers regard Massey’s Veterinary Science graduates.

Agriculture reclaimed its position in the top 50, while Development Studies remains ranked in the top 100 globally.

Vice-Chancellor Professor Pierre Venter said it is significant that Massey has received this international recognition in one of the university’s flagship subjects.

“Massey has made incredible investment in the Veterinary Science programme, including building world-class teaching and research facilities over the past five years, which has paid off with Massey being ranked as the leading veterinary school in the Southern Hemisphere,” Professor Venter says.

Head of the Tāwharau Ora School of Veterinary Science Professor Jon Huxley was delighted to see the school’s reputation continue to strengthen with employers and peers in universities around the world.

“Being ranked first globally for employer reputation, and as the highest ranked subject area across the full academic offering of New Zealand universities, is a remarkable achievement and a testament to the dedication of our students, staff and alumni.”

Massey’s Agriculture ranking improved by an impressive 18 places to be ranked 49th in the world, due in part to a big increase in research citations from academic staff. The school had more than 100 research projects underway with partners nationally and internationally in 2025.

“In addition to those research projects, there are more than 130 PhD students and 165 Master students which is helping to drive our primary economy through research,” Head of the School of Agriculture and Environment Professor Paul Kenyon explains.

“Employers are increasingly recognising the quality of Massey Agriculture and Environment graduates which has resulted in a considerable lift in our 2026 enrolments in both under- and post-graduate students.”

Vice-Chancellor Professor Venter says the marked lift in our Agriculture ranking is a great result not only for Massey, but the entire country.

“It’s very pleasing to see Agriculture move back into the top 50 ranking worldwide. This is such an important subject area at Massey and for us it spans farming, all the land based primary industries through to food production, as well as environmental science. Our research is tackling key issues for New Zealand, including how we use land for farming in a more sustainable way, as well as changing how we produce food with changing weather patterns, global warming, disease and pests.”

Massey’s Art and Design subject also moved up one band to inside the top 150 and first equal in New Zealand, and while there was no change to their overall 101-150 ranking, Architecture and Built Environment is also now first equal in the country. Accounting and Finance moved up one band to 151-200 and second equal in New Zealand.

The 2026 QS World University Subject Rankings examined 6,273 institutions in 166 locations across 55 subjects and five broad faculty areas. Universities are evaluated according to five metrics: academic reputation, employer reputation, citations per paper, H-index and International Research Network.

More information on the QS Subject Rankings is available here.

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