Singapore Universities ranked below US, UK, Hong Kong, etc

[Force 136]

LONDON: US and British institutions once again dominate an annual worldwide league table of universities published on Thursday, but there is a fresh name at the top, unseating long-time leader Harvard.

California Institute of Technology (Caltech) knocked the famous Massachusetts institution from the summit of the Times Higher Education (THE) league table for the first time in eight years, with US schools claiming 75 of the top 200 places.

Next is Britain, which boasts 32 establishments in the top 200, but an overhaul in the way in which the country's universities are funded has raised concerns over its continuing success.

Asia's increasing presence in the annual table has stalled, with 30th placed University of Tokyo leading the continent's representation.

China's top two universities hold on to their elite status, but no more institutions from the developing powerhouse managed to break into the top 200.

365-year-old Harvard, which loses the top spot for the first time since THE began publishing a global university ranking, shares second place with Californian university Stanford.

There was change at the top in Britain also where Oxford sneaked into fourth spot, overtaking Cambridge, which slipped to sixth.

Full rankings here : http://www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/world-university-rankings/2011-2012/top-400.html

NUS is at 40

NTU is 169

SMU is : no sound no picture

On the whole, Hong Kong is better than Singapore..... yet they don't have the PAP..... maybe that's the reason.....

 

[Agoraphobic]

Uni ratings are based (mostly) on the number of corporate backings, joint-research, and sponsorships.

How many Singapore corporations will fund uni researchÉ. It is not right to place Sg unis in this category.

FYI, Malaysian Unis will fare better because there is agriculture (eg. durian) industry in that country. Singapores mainstay, marine will derive the tech findings from UK, Holland, and other countries. I would say Vietnam has more potential than Sg.

The ST will report otherwise from my views.

Cheers!

 

[Force 136]

Malaysia and Vietnam do not have a single university in the top 400 universities of the world.....

http://www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/world-university-rankings/2011-2012/asia.html

Ranking methodology :

http://www.timeshighereducation.co..../2011-2012/analysis-rankings-methodology.html

 

[scroobal]

My advice is not matter what the ranking, if you can afford it, do your studies in a reasonably ranked western university even if they are ranked below any of the non western university.

University grads are dime a dozen. Potential employers have little time to go thru the list. A western degree is more acceptable to an MNC, when you want to work abroad and when you migrate. Companies acquiring other companies now value things such as % of foreign trained degree vs local degrees.

Affluent and educated parents are realising that now.

 

[kingrant]

Very true. But in most western countries, they want their teachers of primary/sec schools to have their own local degrees, so a local for local. This is because of the difference in educational systems, stds, progression etc so require teachers to know their local norms.

Not sure if our MOE is more liberal (which we shld not be) - imagine India-trained taechers or PRCs with nefarious teacher degrees teaching Singaporean children. If we also restrict, at least our chaps in teaching -which probably is last bastion to fall if ever - would not be threatened by influx of foreigners with all kinds of so-called teaching qualifications.

My advice is not matter what the ranking, if you can afford it, do your studies in a reasonably ranked western university even if they are ranked below any of the non western university.

University grads are dime a dozen. Potential employers have little time to go thru the list. A western degree is more acceptable to an MNC, when you want to work abroad and when you migrate. Companies acquiring other companies now value things such as % of foreign trained degree vs local degrees.

Affluent and educated parents are realising that now.

 

[dredd]

So? No one worth his salt has ever counted on a uni degree to make a difference in the life of others. Did Steve Jobs go to Harvard? Did Bill Gates completed his education at a uni? Did Mother Teresa ever spend any time attending lessons? ... The list goes on.

IMHO, those who graduated from unis like cambridge, Oxford, ... Think LHL and his MIW cronies...etc.. are the greatest crooks.

Shakespeare says: Some men are born great, some achieve greatness and others have greatness thrusted upon them.

 

[kingrant]

generally, everybody is better off with a degree than not. Bill, teresa and Steve could have attended Uni and graduated. It's more a case of "can but dont want" rather than "want to but can't". For most of us, we would be lucky enough to "can when we want to". My late MIL, my late grandma, etc could have been Uni grads too if they could afford, because plainly they were smart enough.

If you have entrepreneurial skills and talents, yes, skip the paper trail and dive into the money chase. But how many of us have what it takes to be our own boss? That's where a Degree will at least give that leg up.

So? No one worth his salt has ever counted on a uni degree to make a difference in the life of others. Did Steve Jobs go to Harvard? Did Bill Gates completed his education at a uni? Did Mother Teresa ever spend any time attending lessons? ... The list goes on.

IMHO, those who graduated from unis like cambridge, Oxford, ... Think LHL and his MIW cronies...etc.. are the greatest crooks.

Shakespeare says: Some men are born great, some achieve greatness and others have greatness thrusted upon them.

 

[hokkienpeng]

Malaysia and Vietnam do not have a single university in the top 400 universities of the world.....

So what? If you look at the top 400 nasi lemak stalls in the world, Malaysia will have many more on the list than the US. Ditto for Vietnam if you look at the top 400 pho outlets. Who says you have to use universities as a yard stick for achievement?

 

[chupacabra]

It all comes down to the person holding the degree. If got harbird degree and get hired for a top job but cannot perform also no use. How long can one hide behide a degree. I worked in the FnB sector and Ive encounter alot of uni graduates who can't even work as waitress.

 

[bullfrog]

It all comes down to the person holding the degree. If got harbird degree and get hired for a top job but cannot perform also no use. How long can one hide behide a degree. I worked in the FnB sector and Ive encounter alot of uni graduates who can't even work as waitress.

Yah hor! LHL graduated from Cambridge and Harvard. See where he's leading us!

 

[Checker]

These rankings just reinforce in people which are the top unis. Beyond that, people just read whatever they want about the rest. All these criteria/ weightage are completely debateable. QS ranks and THE ranks very different, except the top few are still the same few (though slightly different order).

Value depends on employer. SG govt values foreign investment, so no matter how high the local schools rank, suspect the elite ministries/ elite jobs will still value what the foreigners value. US World & News rankings of their institutions is probably what these elites will look at. Also unlikely a US/UK MNC will regard HKU or NUS at such high ranks above their own institutions.

But a local SG employer that wants people tuned to the local situation eg medical, nursing, law, teaching, may not value as much foreign degrees.

For most ordinary people, degree is only one hurdle (and it is getting easier to get). Much more depends on one's experience, outlook, drive and personality.

 

[Cruxx]

[video=youtube;iG9CE55wbtY]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iG9CE55wbtY[/video]

 

[flkyflky]

That's why it is call PAP Education HUB of 1st World.

 

[dredd]

generally, everybody is better off with a degree than not. Bill, teresa and Steve could have attended Uni and graduated. It's more a case of "can but dont want" rather than "want to but can't". For most of us, we would be lucky enough to "can when we want to". My late MIL, my late grandma, etc could have been Uni grads too if they could afford, because plainly they were smart enough.

If you have entrepreneurial skills and talents, yes, skip the paper trail and dive into the money chase. But how many of us have what it takes to be our own boss? That's where a Degree will at least give that leg up.

In the case of Bill and Steve and many others like them, they attended school, Bill at Princeton and Steve at Reed College. Both dropped out after realising its one big waste of time. Why acquire knowledge when one can create knowledge? Same for Mother Teresa. Her greatness didn't come from listening to dowdy professors talking about the science of humanitarianism. She went out and did it.

I have a Uni degree too but the reality is that I have been passed on promotion by younger farkers with MBAs but in my opinion can't measure up. In the past, I used to think "I want and can", but now I'm thinking more like "I want, but so what"?

 

[Cruxx]

A basic science degree qualifies you to wash test tubes. A master's makes you an advanced washer. And a PhD makes you an ordinary worker!