Agricultural and Food Sciences Earn Top Rankings in U.S. News & World Report Best Global Universities

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The University of Massachusetts Amherst has again earned a top ranking in the Agricultural Sciences and Food Sciences and Technology categories by U.S. News & World Report in its Best Global Universities for 2024-25. Both programs reside in the College of Natural Sciences.

Released earlier this fall, the 10^th annual U.S. News & World Report Best Global Universities ranked top institutions in the United States and globally in 51 academic subject areas based on reputation and research in the field. UMass Amherst ranks No. 175 out of 2,250 top schools in the overall global list.

For the fifth year in a row, UMass Amherst ranks No. 1 in the U.S. and No. 8 globally out of 400 institutions for Agricultural Sciences.

As noted by U.S. News & World Report, “The field of agricultural sciences encompasses a wide range of subjects related to how humans use and develop natural resources for their benefit. They include horticulture, food science and nutrition, dairy science and agronomy.”

“Several departments in the College of Natural Sciences contribute to the research being done in agriculture, with the Stockbridge School of Agriculture being central to that mission,” says Baoshan Xing, director of the Stockbridge School of Agriculture and Distinguished Professor of environmental and soil chemistry. “Our consistently top ranking is due to an overall effort in the College of Natural Sciences, tackling the existential challenges of safe and sustainable food production in the face of pollution and climate change.”

Several units in the university’s College of Natural Sciences contribute to the research being done in agriculture, including the Department of Food Science, which ranked No. 1 in the U.S. and No. 4 globally out of 250 schools in this year’s Best Global Universities for Food Science and Technology.

“Food science and technology covers resources concerning various aspects of food research and production, including food additives and contaminants, food chemistry and biochemistry, meat science, food microbiology and technology, dairy science, food engineering and processing, cereal science, brewing, and food quality and safety,” according to U.S. News & World Report. 

Lili He, professor and head of the Department of Food Science, said last year the program ranked prominently, as well, at No. 1 in the nation and No. 3 globally.

“Research excellence is our department's identity, and we take great pride in our achievements.  We really appreciate campus leadership's recognition and on-going support of our food science department,” she said. 

Subject rankings are powered by data analytics firm Clarivate, which provided the data and metrics used in the rankings, and the bibliometric data was based on the Web of Science. More information on ranking criteria and indicators can be found in U.S. News Best Global Universities methodology.