The mdw – University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna has tied with the Juilliard School (USA) for first place worldwide in the Performing Arts category of the 2019 QS World University Rankings, which were released on 27 February. This is the first time ever that an Austrian institution has claimed the top spot in a worldwide ranking of universities.
“Overjoyed” is how mdw Rector Ulrike Sych describes her feelings: “We’ve succeeded in getting the mdw to 1st place during my first term of office. My thanks go out to all members of the mdw community who have travelled this path with me.” Rector Sych is particularly proud of the outstanding feedback from potential employers of mdw graduates: “Our alumni have the best chances at prevailing in the labour market, and that’s something I find especially gratifying.”
The mdw has achieved this success, continued Sych, “thanks to our high standards of quality and to the enormous competence of our teaching staff and administrators in what they do. But it’s also owed to an attitude that is non-negotiable—to our ideal of upholding the dignity and rights of all human beings regardless of origin, orientation, or belonging.” And while the mdw’s top international rank does help safeguard Austria’s image as an outstanding cultural nation, “this status needs to be maintained for all future generations on the basis of consistent funding and constant further development,” adds the Rector
Ben Sowter, Senior Vice President of QS, states: “This year, no performing arts school can boast stronger renown among academics in the field than the University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna, nor can any university department in Austria boast more employable graduates. The 2019 results – which are based on the expert opinions of 1,219 performing arts academics and 3,100 employers that hire performing arts graduates – are a testament to the high academic standards at the University. They also indicate that the University has received global recognition as a world-leader in the Performing Arts field.”
To the QS University Rankings
Quacquarelli Symonds published its first QS World University Rankings in 2004. Since then, the QS Rankings have developed into the world’s most popular source for comparative data on the quality of university-level institutions. In 2018, their subject ranking tables logged more than 37 million hits, while their overall World University Rankings were clicked on over 73 million times. The 2019 QS World University Rankings by Subject represent QS’s most comprehensive ranking project to date.
