Research quality
How research at Queen's University Belfast was rated in the REF 2021 — the UK's official assessment of university research quality.
4★ research is world-leading; 3★ is internationally excellent; 2★ is internationally recognised; 1★ is nationally recognised. Each bar shows the percentage of research at each quality tier, broken down by subject area (Unit of Assessment).
- 4★ World-leading
- 3★ Internationally excellent
- 2★ Internationally recognised
- 1★ Nationally recognised
- Unclassified
2. Public Health, Health Services and Primary Care
42.0 full-time-equivalent academics submitted research
83% world-class
3. Allied Health Professions, Dentistry, Nursing and Pharmacy
149.4 full-time-equivalent academics submitted research
97% world-class
4. Psychology, Psychiatry and Neuroscience
34.0 full-time-equivalent academics submitted research
61% world-class
6. Agriculture, Food and Veterinary Sciences
72.8 full-time-equivalent academics submitted research
94% world-class
8. Chemistry
30.3 full-time-equivalent academics submitted research
93% world-class
9. Physics
49.7 full-time-equivalent academics submitted research
91% world-class
10. Mathematical Sciences
19.0 full-time-equivalent academics submitted research
88% world-class
12. Engineering
140.0 full-time-equivalent academics submitted research
96% world-class
13. Architecture, Built Environment and Planning
27.4 full-time-equivalent academics submitted research
89% world-class
14. Geography and Environmental Studies
19.5 full-time-equivalent academics submitted research
76% world-class
15. Archaeology
11.7 full-time-equivalent academics submitted research
94% world-class
17. Business and Management Studies
68.0 full-time-equivalent academics submitted research
81% world-class
18. Law
45.0 full-time-equivalent academics submitted research
87% world-class
19. Politics and International Studies
32.9 full-time-equivalent academics submitted research
79% world-class
20. Social Work and Social Policy
47.2 full-time-equivalent academics submitted research
88% world-class
22. Anthropology and Development Studies
9.9 full-time-equivalent academics submitted research
67% world-class
23. Education
31.4 full-time-equivalent academics submitted research
83% world-class
26. Modern Languages and Linguistics
23.4 full-time-equivalent academics submitted research
79% world-class
27. English Language and Literature
36.8 full-time-equivalent academics submitted research
82% world-class
28. History
34.0 full-time-equivalent academics submitted research
85% world-class
30. Philosophy
5.5 full-time-equivalent academics submitted research
81% world-class
33. Music, Drama, Dance, Performing Arts, Film and Screen Studies
34.0 full-time-equivalent academics submitted research
88% world-class
Source: REF 2021 results