Medicine is one of the most important fields in Poland. One of the world’s most authoritative rankings, Times Higher Education, has published a list of the world’s best universities by subject. Polish higher education institutions were also included in this list. Which medical universities in Poland are considered the best according to Times Higher Education? Let us discuss this in today’s article.
The training of qualified specialists in medicine must take place in higher education institutions or professional pre-higher education institutions under high-quality educational programmes. Students must also have the opportunity to apply the knowledge they acquire in practice by conducting experiments and research.
One of the most authoritative international rankings, Times Higher Education, which helps students and researchers choose a higher education institution, has compiled lists of the world’s best universities according to many criteria. In particular, the ranking of the world’s best universities in medicine was published, and it included 14 Polish higher education institutions.
Times Higher Education Ranking
Times Higher Education (THE) is an international ranking system that has assessed universities by various indicators and fields since 2004, and also provides data on the activities of universities in the international academic environment. This ranking is intended for students, researchers, university management, and so on.
What criteria are used for the assessment?
To compile the ranking, 18 carefully selected performance indicators are used, grouped into 5 main areas in order to ensure an objective assessment of the university and the formation of the ranking. The key criteria include the following:
- Teaching (learning environment, 29.5%). This area includes the reputation of teaching staff, the staff-to-student ratio, and the proportion of doctoral candidates. It also takes into account the number of doctoral degrees awarded per member of staff and the institution’s income. THE assesses how strong the environment is for learning and researcher training.
- Research environment (volume, income, and reputation, 29%). The university’s research reputation, the volume of research funding, and research productivity are assessed. In other words, this shows how actively the university is engaged in research and what resources it has for this.
- Research quality (citations, research strength, research excellence, and research influence, 30%). This is one of the most important areas. It takes into account citation impact, the significance of research, and the share of the most influential publications. The data for this are taken from the Scopus database. An analysis of publications and citations is carried out over a multi-year period in the relevant fields so that comparisons across different disciplines are accurate.
- International outlook (staff, students, and research, 7.5%). This criterion assesses the share of international students, international staff, and international co-authors in publications. This shows how well the university is integrated into the global academic system.
- Industry collaboration (income and patents, 4%). Income from cooperation with business and patents is taken into account. During the assessment, the university receives scores for the practical usefulness of research, the monetisation of knowledge, and innovation.
Which medical universities in Poland were included in the list of the best?
As mentioned above, 14 Polish institutions were included in the international ranking of the best universities in medicine. Below, we will look at some of them.
Wrocław Medical University
Wrocław Medical University was founded in 1811. The university has four faculties, namely medicine, dentistry, pharmacy, and medical sciences. The Faculty of Medicine is the oldest and largest faculty of the university, established in 1945. It was here that the first open-heart surgery in Poland was performed in 1958.
The university’s strongest indicator is research quality, which has the highest score among all the criteria – 76.5. At the same time, industry collaboration received a score of 48.1, while teaching scored 43.5 points. This shows that the university is particularly strong in the influence of its research; its academic work has good visibility, citation impact, and value for the medical field. In addition, the university also demonstrates solid results in the teaching criterion. According to the THE medical ranking, this is the best Polish university.
Jagiellonian University
Jagiellonian University was founded in 1364. It is the oldest higher education institution in Poland and also one of the oldest in Europe. Among its graduates are several well-known historical figures, including the astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus.
The highest score is for industry collaboration – 54.2, as well as research quality – 53.3. The university is well integrated into the international academic environment and also has strong research potential.
Medical University of Gdańsk
The Medical University of Gdańsk is one of the largest and oldest medical higher education institutions in northern Poland, with a history dating back to 1945, when the Academy of Physicians’ Sciences was founded. The university has four faculties: the Faculty of Health Sciences with the Institute of Maritime and Tropical Medicine, the Faculty of Medicine, the Faculty of Pharmacy, and the Intercollegiate Faculty of Biotechnology.
The highest score is for research quality – 55.8. The university’s main advantage lies in its high-quality and valuable scientific research, which is an important characteristic for a medical university.
Medical University of Łódź
The university was founded in 2002 through the merger of the Medical Academy and the Military Medical Academy. It is considered the largest state medical higher education institution in Poland. The university offers courses in medicine, dentistry, nursing, and a full range of related medical disciplines, as well as opportunities for postgraduate research.
The highest score is for research quality – 65.5 points, which is one of the highest indicators among Polish universities in the ranking. Such a score is evidence of strong research potential and the high value of the university’s research.
You can find more details about the list of Polish medical universities and their scores on the official ranking page.
To sum up, scientific research and publications play an important role not only in the professional life of a scholar, but also in shaping the reputation and prestige of a university. For the stable development of medicine, it is important to record and disseminate research results. This is also important for improving your institution’s position in international rankings and gaining an advantage when participating in competitions for positions or funding, and so on.
Want to publish an article on medicine? Contact the company Scientific Publications. Our specialists will conduct an audit of your work and help you choose a scientific journal that will match the subject of your research and your goals. Do you still have questions? Fill in the form below, and our manager will contact you shortly. Together towards new scientific achievements!
