The 2017 edition of U-Ranking, which looks at the productivity of the Spanish university system, was made public on 1 June in Madrid. According to this year’s edition, the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC) is Spain’s top-performing university in innovation and technological development and ranks second overall in Spain’s university system, after Pompeu Fabra University (UPF).

In teaching, the UPC improved its position in the ranking compared to the previous edition, rising to second place (after Mondragon University), a position it shares with Carlos III University, Comillas Pontifical University, Pompeu Fabra University and Ramon Llull University.

In research, the UPC has also moved up one position to third place (tied with Autonomous University of Madrid).

In the rankings related to volume, the UPC is in sixth position overall and is the leader, for the first time, in innovation and development and in research, a dimension in which it has risen from ninth to first place, which it shares with the University of Barcelona. In teaching, the UPC ranks fifth this year.

As in the previous edition, the publishers also offer a summary sheet for each institution (in PDF format) that provides a snapshot of each university’s strengths and weaknesses. If we define strengths as the areas in which an institution gets a score of 100 out of 100 (or close to it), the UPC’s strong points are research and innovation and technological development. Specifically, the University stands out in research staff contracts in relation to budget, percentage of Q1 publications, percentage of publications with international co-authorship, number of patents per PhD faculty member, and triadic patents per PhD faculty member.

Two types of rankings and 61 indicators
U-Ranking, an indicator system designed to measure the outcomes and productivity of state universities, is produced by the BBVA Foundation and the Valencian Institute of Economic Research (Ivie). The ranking analyses 61 Spanish universities, which together represent over 70% of the university system. It includes 48 public and 13 private universities that are able to provide the information required to calculate indicator scores.

The report ranks institutions in three dimensions that define their role: teaching performance, research and innovation, and technological development. Each of these dimensions is further broken down into four areas: resources, production, quality and internationalisation. The overall ranking of each university is determined based on its position in these areas. Universities are ranked according to both their productivity and total volume of results.

The ranking was produced by a large team of researchers and technicians led by Francisco Pérez, Ivie research director, and Joaquín Aldás, an Ivie researcher (both attached to the University of Valencia), in collaboration with a team of Ivie research technicians.

24 UPC bachelor’s degrees in first position
In a section of the website entitled “Select a University”, U-Ranking also offers a tool for generating customised rankings of bachelor’s degree courses.

To obtain this tailored ranking, users must select one or more areas of study and the region(s) where they want to study (from among Spain’s autonomous communities). Finally, they must indicate, in percentage terms, the relative importance they place on teaching, research and innovation, and technological development. In this final step, the default weighting U-Ranking and U-Ranking Volume propose is: teaching, 56%; research, 34%; and innovation and technological development, 10%.

When these parameters are applied, the UPC bachelor’s degrees listed below appear as top-ranked programmes in Spain.

Informatics and Telecommunications:

• Bachelor’s degree in Aerospace Systems Engineering*
• Bachelor’s degree in Telecommunications Systems Engineering*
• Bachelor’s degree in Telecommunications Technologies and Services Engineering
• Bachelor’s degree in Informatics Engineering
• Bachelor’s degree in Network Engineering*

* Also ranked first in Industrial Engineering

Civil Engineering and Architecture:

• Bachelor’s degree in Architectural Technology and Building Construction
• Bachelor’s degree in Public Works Engineering
• Bachelor’s degree in Geoinformation and Geomatics Engineering
• Bachelor’s degree in Mining Engineering
• Degree in Architecture Studies
• Bachelor’s degree in Nautical Science and Maritime Transport
• Bachelor’s degree in Marine Technologies

Industrial Engineering:

• Bachelor’s degree in Biomedical Engineering
• Bachelor’s degree in Aerospace Systems Engineering**
• Bachelor’s degree in Biosystems Engineering
• Bachelor’s degree in Telecommunications Systems Engineering**
• Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering
• Bachelor’s degree in Industrial Electronics and Automatic Control
• Bachelor’s degree in Aerospace Technology Engineering
• Bachelor’s degree in Industrial Technology Engineering
• Bachelor’s degree in Aerospace Vehicle Engineering
• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering Physics
• Bachelor’s degree in Industrial Design and Product Development Engineering
• Bachelor’s degree in Chemical Engineering
• Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering
• Bachelor’s degree in Network Engineering**

* Also ranked first in Informatics and Telecommunications

Food Engineering:

• Bachelor’s degree in Food Engineering