Studying engineering is a smart choice for career-minded students and there are technical universities all over the world offering world-class degrees.
Most students in Europe enrol on a degree for a specific discipline within engineering. Common specialisations include civil engineering, electrical engineering and chemical engineering.
The 2018 subject ranking for engineering and technology, from Times Higher Education, features 500 universities across 50 different countries.
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Although the schools at the very top are in the United States and the United Kingdom, universities in Singapore, China and Switzerland perform extremely well and appear high up the rankings.
China is the third most-represented country in the list of best universities for engineering, ahead of Germany, Australia and Canada.
The ranking uses the same methodology as the Times Higher Education World University Rankings, but with a higher weighting for innovation and a lower weighting for citations. The full methodology can be found here.
Scroll down for a full list of degrees covered by the ranking and what you can do with a degree in them.
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Top 5 universities for engineering degrees
1. Stanford University
Stanford University's School of Engineering has been at the cutting edge of new technology and innovation for the past century.
There are nine departments in the school, and additional institutes, laboratories and research centres.
Research focuses on 10 of the “most daunting human challenges of the coming decades”. These are: systems design, bioengineering, network security, climate change, robotics, information technology, materials and matter, urban design, affordable accessible healthcare and computation and data analysis.
Across the nine departments there are eight interdepartmental undergraduate programmes that students can major in.
2. California Institute of Technology
Three of the six academic divisions at Caltech teach and research engineering and technology subjects: the biology and biological engineering division, the chemistry and chemical engineering division, and the engineering and applied science division.
Both teaching and research is fairly cross-disciplinary. Undergraduates declare a major at the end of their first year.
There are five distinct engineering majors and an interdisciplinary studies programme that allows students to customise a course of study.
Caltech is one of the smallest universities in the world but prides itself on ambition and innovation.
3. University of Oxford
Unlike in the United States, University of Oxford students are admitted for a specific engineering degree.
For undergraduates, this will be a four-year course in engineering science or more specifically biomedical engineering, chemical engineering, civil engineering, electrical engineering, information engineering or mechanical engineering.
Just under half of all applicants for these courses get through to the interview round and 15 per cent secure a place on a course.
Many Oxford engineering graduates go on to careers as professional engineers, although some enter business, consultancy or further study.
4. Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Since 1861, the School of Engineering at MIT has produced a stream of products and new technologies to solve engineering problems.
In the past few years, the school has increased its focus on innovation, launching the MIT Innovation Initiative. Research associated with the initiative has led to 60 US patents licensed by multinational companies.
Another parallel initiative provides students with educational experiences, mentoring and funding to encourage their creativity and support their projects.
Laboratories and departments in the school produce a range of research, from insights on food security to soldier nanotechnology.
5. University of Cambridge
At the University of Cambridge, students can specialise in a full range of engineering topics, including instrumentation, sustainability and aerothermal engineering.
Unlike some UK courses, the programme allows flexible study options to combine various topics.
All colleges in Cambridge accept engineering applicants, but some colleges prefer students to take a year out before applying.
There are seven applications per place but the course overall is fairly large, with more than 300 students enrolled in any one year.
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Best universities for engineering 2018
Click each institution to view its World University Ranking 2018 profile
Click here to view the top 500 universities for engineering degrees
What can you do with an engineering degree?
What can you do with an aerospace engineering degree?
What can you do with a chemical engineering degree?
What can you do with a civil engineering degree?
What can you do with an electrical engineering degree?
What can you do with a general engineering degree?
What can you do with a mechanical engineering degree?
Read more: The most detailed subject guide you will ever see to help you pick your degree
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