![](https://www.gov.mo/en/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2017/03/2_20170314095416HU79.jpg)
The Institute for Tourism Studies (IFT) has been ranked by the “QS World University Rankings by Subject 2017” as the 2ndbest higher education institution in Asia in the field of hospitality and leisure management and the 18th best higher education institution in this field in the world.
The prestigious index ranks the world’s top universities, as well as by individual discipines. The 2017 Rankings were released on 8 March.
IFT was the only higher education institution from Macao ranked by the QS World University Rankings under the subject area of hospitality and leisure management, being rated to be ahead of several highly reputed universities from countries – including Switzerland, the United Kingdom, the United States and Australia – with a great tradition in hospitality education.
QS Quacquarelli Symonds Ltd has been compiling the World University Rankings by Subject annually since 2011. For the 2017 edition, it assessed more than 1,100 institutions in 74 countries.
The QS World University Rankings by Subject are produced using four sources of information. They include surveys of academics and employers, which are used to assess institutions’ international reputation in each subject. The other two indicators assess research impact.
The QS World University Rankings by Subject aim to help prospective students identify the world’s leading higher education institutions in students’ chosen fields of study, with the list of covered subjects extended year by year. The list now includes a total of 46 subjects from 5 broad subject areas.
Hospitality and Leisure Management was introduced to the QS World University Rankings by Subject this year. The Rankings seek to identify the world’s 50 best higher education institutions in this subject area.
The quality of education at IFT and the Institute’s contributions to the community have, over the past 2 decades, been recognised by many awards and international certifications. Earlier this month, IFT successfully completed an International Quality Review (IQR) from the UK's Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education (QAA), making IFT the world’s first higher education institution to meet the standards set by this international system.
Established in 1995, the Institute for Tourism Studies, Macao (IFT) offers the most extensive selection of tourism and hospitality related bachelor degree programmes in Macao, and about twenty thousand participants attend its vocational and professional training courses annually. IFT collaborates with 101 universities and tourism organisations around the world, and builds strong links with 500 leading tourism and hospitality corporations to offer internship opportunities to its students. Being the first institution accredited by the UNWTO.TedQual Certification System for tourism education, IFT has now 8 bachelor degree programmes with the Certification. Currently, the Institute has the most number of bachelor degree programmes certified under the System of any tertiary education establishment worldwide. IFT has received the Medal of Merit in Tourism from the Macao SAR Government, and won twice the Gold Award in ‘Education and Training’ from the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA).