UMass Amherst Ag and Food Science Programs Ranked Among the Best in the World
UMass Amherst is ranked #1 in the U.S. for Best Global Agricultural Sciences Universities, and is the only U.S. university with a Top Ten ranking. Photo: umass.edu
Source: UMass News & Media
The University of Massachusetts Amherst Agricultural Sciences and Food Sciences and Technology programs have again been ranked among the Top 10 worldwide in the 2026-27 Best Global Universities by U.S. News & World Report.
The 12th annual edition of U.S. News & World Report Best Global Universities rankings evaluating more than 2,250 institutions in the U.S. and more than 100 countries across 51 academic disciplines were released June 16. The rankings were based on a methodology using data and metrics from Clarivate™, which weighs factors measuring a university’s global and regional research reputation and academic research performance.
The Department of Food Science — the oldest of its kind in the country with internationally recognized faculty members who have made significant contributions to the field—again ranked No. 1 in the United States and No. 5 globally out of 250 institutions in the Food Science and Technology category. UMass Amherst’s food science program has placed among the Top 10 in the global rankings since 2018 and has placed first in the U.S. at least five times.
“The Department of Food Science is not only a world leader in food chemistry, safety, and processing but is leading in how we envision the future of food for a healthier planet,” said Mike Fox, dean of the College of Natural Sciences, which oversees both programs. “This consistent recognition by U.S. News & World Report reflects the creativity, focus and dedication of all the faculty, staff and students in the department. We are truly proud of them and congratulate them on this recognition.”
“This recognition reflects the continued excellence of our research,” said Lili He, professor and head of the Department of Food Science. “I am grateful to our faculty, staff, students, and researchers for their outstanding contributions. I also appreciate the strong support from campus leadership for the Future of Food initiatives, which will continue to drive innovation in food science and food-related disciplines across the university.”
For the seventh consecutive year, UMass Amherst maintained its ranking as No. 1 in the United States and No. 8 globally in the Agricultural Sciences category, which includes horticulture, food science and nutrition, dairy science and agronomy programs at 500 institutions.
“Addressing the complex challenges facing agriculture—from sustainable food production and climate resilience to environmental stewardship and human health—requires innovative, interdisciplinary approaches,” said Baoshan Xing, director of the UMass Amherst Stockbridge School of Agriculture and Distinguished Professor of environmental and soil chemistry. “This continued high ranking reflects not only the exceptional work of our faculty, staff and students in the Stockbridge School of Agriculture, but our partners in the agricultural sciences in the College of Natural Sciences and across the entire campus.”
UMass Amherst also climbed slightly from last year on the overall global list, coming at at 164 out of 2,604 schools that were ranked. The top ten universities in 2026 were 1) Harvard, 2) MIT, 3) Stanford, 4) Oxford (UK), 5) Cambridge (UK), 6) Tsinghua (China), 7) Cal-Berkeley, 8) Yale, 9) University College London (UK), 10) Columbia