Research Excellence
RAE 2008
RAE 2008 was the sixth in a series of exercises conducted nationally to assess the quality of UK research and to inform the selective distribution of public funds for research by the four UK higher education funding bodies.
RAE 2008 provided quality profiles for research across all disciplines. Submissions from institutions were assessed by experts in some 70 units of assessment. The main body of the assessment took place in 2007-08, with outcomes published by the funding bodies in December 2008.
Results for the College of Arts and Social Sciences
World Leading
- 89% of Aberdeen’s research activity is of international quality and 55% is world leading (4*) or internationally excellent (3*)
- All 17 submissions from the College of Arts and Social Sciences had activity rated as world leading or internationally excellent
Top in the UK
- The University of Aberdeen was ranked 1st in the UK for Theology, Divinity and Religious Studies
Outstanding Performance
Almost two thirds of College staff were submitted to units where at least half of the research activity was rated as world leading or internationally excellent:
- Anthropology (55%)
- Economics and Econometrics (65%)
- English Language and Literature (65%)
- French (55%)
- History (60%)
- History of Art, Architecture and Design (55%)
- Music (50%)
- Sociology (55%)
- Theology, Divinity and Religious Studies (80%)
- Town and Country Planning (Real Estate) (60%)
In total, eleven of the University’s research areas were ranked among the top 25% in the UK. Six of these eleven are from the College of Arts and Social Sciences:
- English Language and Literature is ranked 11thequal
- French is ranked 5thequal
- History is ranked 19ththe UK
- Property is ranked 6thequal
- Sociology is ranked 6thequal
- Theology, Divinity and Religious Studies is ranked 1st
100% of Research Activity of International Quality
Two of the College’s units of assessment had 100% of their research activity judged to be of international quality:
- Divinity and Religious Studies
- Economics
Note: All the rankings are based on the proportion of research activity judged to be world leading and internationally excellent
