Malaysian universities may have been rapped for their poor overall performance in global rankings but a recent survey has discovered that some universities excel in certain subjects.

The QS World University Ranking by Subject released today shows Universiti Malaya (UM) and Universiti Sains Malaysia to have both broken into the top 50 universities in worldwide rankings for Development Studies and Environmental Sciences respectively.

UM ranked at 32nd place while USM took 31st place for the respective subjects.

The latest survey comes as consolation after Malaysian universities failed to make it to the top 100 of the QS World University Ranking 2014.

That ranking had put UM at 151st place, followed by Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) at 259th and Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) at 294th.

Quacquarelli Symonds (QS), which published the latest rankings by subject, said in a statement today that UM also made into the top 100 for six other

subjects.

These are mechanical, aeronautical and manufacturing engineering; electrical and electronic engineering; chemical engineering; linguistics; English language and literature and architecture (built environment).

UM the top local performer

USM ( campus, below left ), too, made it into the top 100 for five other subjects: chemical engineering; mechanical, aeronautical and manufacturing engineering;

electrical and electronic engineering; development studies and architecture (built environment).

Also in the top 100 for agriculture and forestry was UPM while UTM's chemical engineering and architecture (built environment) subjects also made it to the top 100.

When expanded to cover the top 150, UTM also qualified for the subjects of mechanical; aeronautical and manufacturing engineering; electrical and electronic engineering and civil and structural engineering.

"Within the global top 200, eight Malaysian universities are listed within 23 subjects, with strength of representation in all engineering subjects, with at least seven Malaysian institutions featured," the statement said.

All in all, UM made the overall rankings for 23 subjects, followed by UPM (19), USM (18), UKM (16), UTM (10), Universiti Teknologi Petronas (4), Universiti Teknologi Mara (3), Multimedia University (2), Universiti Tun Hussein Onn (1) and Universiti Utara Malaysia (1).