The Times Higher Education Supplement and Quacquarelli Symonds, an education research firm, ranked Duke the 13th overall best university in the world in an annual report released last week.
Duke's place on the list was unchanged from 2006. The THES-QS report placed Duke between No. 12 McGill University in Canada and the University of Pennsylvania, which came in 14th.
"Duke is one of the best universities in the nation and the world," said John Burness, vice president for public affairs and government relations. "As a confirmation of the quality of our faculty and our student body, I think the ranking is no surprise."
Universities were ranked according to a weighted scoring system that emphasized peer review, research citations and graduate employability.
Harvard University topped the list. The University of Cambridge and the University of Oxford, both in the United Kingdom, and Yale University tied for second place.
"It is clear that Duke is now being perceived as a very serious player on the international higher education scene," Burness said. "Lead institutions are starting to come talk to us as they are trying to understand how to create the universities of the future."
The THES-QS report also ranked world universities in five categories-science, biomedicine, technology, social sciences and arts and humanities. Duke was ranked 19th in biomedicine, 20th in arts and humanities and 25th in social sciences. It did not rank in the top 50 universities in science and technology.
Burness said the University's relationship with the Duke-National University of Singapore Graduate Medical School is indicative of Duke's expanding profile abroad.
"Our international reputation is catching up to our American reputation as we... do more things internationally and as people begin to shape an image of Duke overseas," said Gilbert Merkx, vice provost for international affairs. "People around the world are beginning to understand what Duke is."
Merkx pointed to Duke's emphasis on interdisciplinarity and innovative research as key components of Duke's profile abroad. He added that President Richard Brodhead's visit to China last year helped establish Duke's global image.
"We're continuing to do things that we do well and we're engaging in more international activities, which helps our international visibility," Merkx said.
Burness noted, however, that Duke is still a young institution compared to its peers. The relatively small size of Duke's engineering and science programs may have contributed to the University's absence in the top 50 lists for science and technology, he said.
"It really is a scale issue," Burness said. "To the degree that we have begun to develop real strength and larger programs I think you'll see that [Duke's science and technology ranks] will get better."
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