The National University of Singapore (NUS) and Nanyang Technological University (NTU) yesterday cemented their positions among the world's best engineering and technology schools after improved placings in various university rankings this year.

NUS was the eighth-best university in the world for engineering and technology, while NTU was 16th - the schools moving up one and two places respectively in rankings that focused on engineering and technology as well as computer science.

And though NUS fell three spots as a computer science school, it remained in the ranking's top 20 at 13th place. NTU was ranked 31st.

A day earlier, both were named the top two schools in Asia by London-based education consultancy Quacquarelli Symonds.

Yesterday's discipline rankings, by Times Higher Education, assessed a university's strengths in general engineering, electrical and electronic engineering, mechanical and aerospace engineering, civil engineering and chemical engineering.

Stanford University took the top spot for engineering and technology, and for computer science. The California Institute of Technology was second for engineering and technology, while Oxford University was third. China's Peking University entered the top 10 for the first time in the eight-year history of the rankings. It took seventh place for engineering and technology.

The Massachusetts Institute of Technology took second place in computer science, and Oxford University was third in the field.

The two subject rankings employ the same 13 performance indicators used in the overall Times Higher Education World University Rankings, but the methodology has been recalibrated to suit individual fields.

Mr Phil Baty, editorial director of the rankings, said the engineering and technology subject ranking has been expanded to include 500 universities, up from 100 last year.

"All universities in the rankings have had to demonstrate excellence across teaching, research, knowledge transfer and international outlook, so it is a great achievement to make the top 500," he said, noting NUS' and Peking University's placings in the top 10.

He added that universities in Asia are among the "stand-out performers" in this year's table, and noted that 132 universities in Asia made the top 500. This means the continent now has more world-class institutions for engineering and technology than North America, which has 127.