Date: 22/May/2026
MU ranks among the world’s leading universities in tourism and recreation research.
Choosing a university is not only about where you study. It is also about who you learn from, what ideas you are exposed to, and how your education connects to the future.
Modul University Vienna has been ranked #6 worldwide in Recreation & Leisure research by ScholarGPS, placing MU among the world’s leading institutions in a field closely connected to its academic identity, research tradition, and international reputation.
For students, this recognition sends an important message: MU is a university where teaching is connected to globally recognized research. Students learn in an environment shaped by international expertise, applied knowledge, and future-oriented thinking.
The ranking appears on MU’s ScholarGPS institutional profile, which summarizes the university’s research performance in a worldwide comparison among 24,353 universities. This broader institutional view shows that MU’s recognition is not limited to a single ranking result. It reflects a wider pattern of research visibility across fields closely connected to the university’s academic identity, including tourism, recreation, leisure, sustainability, business, and data-driven disciplines.
For MU, the ranking is more than a number. It is evidence of the university’s ability to contribute meaningfully to international scholarship while staying closely connected to industry, society, and the future of education.
Why this ranking matters
Recreation, leisure, and tourism research play an essential role in understanding how people travel, experience destinations, engage with culture, use urban and natural spaces, and participate in the global visitor economy. These topics are increasingly connected to sustainability, digital transformation, destination resilience, and quality of life.
MU’s #6 worldwide position demonstrates the strength of its research community in areas that shape the future of tourism and recreation. It also reinforces Vienna’s role as a global hub for education, innovation, and international exchange.
As a university with a strong applied focus, MU connects academic research with practical relevance. Faculty research contributes to knowledge that can support destinations, businesses, policymakers, communities, and students preparing for careers in international fields.
For students, this matters because research does not stay separate from the classroom. It shapes the topics they explore, the questions they ask, and the perspectives they develop throughout their studies.
A global university experience in Vienna
MU’s international research recognition also reflects the university’s global outlook. Located in Vienna, one of Europe’s most international cities, MU brings together students, faculty, and partners from different countries, cultures, and professional backgrounds.
This creates a learning environment where global research and international student experience reinforce each other. Students do not only study global topics. They experience them through an international academic community.
At MU, academic learning is connected to real-world contexts, global challenges, and diverse perspectives. Students are encouraged to think critically, collaborate across cultures, and prepare for careers in fields that are changing quickly.
This combination of research excellence, international community, and Vienna-based student life gives MU a distinctive academic environment: focused, personal, globally connected, and future-oriented.
A global signal of MU’s research strength
ScholarGPS rankings are based on quantitative indicators of scholarly productivity, impact, and quality. The platform evaluates research performance across institutions and academic fields, offering a data-driven perspective on global research visibility.
MU’s strong performance in Recreation & Leisure confirms the university’s position as a globally visible research institution in a field central to its mission. It also supports a broader story: MU is not only internationally oriented in its teaching, but also globally recognized in its research.
The ranking is especially meaningful because Recreation & Leisure is closely aligned with MU’s strengths in tourism, hospitality, sustainability, service management, consumer behavior, destination development, and experience design.
While MU’s #6 worldwide ranking in Recreation & Leisure research is the strongest headline, it is part of a wider pattern of research strength. According to ScholarGPS, MU also performs strongly in Tourism and Supply Chain Management, two fields closely aligned with the university’s academic focus and applied research profile.
In Tourism, MU is ranked #11 worldwide on a lifetime basis and #3 in Europe. For the last five years, MU is ranked #50 worldwide and #10 in Europe, placing it among internationally visible institutions in one of the university’s core areas of expertise.
In Supply Chain Management, MU is ranked #25 worldwide for the last five years and #48 worldwide on a lifetime basis, further demonstrating the university’s research strength in business-relevant and globally connected fields.
Together, these rankings show that MU’s research impact is not concentrated in only one area. The university performs strongly across fields that are essential to the future of tourism, sustainability, business operations, data-driven decision-making, and global service industries.
Research excellence with real-world relevance
At MU, research is not separated from teaching or professional practice. Students learn in an academic environment shaped by faculty members whose work contributes to international conversations and industry-relevant challenges.
This creates a distinctive educational experience. Students are exposed to research-led teaching, current debates, applied projects, and future-oriented thinking. They do not only study established theories. They engage with the questions that are shaping the future of tourism, leisure, sustainability, and business.
For partners, the ranking confirms MU’s value as a knowledge partner with internationally recognized expertise. For students and alumni, it strengthens the value of being part of a university with global academic visibility.
Why this matters for students
MU’s ScholarGPS ranking is not only a point of pride. It is a message to students: your education is connected to internationally recognized expertise.
You are learning from researchers who contribute to global knowledge. You are part of a university with visible academic impact. You are preparing for careers in fields that are changing the world.
For current students, this recognition strengthens the value of their degree. It shows that their university is active in global academic conversations and contributes knowledge in fields with strong professional relevance.
For prospective students, it offers a clear reason to choose MU: a focused, international university where research excellence and career relevance come together.
What is ScholarGPS?
ScholarGPS is a scholarly analytics platform that provides rankings and profiles for scholars and institutions worldwide. Its rankings are determined quantitatively and are based on indicators designed to capture research productivity, impact, and quality.
For universities, this type of recognition offers an external signal of research performance. For MU, the #6 worldwide ranking in Recreation & Leisure research confirms the university’s exceptional strength in a field that is central to its identity.
ScholarGPS allows users to explore both institutional and field-specific rankings, including lifetime and recent performance. For MU, this makes the ranking especially valuable. It offers an external, data-driven view of the university’s research strengths across time and across disciplines.
A proud moment for the MU community
MU’s position among the world’s top institutions in Recreation & Leisure research is a recognition of the work of its faculty, researchers, students, alumni, and academic community.
It reflects years of scholarly contribution, international collaboration, and a shared commitment to research that matters.
As MU continues to grow its global profile, this ranking provides a strong foundation for communicating what makes the university distinctive: focused expertise, international visibility, applied relevance, and research impact.
View MU’s profile on ScholarGPS: