The Autonomous University of Barcelona (Catalan: Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, UAB; IPA: [uniβərsiˈtat əwˈtɔnumə ðə βərsəˈɫonə], Spanish: Universidad Autónoma de Barcelona) is a public university mostly located in Cerdanyola, near the city of Barcelona in Catalonia, Spain. As of 2005, it consists of 50 departments in the experimental, life, social and human sciences, spread among 11 faculties and three university schools. All these centers together award a total of 77 qualifications in the form of first degrees, diplomas, and engineering degrees. Moreover, almost 90 doctoral programs and more than 100 other postgraduate programs are offered. UAB has more than 50,000 students and more than 3,000 academic and research staff. The UAB is a pioneering institution in terms of fostering research. There are many research institutes in the campus, as well as other research centers, technical support services and service-providing laboratories. In 2010 QS World University Rankings ranked the university 173rd overall in the world.