the Principal can fulfill the duties of the Chancellor in their absence. Prior to the university's independence, when it was part of the University of St Andrews, a similar function was carried out by the Master of Queen's College. This position replaced the earlier post of principal of University College, Dundee, which was first filled in 1882.
Following the announced resignation of Principal and Vice-Chancellor Sir Pete Downes in February 2018, the university appointed Professor Andrew Atherton to the post, to begin in January 2019. Atherton resigned following a dispute with the university in November 2019.
Holders of this position and its predecessors are:
===== Principals of University College, Dundee =====
William Peterson (1882–1895)
John Yule Mackay (1895–1930)
Sir James Irvine (1930–1939) – 'Interim' appointment
Angus Robertson Fulton (1939–1946) – 'Interim' appointment
Douglas Wimberley (1946–1954)
===== Masters of Queen's College, Dundee =====
David Rutherford Dow (1954–1958)
Arthur Alexander Matheson (1958–1966)
James Drever (1966–1967)
===== Principals of the University of Dundee =====
James Drever (1967–1978)
Adam Neville (1978–1987)
Michael Hamlin (1987–1994)
Ian James Graham-Bryce (1994–2000)
Sir Alan Langlands (2000–2009)
Sir Pete Downes (2009–2018)
Andrew Atherton (2019)
David Maguire (2020) Interim Principal
Iain Gillespie (2021-24)
Shane O'Neill (2024-2025) interim principal
Nigel Seaton (2025- ) interim principal
=== Structure ===
As of 1 August 2022, the University of Dundee is organised into eight schools containing multiple disciplines. Each individual school is formally headed by a dean. The following is a full list of the academic divisions of the university:
== Reputation and rankings ==
=== University rankings ===
As of 2025, Dundee is ranked within the top 500 universities in the world according to the major global rankings (Times, QS, and ARWU); placing 301-350th in the Times World University rankings, joint 428th in the QS World University Rankings and 301-400th in the …
