University of Gottingen

The Ranking of Georg-August Universität Göttingen or University of Gottingen, Germany

www.uni-goettingen.de

The University of Göttingen (German: Georg-August-Universität Göttingen) is a university in the city of Göttingen, Germany. Founded in 1737, the University of Göttingen is a research university of international renown with strong focuses in research-led teaching. The University is distinguished by the rich diversity of its subject spectrum particularly in the humanities, its excellent facilities for the pursuit of scientific research, and the outstanding quality of the areas that define its profile. In 2007 the Georg-August-Universität achieved success in the Initiative of Excellence of the German Federal and State Governments with its institutional strategy for the future entitled “Göttingen.Tradition – Innovation – Autonomy”. This distinguishes Göttingen as one of the nine German universities officially rated as holding the potential for global visibility and a place amongst the foremost institutions of higher education.



History

The University bears the name of its founder King George II of Great Britain who, as Georg August, was also Elector of Hanover. In affinity with the spirit of the Enlightenment, Göttingen abandoned the supremacy of theology and set its faculties on an equal footing. As an academic location Göttingen was long regarded as the hub of the mathematical world – a position lost, however, in 1933 when under Nazi rule more than 50 professors and lecturers were forced to leave the University, among them several of the 44 Nobel laureates whose names are associated with the city. After the end of World War II, Göttingen University was the first in Germany to resume its teaching operations and it went on to become one the largest higher education institutions in the country.



Pursuing Excellence as a Foundation

Intensifying the process of internationalisation, promoting excellence in research and teaching, adopting Bachelor’s and Master’s degree structures, giving all levels of the University greater autonomy and self-responsibility, optimising resource allocation: These steps characterise the reforms recently undertaken at the University. At the beginning of 2003, the Georg-August-Universität became the first German university with a comprehensive range of disciplines to assume the legal status of a foundation under public law. Four measures are currently being realised within the framework of the University’s institutional strategy for the future: Brain Gain takes an innovative approach to attracting outstanding young scientists and scholars to Göttingen and opens up a secure career path for them, and Brain Sustain is a strategic concept to promote the retention of established top researchers. The third measure, the LichtenbergKolleg, is aimed primarily at enhancing research in the humanities and social sciences, and Göttingen International supports the recruitment of excellent students and young academics from abroad.



Engaging with the Local Research Campus

The University of Göttingen regards its great research tradition and subject diversity as constituting particular strengths. Almost all academic disciplines including medicine are represented in the 13 faculties, the exception being engineering sciences. The Georg-August Universität is also distinguished by being closely integrated into a network of first-class extra-university research establishments involving, most prominently, the Göttingen Academy of Sciences, the German Primate Center, the German Aerospace Center and five Max Planck Institutes. Together, these local partners create with the University an alliance for collaboration in research and teaching arguably unique in the Federal Republic in terms of its depth and breadth, successful elements of which include jointly run collaborative research centres, junior research groups and infrastructure facilities, as well as combined professorial appointments.This cooperation has recently bred outstanding research centres that have won funding from the German Research Foundation (DFG) and the Federal Ministry for Education and Research. Within the scope of the Federal Initiative for Excellence, the Excellence Cluster Microscopy at the Nanometer Range and the DFG Research Centre Molecular Physiology of the Brain (CMPB) were expanded and the Göttingen Graduate School for Neurosciences and Molecular Biosciences (GGNB) promoted.

Due to the positive effect on student instruction and the fostering of young researchers emanating from the neuro and biosciences in Göttingen, these research focus areas, cultivated together with the University’s institutional partners on the research campus, play an important part in shaping its profile. Research excellence at international level is also displayed in chemistry, physics of condensed matter and optics, biodiversity and ecology, geobiology and pure mathematics, as well as in German language and literature studies, oriental and ancient world studies, and theology. As a result of the integration process of the local research community, possibilities specific to Göttingen have arisen for the attracting and retaining of excellent researchers from both in and outside Germany, and top-quality research activities have been initiated and developed. Likewise, the advancement of exceptionally talented young scholars and scientists is a central strategic aim at the Georg-August-Universität.

Studying with Excellence

Göttingen has many advantages as a location for university studies which the Georg-August-Universität is enhancing by developing innovative degree programmes, introducing Bachelor’s and Master’s degree structures, carrying out a systematic internationalisation of its study programmes and implementing quality-assurance measures. Approximately 24,000 young people currently study here, some twelve per cent of whom are from abroad – a clear demonstration of the pull that the University has long exerted internationally. The range of degree courses on offer stands out both for the outstandingly good study facilities in the natural and life sciences and for the breadth of subject diversity in the humanities and social sciences, a choice found at only a small number of universities in Germany. Such a spectrum of subjects enables overarching issues to be tackled with an interdisciplinary perspective, even at undergraduate level.

With 80 subjects to choose from, some 1,000 combinations are possible on the way to graduation with a Bachelor’s degree. In its constantly expanding range of Master’s and Ph.D. programmes the University cultivates excellence and offers the proximity to research. Study programmes run in English, bi-national degrees and compulsory periods spent abroad prepare graduates for the international job market. The University of Göttingen’s international position is being further strengthened by the expansion of partnerships. In addition to the close complex of European universities within the framework of the Erasmus Programme, numerous cooperations at University, faculty and institute level facilitate study visits throughout the world, in some case also making scholarships available. The prestigious Education Abroad Program (EAP) existing with the University of California functions across discipline boundaries.



Fostering the Scientists and Scholars of Tomorrow

Doctoral training in Göttingen is concentrated in structured programmes based at three Graduate Schools. The aim of these schools is to optimise the research and learning conditions for doctoral candidates, offering intensive supervision and a range of seminars designed to advance the training of first-class scientists and scholars. The concept of the Göttingen Graduate School of Neuroscience and Molecular Biosciences, which operates under the roof of the Georg August University School of Science (GAUSS), reaped success in the Excellence Initiative of 2007. Likewise a constituent part of GAUSS, the Göttingen Graduate School for Terrestrial Ecosystems (GGTE) has won funding from the Federal Governement of Lower Saxony The three Graduate Schools Georg August University School of Science (GAUSS) – Göttinger Graduiertenschule Gesellschaftswissenschaften (GGG) – Graduiertenschule für Geisteswissenschaften Göttingen (GSGG) (see: www.graduiertenschulen.uni-goettingen.de) provide the organisational superstructure for the research training groups, doctoral programmes and International Max-Planck Research Schools. Funded by the German Research Foundation, Research Training Groups (GRK) are set up for a limited period with the aim of promoting young researchers and preparing them for their doctorate. In addition to the DFG research training groups, one doctoral college with a new research orientation in Göttingen is being funded by the VolkswagenStiftung. At the International Max Planck Research Schools, the Max-Planck-Gesellschaft in collaboration with partners at the University is engaged in fostering young scientists and offers especially gifted students from Germany and abroad the opportunity to obtain a doctorate of special distinction.



A World-Class University Library

The founding of the Göttingen University Library in 1734 was a landmark: For the first time in library history the concept of a modern research library was put into practice and the institution became the first comprehensive academic library of European standing. Today, the Göttingen State and University Library of Lower Saxony (Niedersächsische Staats- und Universitätsbibliothek Göttingen, SUB) continues to hold a pole position: In 2008, for the fifth time in a row, the library took first place in the nationwide ranking of libraries BIX in the category »two-tier University libraries«. In 2002 the German Library Association (DBV) and the ZEITStiftung declared it »Library of the Year«. The holdings include more than four million volumes, 1.5 million microforms, 304,000 old and modern maps, 14,000 periodicals in print form, 13,300 manuscripts, 3,100 incunabula, 375 academic bequests and a host of digital items. There are also 143 independent divisional libraries at institutes and departments across the University. A digital library competence centre of worldwide renown, the SUB directs or participates in numerous research and development projects in this domain.

Faculties

Natural Sciences, Mathematics and Informatics
Faculty of Agricultural Sciences
Faculty of Biology incl. Psychology
Faculty of Chemistry
Faculty of Forest Sciences and Forest Ecology
Faculty of Geoscience and Geography
Faculty of Mathematics and Computer Science
Faculty of Physics

Medicine
Medical School

Law, Economic Sciences, Social Sciences
Faculty of Law
Faculty of Social Sciences
Faculty of Economic Sciences

Humanities and Theology
Faculty of Humanities
Faculty of Theology

Georg-August Universität Göttingen or University of Gottingen was ranked 166th in the 2008 THES-QS World University Ranking.

Freiburg University

The Ranking of Freiburg University or The University of Freiburg, Germany

www.uni-freiburg.de

University of Freiburg (German Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg, colloquially Uni Freiburg ), sometimes referred to in English as Albert Ludwig University of Freiburg, is a public research university located in Freiburg im Breisgau, Baden-Württemberg, Germany. The university was founded in 1457 by the Hapsburg dynasty as the second university in Austrian-Habsburg territory after the University of Vienna. Today, Freiburg is the fifth-oldest university in Germany, with a long tradition of teaching the humanities, social sciences and natural sciences. It is considered one of the most prestigious universities and a leading research and teaching institution in Europe. The university is made up of 11 faculties and attracts students from across Germany as well as from over one hundred and twenty other countries.

The University of Freiburg was designated a German "University of Excellence" in 2007.

History

The University of Freiburg was founded by Archduke Albrecht IV of Austria in 1457, the second university on Habsburg territory after Vienna. As was typical of universities in the late Middle Ages, the university originally consisted of four faculties: Theology, Law, Medicine, and Philosophy. Most students were from southwestern Germany, Alsace, Switzerland, and Austria.

When Freiburg and the Western Austrian Breisgau fell to the Grand Duchy of Baden in 1805, the fate of the University of Freiburg was uncertain. Thus, when Grand Duke Ludwig of Baden arranged an endowment in 1820, the university celebrated him as its second founder. To this day the Albert-Ludwig University of Freiburg honors both Albert (the Latin spelling of Albrecht) and Ludwig in its name.

Documentation of many lectures and timed debates has been handed down to us, allowing us to make a fairly vivid reconstruction of academic life in the early years of the university. The University of Freiburg was able to make a good reputation for itself in its early years and produced many well-known scholars and personalities, including Johannes Eck, Ulrich Zasius, Jakob Locher, Thomas Murner, Heinrich Glarean, and others.

The University of Freiburg remained comparatively small for a time after being incorporated into Baden despite the fact that it brought forth many personalities well known for their progressive ideas, such as Karl von Rotteck or Karl Theodor Welcker. It was not until the 1880’s that a surge ofan enormous development took place. Departments differentiated themselves from one another and became more specialized, and clinics and scientific institutes were founded on their own campus in the north of the old city. These years were also witness to an enormous increase in enrollment, which reached the plateaus of 500, 1000, and 1500 in rapid succession. By the time World War I broke out there were already 3000 students. This expansion led the state government of Baden to require professors to wear gowns starting in 1903.

When the enormous expansion of the university made new buildings necessary at the end of the 19th century, it was decided that the university should remain in the heart of the city. The site chosen for the new University Library and the Main Building of the university, which were built between 1896 and 1911, was thus within sight of the oldest university buildings. This was a conscious decision for an urban university rather than a campus university.

The university was able to open its doors again and slowly resume operation only a few months after the end of the war. The reconstruction and repair of the buildings was largely completed by the 500th anniversary of the university in 1957, and this also marked the beginning of a further expansion of the university. Special priority in this new wave of expansion was given to programs in medicine and the natural sciences.

The University of Freiburg grew rapidly after the first wave of economic recovery in Germany in the 1950’s. Enrollment had stagnated at around 3000 between 1913 and 1950, with even less during the two wars, but by 1961 there were already 10,000 students. But even this was not the zenith: By the end of the 20th century enrollment was nearly at 25,000. It has gone back a bit in the past few years and now lies at about 19,000. Freiburg is undoubtedly one of the most popular places to study in Germany. This is due in part to the quality of its academic programs, but the proximity of the university to France, Switzerland, and the Black Forest certainly contributes to the appeal the university has for many students as well.

In 2006, the University of Freiburg joined the League of European Research Universities (LERU). One year later, in 2007, the University of Freiburg was chosen as one of nine German Universities of Excellence.

Campus

Having grown with the city since the 15th century, the university's buildings are deeply intertwined with the city. There are three large campuses (the university center next to the historical city center, the institutes quarter and the applied sciences campus), but other buildings can be found scattered throughout Freiburg.

The university complex in the historical center of Freiburg contains such picturesque buildings as the Jugendstil Kollegiengebäude I, built in 1911 by Hermann Billing, and the gothic revival old university library. The current University Library is also located in the historical center; it is a monumental building erected in the 1970s, and is to be renovated and redesigned beginning in September, 2008. It is one of the largest in Germany and placed 4th in an October, 2007 German national ranking of university libraries.

University Medical Center

The University Medical Center Freiburg (Universitätsklinikum Freiburg) is one of Germany's largest medical centers. It boasts 1,600 beds and handles 55,000 in-patients a year, with another 357,000 being treated ambulatorily. It consists of 13 specialized clinics, 5 clinical institutes, and 5 centers (e.g. Center for Transplantation Medicine). The University Medical Center achieved many technical advances, such as the first implantation of an artificial heart Jarvik 2000 (2002).

Most recently, the University of Freiburg purchased a large historic villa in the district of Herdern, which will house part of the literature and linguistics as well as history departments of the Freiburg Institute for Advanced Studies (FRIAS).

Academic Reputation

In university rankings published by German magazines and periodicals (Der Spiegel, Die Zeit, Focus, etc.) the University of Freiburg has established itself as one of Germany's top universities. The faculties for law, medicine, history, English studies, biology, and pharmacology achieve especially high scores.

The University of Freiburg ranked 6th in Europe and 2nd in Germany in a ranking of the European Commission of the universities according to their overall impact on research.

The university scored well with its submissions to the German Universities Excellence Initiative. The university received funding in all three categories. In the first category, funding for a new graduate school, the Spemann Graduate School of Biology and Medicine, was granted; in the second, funding was granted for the excellence cluster Centre for Biological Signalling Studies (bioss); and in the third category, Institutional Strategy Line of Funding, open only to institutions with submissions qualified in the first two categories, the university is receiving funding for "Windows for Research", which aims to promote a high level of interdisciplinarity between research fields and attract scientists from all over the world. To that end, the university founded the Freiburg Institute for Advanced Studies (FRIAS). Being selected for the third category ranks Freiburg as one of nine "excellence universities" in Germany. The University is to receive over Euro 130 million in additional funds over five years (from 2007) from this third category funding.

In 2007, the Albert Ludwigs University celebrated its 550th anniversary with a wide range of events that took place throughout the year.

The University of Freiburg has been successful in various recent academic competitions. The moot court team of the Faculty of Law won the Willem C. Vis International Commercial Arbitration Moot for the second time in 2007. The humanoid robot team (NimbRo) of the Faculty for Applied Sciences regularly competes with distinction in international tournaments. Team NimbRo are the 2008 world champions in the TeenSize and KidSize categories of the humanoid league. Also in 2008, the University of Freiburg team was awarded the second place at the iGEM undergraduate synthetic biology competition held at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The team was supported by numerous university institutions, among them the recently established bioss cluster of excellence. The University of Freiburg also participates in the National Model United Nations (NMUN) held annually in New York City, NY. In 2009, the team was granted an Outstanding Position Paper Award, as well as an Honourable Mention of the delegation.

The genetically engineered golden rice was developed by the University of Freiburg and the ETH Zurich from 1992 to 2000. It was considered a breakthrough in biotechnology at the time of publication and now helps to provide Vitamin A to people lacking access to it in their diet.

When previous rector Prof. Dr. Jäger retired in 2008, law professor Prof. Dr. Andreas Voßkuhle was chosen as his successor. However, shortly after the start of his term, the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD) nominated Voßkuhle as vice-president of the Federal Constitutional Court of Germany. Voßkuhle accepted the nomination, was confirmed and took his seat on the court in May 2008. In July 2008, then vice-rector Prof. Dr. Hans-Jochen Schiewer was elected as successor to Voßkuhle. Schiewer has assumed the position of rector with the start of the winter term 2008/2009.

The University of Freiburg offers educational audio and video content on the iTunes U software platform since January 2008.

University Cooperative Efforts

The university is part of the regional EUCOR federation together with the universities of Karlsruhe, Basel, Mulhouse and Strasbourg; the League of European Research Universities; the European University Association; ASEA-Uninet; AC21; and the International Forum of Public Universities (IFPU). The university also has exchange agreements and cooperative efforts with renowned universities on almost every continent.

The University of Freiburg initiated an English language international master's program in social sciences, the Global Studies Programme (GSP) in 2001. The aim of the program is to enable students to study social sciences in different regions and cultures. Combining various disciplines such as sociology, political sciences, anthropology and geography, students approach globalization with a unique perspective. The program is conducted jointly by the University of Freiburg with the University of KwaZulu-Natal in Durban, South Africa, the Jawaharlal Nehru University in New Delhi, India, the Latin American Social Sciences Institute in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and the Chulalongkorn University in Bangkok, Thailand. Students in the GSP master's program study on three different continents during the two-year degree program. Since 2008, the GSP also offers a PhD program in Global Studies. The Global Studies Program has received many awards, among them the BMW Group Award for Intercultural Learning in 2004 as well as being listed a Top Ten International Master's Degree Course in Germany by the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) in 2006.

Research

Freiburg Institute for Advanced Studies (FRIAS)
Research Centers
Collaborative Research Centers
Priority Programs (SPP)
Graduateschools and Research Training Groups
International Graduate Academy
Networks / Working Groups
Research Database University of Freiburg
"Who is Who"
Science Support Centre
Honors and Awards
Technology Transfer
Ensuring Self-Responsibility in Research
Ethics Committee
Contacts and Expert Search

Faculties

1. Faculty of Theology
2. Faculty of Law
3. Faculty of Economics and Behavioral Sciences
4. Faculty of Medicine
5. Faculty of Philology
6. Faculty of Humanities
7. Faculty of Mathematics and Physics
8. Faculty of Chemistry, Pharmacy, and Earth Sciences
9. Faculty of Biology
10. Faculty of Forest and Environmental Sciences
11. Faculty of Engineering

Freiburg University or University of Freiburg was ranked 147th in the 2008 THES-QS World University Ranking.

University of Stuttgart

The Ranking of University of Stuttgart

http://www.uni-stuttgart.de/

The University of Stuttgart (German Universität Stuttgart) is situated in the middle of a highly dynamic economic region with a worldwide reputation for excellency in the fields of mobile and information technology, production, process engineering as well as in life sciences. The Universität Stuttgart was founded in 1829, at the beginning of the industrial age in Europe, and will celebrated its 175 th anniversary in 2004. The cooperation between technical, physical and human sciences has always been an advantage of the Universität Stuttgart. Today the university is a modern, achievement-orientated institution with a comprehensive range of subjects and a focus on technical and physical disciplines. The maxim is not only „job-qualification“, but "technology, knowledge and education for mankind“, as the motto of the Universität Stuttgart says.

History

From 1770 to 1794, the Karlsschule had been the first university in Stuttgart. Since 1818, Stuttgart oldest university, located in Stuttgart-Hohenheim, is the University of Hohenheim, it is not related to the University of Stuttgart, apart from some cooperations.

What is now Universität Stuttgart was founded in 1829, and celebrated its 175th anniversary in 2004. Because of the increasing importance of the technical sciences and the associated studies of the students, from 1876 the university was known as the Technical College. This was awarded the promotional rights for the technical disciplines in 1900. The development of the courses of study at the Technical College of Stuttgart led to its renaming in 1967 as the present-day "Universität Stuttgart".

Since the end of the 1950's, a part of the university has been located in the suburb of Stuttgart-Vaihingen. Most technical subjects (computer science, engineering, etc.) are located in Vaihingen, while social sciences, architecture, and similar topics are still located in the city center campus.

Campus

As campus university with two well connected locations, close to attractive recreation possibilities in the environment and closely integrated in the cultural live of the city, the university provides the best conditions for studying and working as well as a diversity of job chances for graduates. Together with modern information technologies, comfortable hostels and housing for guest lecturers, the neighbouring institutions of the Max Planck-, the Fraunhofer Institute and the German Aerospace Center constitute a fertile ground for innovations and scientific communication. And those who want to found a company with their new know-how can find support and office space in the local center for technology. And what`s more, the quality of life is also high: The charming position of Stuttgart between forests and vineyards , the Swabian Mountains and the Black Forest with their attractive leisure activities and a wide range of cultural events - from ballet to variète - make living here a pleasure.

Core Competences

The main emphasis of the Universität Stuttgart is on engineering and the natural sciences. However, combining these areas with the humanities and the social sciences adds something special to its profile.

Indicators of the excellent status are the two projects that were successful in the recent “Excellence Initiative” sponsored by both the Federal and the State governments. One project is the Cluster of Excellence “Simulation Technology” and the other, the Graduate School “Advanced Manufacturing Engineering”. We are also involved in a number of Collaborative Research Centres and Research Training Groups. The research activities are concentrated around eight interdisciplinary areas, “Modelling and Simulation Technology”, “New Materials”, “Complex Systems and Communication”, “Concepts of Technology and Technology Evaluation”, “Energy and the Environment”, “Mobility”, “Integrated Product Design and Production Organisation” as well as “Building and Housing”. The Universität Stuttgart is going to strengthen its research through interdisciplinary networks of cooperation in order to continue to expand the cutting-edge position in these fields.

The Universität Stuttgart is going to increase its international presence and concentrate on themes that are of central importance to the future. Behind this lies the vision of undertaking research on the whole life-cycle of a product. This begins with the molecular model, continues through the material and process levels on through design, production and utilization, and ends with the recycling process. This involves not only the technical engineering implementation but also the evaluation of the sustainability of the technical innovations.

Faculties

The university is divided into 10 faculties:
Faculty of Architecture and Urban Planning
Faculty of Civil- and Environmental Engineering
Faculty of Chemistry
Faculty of Geo- and Biosciences
Faculty of Computer Science, Electrical Engineering and Information Technology
Faculty of Aerospace Engineering and Geodesy
Faculty of Mechanical Engineering
Faculty of Mathematics and Physics
Faculty of Humanities
Faculty of Management, Economics and Social Sciences

University of Stuttgart was ranked 190th in the 2008 THES-QS World University Ranking.