Heidelberg University

Heidelberg University or Ruprecht-Karls-Universität Heidelberg - public higher education institution in Germany.

Heidelberg University - Description

Heidelberg University, founded in 1386, is Germany’s oldest university and one of the strongest research institutions in Europe. Its successes in the Excellence Initiative by the German federal and state governments and in international rankings prove Heidelberg’s excellent reputation and leading role in the scientific community. In terms of educating students and promoting promising early-career academics, Heidelberg relies on research-based teaching and an outstanding, well-structured doctoral training. Heidelberg University is a comprehensive university, offering the full spectrum of disciplines in the humanities, the social sciences and law alongside the natural and life sciences, including medicine. It aims to strengthen the individual disciplines, to further interdisciplinary cooperation and to carry research results over into society and industry. The university has over 30,000 students enrolled at twelve faculties. With over 160 degree programmes, Heidelberg offers a spectrum of subject combinations nearly unparalleled in Germany. This unique range creates an optimal setting for individualised and interdisciplinary studies. Heidelberg University also draws its strength from its cooperation with numerous local non-university research institutions and is tied into a worldwide network of research and teaching collaborations. Exchange programmes with more than 400 universities worldwide and 19 university partnerships give evidence to Heidelberg’s marked global interconnectedness.

Description of Heidelberg University

Heidelberg University, founded in 1386, is Germany’s oldest university and one of the strongest research universities in all of Europe. The successes in both rounds of the Excellence Initiative of the German federal and state governments as well as in internationally recognised rankings prove that Heidelberg’s excellent reputation and leading role in the scientific community are well deserved. In terms of educating students and promoting promising early-career academics, Heidelberg relies on its two strongest points: research-based teaching and outstanding, well-structured training for doctoral candidates. Heidelberg University is a comprehensive university, offering the full spectrum of disciplines in the humanities, law and the social sciences alongside the natural and life sciences, including medicine. As a comprehensive university, Heidelberg aims to continue to strengthen the individual disciplines and to further interdisciplinary cooperation as well as to carry research results over into society and industry. At the heart of the university’s strategy are four major interactive research fields encompassing the “molecular and cellular basis of life”, “structure and pattern formation in the material world”, “cultural dynamics in globalised worlds” and “self-regulation and regulation: individuals and organisations”. Special emphasis is placed on the two Clusters of Excellence funded within the framework of the Excellence Initiative, „Asia and Europe in a Global Context“ and „Cellular Networks“. In addition, the Marsilius Kolleg, Heidelberg University’s interdisciplinary Centre for Advanced Study, plays a leading role in encouraging research-related exchange between different scientific cultures. Heidelberg also draws its strength from its cooperation with local non-university research institutions such as the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) and the Max Planck Institutes as well as from its central involvement in two leading-edge clusters funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research. Heidelberg University’s twelve faculties, including the two medical faculties in Heidelberg and Mannheim, boast a total enrolment of over 30,000 students. With over180 degree programmes, Heidelberg offers a spectrum of subject combinations nearly unparalleled in Germany. This unique range creates an optimal setting for individualised and interdisciplinary studies both for undergraduate and for graduate students. Degree programmes range for example from archaeology to translation studies, from applied computer science to theology or from economics to physics. The Heidelberg Graduate Academy is setting up excellent frameworks for both individual and structured doctoral training at Heidelberg University. As the central coordinating body for all support services related to general advising, professional and academic development and financial assistance for doctoral students, it continues to assure the high standards and quality of doctoral training at the university. Heidelberg has established three graduate schools in the natural sciences, which are financed by the Excellence Initiative, as well as a school in the humanities and social sciences and various Research Training Groups and structured doctoral programmes. Heidelberg University is tied into a worldwide network of research and teaching collaborations. Exchange programmes have been established with more than 450 universities worldwide. Heidelberg’s marked global interconnectedness is also evidenced by its 19 privileged university partnerships as well as its membership in European networks such as the League of European Research Universities (LERU), the Coimbra Group and the European University Association. Several international graduate schools and Research Training Groups have been established, and there is a myriad of research and teaching collaborations at the faculty, institute and chair levels. Additionally, Heidelberg has a satellite campus in Latin America as well as liaison offices in North America and Asia. The university also offers courses in Eastern Europe. Heidelberg’s international prominence is also reflected in its student population: approximately 20 percent of Heidelberg’s students and a third of the enrolled doctoral candidates come from abroad. In addition, almost one in five researchers at the university is of foreign origin. Adding to the lustre of Heidelberg’s international reputation as a quality research institution are its Nobel laureates. 56 Nobel prize winners are connected with Heidelberg, eleven of whom were or still are professors at the university. The most recent recipients were Stefan W. Hell in chemistry in 2014 and Harald zur Hausen in physiology or medicine in 2008. Heidelberg’s cosmopolitan and student-friendly atmosphere is one of the city’s distinguishing characteristics. Heidelberg is a lively centre of the Rhine-Neckar metropolitan region and is marked by its high density of research-intensive industry and conglomeration of scientific research institutions. These institutions, working alongside the university, form an internationally competitive research network, providing a wide assortment of contact and cooperation possibilities for Heidelberg University researchers and students. With its aspiration of connecting traditional values with future-oriented scientific concepts in research and teaching, the university is building bridges to the future – Zukunft. Seit 1386