University of Regensburg

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The University of Regensburg, situated in Regensburg, in Bavaria, Germany, was founded on July 18, 1962 by the Bavarian parliament. Bavaria's fourth university saw its first lectures during winter semester 1967/68, initially housing a faculty of Law and Business Sciences as well as a faculty of Philosophy. During summer semester 1968 the School of Theology followed.

Faculty of Physics in the University of Regensburg

This was the realisation of a longstanding aspiration of the city of Regensburg, a plan maintained ever since Duke Albrecht IV of Bavaria and the city council had sent a petition to the Pope meant to establish a Regensburg-based university in 1487. At that time this enterprise failed due to economic reasons, and throughout the following centuries it did not become reality.

United into a single campus, the university is located just outside Regensburg's inner city on a small incline to the south of the river Danube, and directly next to the interstate Autobahn. Campus atmosphere and close distances encourage uninterrupted studies. This is also supported by an excellently apparelled library, where 3.15 million books are made available in one central and eleven departmental libraries, as well as the university's excellent equipment of computer workstations. The university has been adapted to the needs of the disabled as far as possible and housing estates meeting the same standards are available.

Including the affiliated university hospital, the University of Regensburg has circa 4.200 employees including 312 professors, and teaches about 16.000 students. The attractiveness of the university is also enhanced by the old town of Regensburg with its history of over 2000 years, its scenic countryside, the Donautal (Danube Valley), the modest living costs, a high density of bars and the nearby heights of the Bavarian Forest. Brisk cultural life both in the city and on campus provide for great recreational opportunities, enhanced by a number of close-by lakes, and the Walhalla.

The most famous professor of the university was the later Pope Benedict XVI, who taught at the university from 1969 until he was appointed Cardinal and Archbishop of Munich in 1977. Since his election as Pope in 2005, the university is among students increasingly referred to as the Benedict University of Regensburg.

1 Faculties
2 Degree Courses
3 Research
4 Service
5 Partner Universities
6 External links
7 See also

[edit] Faculties

The university is structured into 12 faculties:

School of Catholic Theology
School of Law
Faculty of Business, Economics and Information
School of Medicine
Humanities I: Philosophy, Sports, and Art
Humanities II: Psychology and Pedagogy
Humanities III: Society, History, and Geography
Humanities IV: Languages and Literatures
Natural Sciences I: Mathematics
Natural Sciences II: Physics
Natural Sciences III: Biology, Preclinical Medicine
Natural Sciences IV: Chemistry and Pharmacy

[edit] Degree Courses

The University with its 12 faculties offers a wide variety of traditional programmes of study leading to a Magister (M. A.), Diplom or doctoral degree. There is also a wide selection of modularised interdisciplinary programmes in the humanities, in which students can earn a Bachelor or a Master's degree. The international degree programmes German-French Studies and East-West Studies with their comparative approach are only two examples of this.

Cross-disciplinary cooperation, the strengthening of key competences, project orientation, and a flexible study programme are the hallmarks of these new degree programmes. They prepare students for many modern career options. For international students of law the University has designed an L.LM course in German Law. All students, irrespective of their specialisation, are offered a number of programmes which can be taken to complement their major field of study. Among these are data processing, general language courses, specialised language courses (business, law etc.), courses in oral presentation and communication, and a programme in intercultural communication.

[edit] Research

The University of Regensburg has developed a clear research profile. Key fields of activity include the Natural Sciences (Physics, Bio-Sciences, Chemistry and Pharmacy), the Humanities (History, Geography, Philologies) and Medicine. The University Clinic and Medical School are the newest and most modern in Germany. The German Research Foundation (DFG) currently sponsors 2 collaborative research centres, 4 research units and 5 interdisciplinary graduate colleges. The University participates in well over 30 EU projects. Through interdisciplinary research in areas such as Medieval Studies, regional development, innovation management and entrepreneurship the University shows its dedication to putting its knowledge and expertise to use for the city and the region. By expanding the biotechnological centre (BioPark) on campus the synergies between science and industry are ideally profited from.

Due to its geographical location, the University has always considered itself a bridge between east and west. With the EUROPAEUM it has set up an interdisciplinary centre for research and teaching on all aspects pertaining to central, eastern and south eastern European countries. The University will also be home to the Bavarian Centre of Competence for Research on Eastern Europe, which will work in close collaboration with institutions outside the University.

[edit] Service

On campus students will find a large central cafeteria and several smaller ones, a pizzeria, a bank, a bookstore as well as various shops. The open-access University Library with its modern online catalogue and loan system holds over 3 million books and periodicals. All students receive a personal pin code for the computers, which also grants them free access to e-mail and the Internet. They have access to the services provided by the University’s Computer Centre in any one of the more than 20 computer pools on campus and in most of the student dormitories.

Student residences, a number of which cater to students with special needs, are located in close proximity to the campus as well as in the city centre itself.

In addition to its academic function, the University encourages numerous extra-curricular activities on campus. Various choirs, musical ensembles and art exhibitions (drawings, prints, sculpture and photography) testify to a dynamic cultural life on campus. Every year more than 10 student drama groups stage their productions in the studio theatre on campus. Well equipped audio visual studios cater to students with an interest in film and music production.

The Sports Centre provides a vast selection of recreational courses for students. The choice of courses ranges from aikido to capoeira, from kajak to volleyball. The University’s International Office offers international students well developed orientation and integration programmes which help them feel at home more quickly.

[edit] Partner Universities

The university currently maintains international relations with over 130 European academic institutions. The number of partner universities in countries of Central and Eastern Europe, Cyprus and the Baltic States has steadily grown ever since the initiation of the program for associated countries. The university now has over 20 partners in these countries. Favourite destinations for students are and have always been Great Britain, followed by France, Italy and Spain. Universities of Kanazawa, Japan and Korea University, Seoul provide opportunities for Regensburg students to partake in teaching programs in English language and, depending on their level of language training, in the regular tutor. Two South American universities, the Universidad de los Andes, Mérida, Venezuela, and the Universidad de Guanajuato, Mexico, provide several university places.