The University of Bremen (German: ''Universität Bremen'') is a
public university
A public university or public college is a university or college that is in state ownership, owned by the state or receives significant government spending, public funds through a national or subnational government, as opposed to a private unive ...
in
Bremen
Bremen (Low German also: ''Breem'' or ''Bräm''), officially the City Municipality of Bremen (german: Stadtgemeinde Bremen, ), is the capital of the Germany, German States of Germany, state Bremen (state), Free Hanseatic City of Bremen (''Freie H ...
, Germany, with approximately 23,500 people from 115 countries.
It is one of 11 institutions which were successful in the category "Institutional Strategies" of the Excellence Initiative launched by the Federal Government and the Federal States in 2012. The university was also successful in the categories "Graduate Schools" and "Clusters of Excellence" of the initiative.
Some of the paths that were taken in the early days of the university, also referred to as the "Bremen model", have since become characteristics of modern universities, such as interdisciplinary, explorative learning, social relevance to practice-oriented project studies which enjoy a high reputation in the academic world as well as in business and industry.
History
Though Bremen became a university city only recently, higher education in Bremen has a long tradition. The Bremen Latin School was upgraded to "Gymnasium Academicum" in 1584. In 1610 it was transformed into "Gymnasium Illustre". Under Napoleonic rule, in 1811 the institution of a "French-Bremen University" was considered. In 1971 the University of Bremen opened its doors.
The development of the University of Bremen can be divided up into steps of 10 to 12 years – first foundation, then restructuring, consolidation and profile building. At the beginning of the 1970s, the university was set up as a "science complex" in a city oriented towards trade and seafaring that had no experience with academia, particularly not with leftist professors. University, business and the public in the region did not move closer together until the 1980s, through the foundation of the
natural science and
engineering
Engineering is the use of scientific method, scientific principles to design and build machines, structures, and other items, including bridges, tunnels, roads, vehicles, and buildings. The discipline of engineering encompasses a broad rang ...
departments, co-operation with the newly founded
Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research in
Bremerhaven
Bremerhaven (, , Low German: ''Bremerhoben'') is a city at the seaport of the Free Hanseatic City of Bremen, a state of the Federal Republic of Germany.
It forms a semi-enclave in the state of Lower Saxony and is located at the mouth of the R ...
(1980), as well as the development of the co-located technology park (from 1988). Other important factors were the initial success in setting up collaborative research centres and in the acquisition of considerable of external funds. The mathematics professor Jürgen Timm, elected university
rector
Rector (Latin for the member of a vessel's crew who steers) may refer to:
Style or title
*Rector (ecclesiastical), a cleric who functions as an administrative leader in some Christian denominations
*Rector (academia), a senior official in an edu ...
in 1982, was largely responsible for this turnaround.
As a consequence, the University of Bremen improved in research rankings, gained national recognition, and established a number of endowment professorships. Research excellence and its interdisciplinary profile is reflected in the establishment of numerous research centers and programs funded by the
German Research Foundation
The German Research Foundation (german: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft ; DFG ) is a German research funding organization, which functions as a self-governing institution for the promotion of science and research in the Federal Republic of Germ ...
(DFG). These currently include eight collaborative research centers and the Research Center of Ocean Margins, one of only six national research centers of the DFG.
From 1996 until 2001 the University of Bremen (along with six other universities in Germany) participated in a pilot scheme for structural reform of university administration, funded by the
Volkswagen
Volkswagen (),English: , . abbreviated as VW (), is a German motor vehicle manufacturer headquartered in Wolfsburg, Lower Saxony, Germany. Founded in 1937 by the German Labour Front under the Nazi Party and revived into a global brand post ...
Foundation. This project improved the co-operation and communication between the university's administration, teaching and research units. With the realization of the "Laptop University" project, the University of
Bremen
Bremen (Low German also: ''Breem'' or ''Bräm''), officially the City Municipality of Bremen (german: Stadtgemeinde Bremen, ), is the capital of the Germany, German States of Germany, state Bremen (state), Free Hanseatic City of Bremen (''Freie H ...
became a leading university in the field of digital media education in
Germany
Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG),, is a country in Central Europe. It is the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany lies between the Baltic and North Sea to the north and the Alps to the sou ...
.
By 2000, after an organisational development process of three years in which the university set goals for the development of its profile, this trend was continued with the promotion of junior scientists in structured
graduate program
Postgraduate or graduate education refers to academic or professional degrees, certificates, diplomas, or other qualifications pursued by post-secondary students who have earned an undergraduate (bachelor's) degree.
The organization and s ...
s, and staff development programs for the great number of early-stage researchers entering the university as junior professors. In teaching, there are comprehensive evaluations, more specific admission requirements, and improved completion rates for Bachelors and master's degrees.
Bremen was rewarded with the title "Stadt der Wissenschaft 2005" (City of Science of 2005), which science, politics, business and culture won jointly for Bremen and Bremerhaven, by the Foundation for German Science (Stifterverband für die Deutsche Wissenschaft).
Faculties
These are the twelve faculties into which the university is divided:
* Faculty 1:
Physics
Physics is the natural science that studies matter, its fundamental constituents, its motion and behavior through space and time, and the related entities of energy and force. "Physical science is that department of knowledge which rel ...
/
Electrical Engineering
* Faculty 2:
Biology
Biology is the scientific study of life. It is a natural science with a broad scope but has several unifying themes that tie it together as a single, coherent field. For instance, all organisms are made up of cells that process hereditar ...
/
Chemistry
* Faculty 3:
Mathematics/
Computer Science
Computer science is the study of computation, automation, and information. Computer science spans theoretical disciplines (such as algorithms, theory of computation, information theory, and automation) to practical disciplines (includin ...
* Faculty 4:
Production Engineering –
Mechanical Engineering
Mechanical engineering is the study of physical machines that may involve force and movement. It is an engineering branch that combines engineering physics and mathematics principles with materials science, to design, analyze, manufacture, ...
&
Process Engineering
* Faculty 5:
Geosciences
* Faculty 6:
Law
* Faculty 7:
Business Studies and
Economics
Economics () is the social science that studies the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services.
Economics focuses on the behaviour and interactions of economic agents and how economies work. Microeconomics analy ...
* Faculty 8:
Social Sciences
Social science is one of the branches of science, devoted to the study of society, societies and the Social relation, relationships among individuals within those societies. The term was formerly used to refer to the field of sociology, the o ...
* Faculty 9:
Cultural Studies
* Faculty 10: Languages and
Literary Studies
* Faculty 11:
Human and Health Sciences
* Faculty 12:
Pedagogy
Pedagogy (), most commonly understood as the approach to teaching, is the theory and practice of learning, and how this process influences, and is influenced by, the social, political and psychological development of learners. Pedagogy, taken ...
and Educational Sciences
Academics
Admission
Admission to University of Bremen is highly competitive with big differences in the admission rates between programs. In the winter term 2017 the overall undergraduate admission rate was 16.2% with 24,000 applications for 3,900 places.
Teaching and learning
The University of Bremen is a campus university which offers 118 different programs. In 2016 it granted 2,028 baccalaureate degrees, 1,357 master's degrees, 303 doctoral degrees. Each year the University of Bremen awards the Berninghausen Prize for excellent teaching. The prize was started in 1992 and is considered to be the oldest teaching award at any German university. Tuition is free for national and international students at the University of Bremen. There is, however, a semester contribution of approx. €300, which includes a ticket for public transportation in Bremen and parts of Lower Saxony.
Research
The University of Bremen is a
research university
A research university or a research-intensive university is a university that is committed to research as a central part of its mission. They are the most important sites at which knowledge production occurs, along with "intergenerational kno ...
. It has 12 faculties, but focuses its research on 6 interdisciplinary high-profile areas. They are (1) marine, polar and climate research, (2) social change, social policy, and the state, (3) materials science and production engineering, (4) minds media machines (5) logistics and (6) health sciences.
Scientific focus
* Marine, polar and climate research
* Social change, social policy and the state
* Materials science and its technologies
* Minds, media, machines
* Logistics
* Health sciences
With interdisciplinary scientific focal points, the University of Bremen has three ongoing
DFG-funded Collaborative Research Centers ("Sonderforschungsbereiche" (SFB)) and is involved in two other SFBs.
The Oceans in the Earth System (MARUM) Cluster of Excellence developed in 2007 from the DFG Research Center Ocean Margins, which was founded in 2001.
Collaborative research centers
The university has as of May 2021 the following SFBs:
* SFB 1320: Everyday Activity Science and Engineering (EASE) (2017–)
* SFB 1232: From Colored States to Evolutionary Construction Materials (2016–) (2016–)
* TRR 136: Function-oriented Manufacturing based on Characteristic Process Signatures (2014–)
* SFB 747: Micro Cold Forming – Processes, Characterization, Optimization (2007–)
*SFB 1342
The Global Dynamics of Social Policy(2018-)
The University of Bremen is also involved in the following special research areas:
* TRR 172
Artic Amplification: Climate Relevant Atmospheric and Surface Processes, and Feedback Mechanisms(AC)³ (2016–)
* TRR 181: Energy transfer in the atmosphere and in the ocean (2016–)
Past SFBs:
* SFB 597: CRC 597: Changing Statehood (2003–2014)
* SFB/TR8: Spatial Cognition – Inference, Action, Interaction (2003– 2014) (2003– 2014)
* SFB 637: Self-control of logistic processes (2004–2012)
* SFB/TR4: Process chains for the replication of complex optical components (2001–2012)
* SFB 570: Distortion Engineering – Warp control in manufacturing (2001–2011)
* SFB 517: Neural Basics of Cognitive Performance (1996–2005)
* SFB 372: Spray compacting (1994–2004)
Rankings
Notable alumni
*
Hans Koenigsmann, a German aerospace engineer, best known for his work on
SpaceX
Space Exploration Technologies Corp. (SpaceX) is an American spacecraft manufacturer, launcher, and a satellite communications corporation headquartered in Hawthorne, California. It was founded in 2002 by Elon Musk with the stated goal of ...
.
*
Michael Kölling, a German computer scientist, currently working at
King's College London, best known for the development of BlueJ.
*
Sarah Ryglewski, a German politician (
SPD) serves since 8 December 2021 as
Minister of State for Federal-State Relations in the
first Scholz cabinet.
See also
*
Bremen Institute for Applied Beam Technology
*
Center of Applied Space Technology and Microgravity
*
Fallturm Bremen
*
List of colleges and universities
Notes and references
External links
University of Bremen Website
{{Authority control
Educational institutions established in 1971
1971 establishments in Germany