Julius Maximilians Universität Würzburg

_{photo courtesy Julius Maximilians Universität Würzburg}

History

The Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg (JMU), founded in 1402, is one of the universities in the German-speaking world that have a long and rich tradition. Numerous famous scholars and scientists have made their mark here, such as Carl Siebold, Rudolf Virchow, and Franz Brentano.

So far, 14 Nobel laureates have conducted their research here, including Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen, who discovered X-rays at Würzburg. In 1985, the physicist Klaus von Klitzing received this distinction for his discovery of the quantum Hall effect. Harald zur Hausen was given the Nobel Prize in Medicine in 2008 for discovering that viruses trigger cervical cancer.

In addition, eleven scientists from the University of Würzburg have received a Leibniz Prize – the most prestigious German research prize.

The Julius-Maximilians-Universität is expanding all the time: Since the 1960s, it has been spreading out onto a hill on the eastern edge of the city, called Hubland. A green campus has sprung up there, bringing together large sections of Science and Humanities. This is also home to the University Library, the canteen, and the University Sports Facilities. In 2011, this area was expanded by a further 39 hectares, offering a huge amount of space for new institute premises and seminar rooms.

Outlook

New study programs and the influx of new students are continuing to stimulate growth. New buildings for the Rudolf Virchow Center for Experimental Biomedicine and the University Hospital, a new central lecture hall and seminar building for all faculties, a science laboratory building, a new canteen, and the refurbishment of the Chemistry and Pharmacy faculty all show that the JMU is moving forward.

Facts and Figures

More than 28,000 students, including some 2,300 young people from abroad, are registered with ten faculties. These can be divided into four main areas: Humanities, Law and Economics, Life Sciences, and Natural Sciences and Technology. The university and its hospital provide employment for 10,000 people. Around 3,000 are on the academic staff, more than 400 as professors.

Faculties and Centers

Faculties

• Catholic Theology
• Law
• Medicine
• Arts, Historical, Philological, Cultural and Geographical Studies
• Human Sciences
• Biology
• Chemistry and Pharmacy
• Mathematics and Computer Science
• Physics and Astronomy
• Business Management and Economics

Central Scientific Units

• Botanical Garden
• Graduate Schools
• Martin von Wagner Museum
• Mineralogical Museum
• Rudolf Virchow Center
• Research Center for Infectious Diseases
• Professional School of Education
• Center for Media Didactics
• Psychological Counselling Center for Giftedness

Service Centers

• University Library
• Information Technology Center
• Center for Sports and Physical Education
• Language Center

_{photo courtesy Julius Maximilians Universität Würzburg}

Studies

Study Opportunities

The JMU offers more than 250 study programs. The Bachelor and Master studies include the following programs:

Art Education, Art History, Aviation and Space Information Technology, Biochemistry, Biology, Biomedicine, Business Administration, Business Information Technology, Business Mathematics, Catholic Theology, Chemistry, Classical Studies, Computational Mathematics, Computer Science, Cultural Landscapes, Digital Humanities, Education, English/American Studies, European Ethnology/Ethnic Studies, Evangelical Theology, Food Chemistry, Functional Materials, Geography, German Studies, History, Human Factors in Computing Systems, Indology/South Asian Studies, Life Sciences, Linguistics, Mathematical Physics, Mathematics, Media Communication, Modern China/Chinese Studies, Museology, Music Education, Musicology, Nanostructure Technology, Philosophy, Philosophy & Religion, Physics, Political and Social Studies, Private Law, Psychology, Public Law, Romance Languages and Literature, Russian Language and Culture, Science and Technology, Special Needs Education, and Sports Science. Programs in Medicine, Dentistry, Pharmacy, Law, and Teacher Training in almost all types of school culminate in the state examination.

Further education

In addition to this, there are parallel courses and postgraduate courses in Experimental Medicine, European Law, and other study fields. The university also offers some further education courses, such as Psychological Psychotherapy, Purchasing & Supply Management, and the Executive Master of Business Integration (MBA). The Center for Continuing Education coordinates the part-time educational courses for professionals, which are expanded continuously.

Doctoral degrees and graduate studies

As an important element in the promotion of young talent, the JMU offers doctoral degrees in all study areas, even in interdisciplinary fields, with intensive tutoring and supplementary multidisciplinary courses. The University of Würzburg Graduate Schools for doctoral students from all disciplines were set up for this purpose.

Research

At the Top in Germany and the World

2018 the Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg has succeeded in the contest for the most innovative research concepts in Germany with its joint proposal for the Cluster of Excellence "Complexity and Topology in Quantum Materials", run cooperatively by physics teams of JMU and TU Dresden.

The university boasts numerous collaborative research centers, graduate schools, and research groups, which are funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG). These top-level research facilities have been secured for Würzburg despite tough competition from other higher education institutions.

The Julius-Maximilians-Universität is among the most successful German institutions of higher education. This can be attributed to its high-caliber scholars and scientists as well as its interdisciplinary research centers, which have been set up in the fields of Medicine, Science, and Humanities.

Success in Rankings

Academic rankings continue to confirm the university’s leading position. In the overall result of the 2018 Shanghai Ranking, the JMU is one of the top 200 universities in the world and in the top 14 in Germany; in Biomedicine the Shanghai Ranking has placed JMU among the 100 leading universities of the world in its category "Biomedical Engineering".

And the latest Times Higher Education World University Ranking puts the University of Würzburg in 159th place worldwide among the 1,258 universities evaluated worldwide.

University Hospital

Excellent medical care and top-level research to the benefit of patients: This is the motto of the University Hospital. Science and the treatment of patients are so closely intertwined here that the patients always profit from the latest standards in medical therapy.

The hospital came 14th out of 1,100 hospitals throughout Germany in the FOCUS Ranking. 2017 the University Hospital provides in-patient treatment for around 62,000 people and sees 261,000 out-patients. A new Center for Operative Medicine (ZOM) was opened on the expanded Medical Campus in 2004. This was followed in 2009 by the new Center for Internal Medicine (ZIM). In 2017, the Comprehensive Heart Failure Center University Würzburg moved into a new research building near the ZIM. Preparations are underway for more new buildings.

Cosmopolitan and Family-Friendly

International Ties

The Julius-Maximilians-Universität maintains numerous partnerships with universities in Africa, America, Asia, Australia, and Europe, and strengthens these relationships continuously. In addition, there are considerable relations at the level of institutes and departments. Internationalization is a top priority for the JMU. Its students are presented with varied opportunities to pursue some of their studies abroad. In return, young people from foreign partner universities have the chance to study in Würzburg.

Alumni

The alumni network of the University brings together an extremely diverse mix of people. Its members have a wealth of experience that benefits students and lecturers alike.

The aim of alumni work is to retain such experience for the university and to enable our alumni to participate in university life. All our alumni, as well as all our current people, are invited to register in the alumni portal on the university’s homepage.

Family and Children

The JMU was certified as a family-friendly university again in 2015. It works continuously toward improving the balance between studies or career and family. The university’s family service provides advice and information on all aspects of this issue. It assists in arranging day-care placements and babysitters and organizes an all-day program for schoolchildren during the holidays. It also runs a facility that provides short-term care for infants.

University and Industry

The university is important to the business community: as a partner in application-oriented research projects and as an educator of the managers of tomorrow especially. The university maintains close ties between academia and industry so that the latest technologies quickly and directly find their way from the laboratory to the business world.

The university safeguards inventions and research results with property rights and grants licenses. And it provides support to its scholars and scientists who want to start up their own company.

_{photo courtesy Julius Maximilians Universität Würzburg}

Campus

Young and Vibrant

The university and the city of Würzburg have always been closely connected. In a population of around 125,000, the students from the JMU, the University of Applied Sciences, and the University of Music, together with about 34,000 people, ensure that Würzburg remains young and vibrant. Würzburg is situated in a hilly wine-growing region reminiscent of the Mediterranean area. The River Main flows through the city, lending a romantic atmosphere to many of its sights. Take the Old Main Bridge, for instance: the impressive stone statues, the beautiful view of the fortress and the historic city center – all this makes for a great ambiance!

Life alongside the river

A lot of student activities take place alongside the River Main with its promenades, meadows, and beer gardens: discovering the music and culture of our neighboring continent on the Main meadows during Europe’s biggest Africa festival, walking barefoot in the sand at the city beach or enjoying concerts and theater performances on a floating stage during the Würzburg Docks Festival – all this and more is on offer in Würzburg. Another popular event is the Mozart Festival, where “Serenade No. 13” is performed in a relaxed atmosphere in the Court Garden of the Residence.

About the City

The distances within Würzburg city center can be covered easily on foot. Sporty people can reach all destinations by bicycle. There is no lack of sports options in the city; there are cycling, running and inline-skating routes, leading along the River Main or through the vineyards. The university offers a broad spectrum of sports activities, ranging from capoeira to yoga.

Cultural Contribution of the University

The JMU also culturally benefits the city and the wider region: concerts by the Institute of Music Research or exhibitions in the university’s museums enrich the cultural scene. For the general public, the university organizes lectures, readings, and other public events. In addition, there are laboratories for school pupils, a children’s university, a school pupils’ university, and study programs for senior citizens. All these events combined with other cultural offerings and leisure facilities in Würzburg – theatres, concerts, open-air festivals, and wine festivals – to create an attractive environment in which to live and work.

_{photo courtesy Julius Maximilians Universität Würzburg}