Bielefeld University combines classical academic tradition with innovative research and teaching. It was founded as a new type of university in 1969 with the aims of re-establishing the unity between research and teaching advocated by Humboldt, and of opening up the frontiers between the disciplines. The University has succeeded in maintaining and developing essential elements of this reform concept despite a considerable increase in student numbers. Bielefeld University has attained an outstanding position among national and international academic institutions on the strength of its research achievements and unique courses of studies, its technology transfer and further education programmes.
Information for students from abroad (English)
Informationen für internationale Studierende (German)
English (Englisch)
Français (Französisch)
Español (Spanisch)
Italiano (Italienisch)
(Chinesisch)
Deutsch
Anybody who has experienced life in the established university towns of venerable academic tradition will probably remember dashing from one end of the place to the other to get from lecture to seminar, to borrow books from the University Library, to have lunch in the Mensa - university canteen, or to register in the Studierendensekretariat [Student's Office]. These people will appreciate the advantages of Bielefeld University: all the faculties and institutions are housed under one roof. All the indispensable service centres are easily reached: for instance the University Computer Centre (HRZ), which offers students access to computers and to the internet, the Writing Center, or the much lauded University Library. Studying is greatly facilitated by the modern computerised catalogue and lending systems, by the open-access library containing about 1.9 million books, the multi-media classroom, and the un-usually long and user-friendly library opening hours extending into the night. The proximity facilitates close cooperation among the disciplines, as the sociologist Helmut Schelsky intended when the university was founded. From the main university building (UHG) you have access to all the lecture halls, including those equipped for multi-media purposes; it is a vibrant meeting place demonstrating the communicative aspect of the architectonic structure. It constitutes the inner-university market place with shops and services of all sorts, cafés and restaurants, with stages and information displays. Music is to be heard there; public meetings take place; it is a convenient rendezvous to meet somebody for lunch in the Mensa - university canteen or for a cup of coffee afterwards. And if you want to relax, you can do so in the swimming pool, in the sports gyms, on the tennis courts and football fields, or in the Teutoburg Forest in the immediate vicinity.
Information on Charges and Costs of Studying at Bielefeld University
Bielefeld University concentrates its teaching and research on a series of classical academic disciplines in 13 faculties comprising the Natural Sciences, the Humanities, and the Social Sciences. The faculties are the "basic units of research and teaching". The faculties offer attractive, modern, interdisciplinary and internationally oriented courses of studies.
As well as the 13 faculties and the Centre for Interdisciplinary Research (ZIF), Bielefeld University has a number of central scientific institutes. There is the CeBITec - Centre for Biotechnology, the Institute for Population Studies and Social Policies, the Institute for Didactics of Mathematics (IDM), the Institute for Interdisciplinary Research on Conflict and Violence (IKG), Institute of Mathematical Economics (IMW), Institute of Science and Technology Studies (IWT), Institute for the Simulation of Complex Systems (ISKOS), Interdisciplinary Centre of Women?s and Gender Studies (IFF), and finally the Research Centre for Mathematical Modelling (FSPM) and the Teacher Training Centre. Two further well-known innovative institutions are linked with Bielefeld University: the Laborschule [Laboratoy School] and the Oberstufenkolleg [High School College]. The Oberstufen-Kolleg is an experimental school run by the Land North-Rhine Westphalia (NRW) integrating the advanced secondary school level and basic university studies; students who pass the final examination are entitled to study at all universities in Germany.
You can find a complete list of Faculties and Institutes here.
The Centre for Interdisciplinary Research (ZIF) lies on the slopes of the Teutoburg Forest overlooking the University building. It was founded in 1968 and is modelled on the American Center for Advanced Study. Scholars from all over the world come here to work on interdisciplinary subjects in research and working groups.
Despite its short history, Bielefeld University has been able to win considerable recognition as a centre of research. Thus, for instance, the German Research Foundation (DFG) has approved several special research units at Bielefeld University and has recently listed it among the 'Top Ten' in its statistics for research grants. There have been eight post-graduate programmes in which particularly talented students who are working on related doctoral theses cooperate in research and study. Bielefeld University directs the North-Rhine Westphalian Research Association of Public Health, in which Düsseldorf doctors work together with Bielefeld Public Health experts. Bielefeld's international recognition as a research centre is demonstrated by the rapid growth of externally-financed research projects, including those on the European level; by the large number of German and foreign guest scholars; and by the 66 cooperation agreements with universities world wide (among others with Western and Eastern Europe, the United States, Israel, China, Japan, Australia and Indonesia). The Centre for Interdisciplinary Research (ZIF) has contributed much to the international profile of Bielefeld University
The faculties consider it of vital importance that the teaching offered by their staff is based on the academics' own research. The interdisciplinary orientation of Bielefeld University allows students to observe during the course of their studies the development of interdisciplinary research, thus enriching their learning processes. There are now approximately 20.000 students who can chose their subjects from a wide variety of options. There are several new offers, which demonstrate the flexibility of the University in keeping pace with social and scientific developments - we now have courses in Public Health, Applied Computer Sciences in the Natural Sciences, Molecular Biotechnology, Clinical Linguistics, Biochemistry, Environmental Sciences, Mathematical Economics.
In addition, Bielefeld University offers a series of supplementary courses and programmes of further education. At present we have the following supplementary courses: Public Health Sciences and Public Health Promotion, Intercultural Educational Science (for teachers of German and foreign children), German Law for graduates with foreign law degrees. Our further education programme (some courses of which are organised in cooperation with the Centre for Continuing Higher Education) includes: Environmental Sciences; Tourism Studies; The Pedagogics of Internal Company Education Programmes; Organisation and Leadership in Social Work; Congress and Conference Management; The Bielefeld Compact Course on the Work of Lawyers and Notaries; Studies for Senior Citizens; International Summer Courses; Applied Public Health Sciences as an Open University further education course. Information is available from the Coordination Center for University Continuing Education (KWW) .
International