With its 12 departments and around 40,000 students, the University of Duisburg-Essen is among the 10 largest German universities.[3][7] Since 2014, research income has risen by 150 percent.[8] Natural science and engineering are ranked within the top 10 in Germany, and the humanities are within the top 20 to 30. Especially, the physics field is ranked in the top 1 in Germany.[9]
History
Origins: University of Duisburg (1555)
The university's origins date back to the 1555 decision of DukeWilhelm V von Jülich-Kleve-Berg, to create a university for the unified duchies at the Lower Rhine. To this end, it was necessary to obtain a permission of the emperor and the pope. Although the permission of the pope was granted in 1564 and of the emperor in 1566, the university was founded about ninety years later in 1654, after the acquisition of the Duchy of Cleves by Frederick William, Elector of Brandenburg. It opened on 14 October 1655 by Johannes Claudberg as their first rector.[10] The university had four faculties: Theology, Medicine, Law and Arts. During its period of activity it was one of the central and leading universities of the western provinces of Prussia.
Only a few decades later the university was in competition with the much better equipped Dutch universities. Since only about one third of the population in the western provinces of Prussia were member of The Reformed Church, most Lutheran and Catholic citizens in the second half of the 18th century sent their sons to other universities.
The university declined rapidly and was closed on 18 October 1818, due to a Cabinet Order of Friedrich Wilhelm III.[11] At the same time, the University of Bonn was founded. Large parts of the Duisburg University Library were relocated to Bonn and formed the basis of the newly formed Bonn Library. The sceptre of the University of Duisburg was given to the University of Bonn, where it is still located today.
In 1891, the Rheinisch-Westfälische Hüttenschule was relocated from Bochum to Duisburg. Subsequently, the school was transformed into the Königlich-Preußischen Maschinenbau- und Hüttenschule, and in 1938 was renamed to Public School of Engineering.
After a decision of the federal state government in 1960, the teacher training college of Kettwig was settled to Duisburg and was named Pedagogical University Ruhr. In 1968, the university was founded again in Duisburg, related to the old one, bearing the name: Comprehensive University of Duisburg. Initially only small, the university was developed rapidly in the 1970s up to about 15,000 students. In 1972 the Pedagogical University Ruhr and the Public School of Engineering, which was renamed in 1971 to University of applied sciences Duisburg. Other schools were also relocated to Duisburg. The University of Duisburg was then called Comprehensive University of Duisburg. In 1994 the university was renamed Gerhard Mercator University.
In 2003, Gerhard Mercator University merged with the University of Essen to form the University of Duisburg-Essen, which is today one of the largest universities in Germany with about 40,000 students.
In May 2018, the three members of the University Alliance Metropolis Ruhr launched the Research Academy Ruhr (RAR), an inter- and university overarching program for the development and support of young scientists. The program is funded by the State of North Rhine-Westfalia (NRW) and the Mercator Research Center Ruhr (MERCUR) with €800,000 over the next four years and an additional €1 million being added by the three participating members of the University Alliance.[13]
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As of 2018[update] it is the German university with the largest number of Chinese international students. Overall, it has a 16% composition of international students. The majority of such students are enrolled as engineering or economics majors.[29]
People
Rectors
01.2003–09.2003 – Heiner Kleffner, Founding commissioner and head of section
The University of Duisburg-Essen awards the Mercator-Professur to individuals who are well known for their social and scientific engagement. So far, recipients of the Mercator-Professur have been:
The institution of the poet in residence is not missing at any university in the US. In Germany, the University of Duisburg-Essen was the first and, for a long time, only university that followed the American example and brought contemporary authors to the university as guest lecturers for readings and seminars.[30] In 1975, Martin Walser was the first poet in residence to hold his poetics lectures in Essen.[31]
Since the summer semester 2000, the following personalities have worked as poet in residence at the University of Essen (later Duisburg-Essen):
University of Duisburg-Essen (UDE)'s faculty partner institutions
Besides the main partnering universities, various faculty of the University Essen-Duisburg also cooperate with international universities and specific faculties or programmes (click "show" to expand).
As part of the University Alliance Metropolis Ruhr network the university is involved in running three liaison offices in Moscow,[33] New York City[34] and São Paulo.[35] The offices aim to foster international academic exchange between the local and Ruhr area and are responsible for their respective continents.
International network
The university is also part of the AURORA Network of European universities.[36]
Further cooperation programmes
The university is part of the IS:link (Information Systems Student Exchange Network),[37] the VDAC (Verband der Deutsch-Amerikanischen Clubs / Federation of German-American Clubs e.V.)[38] and offers the internationally oriented, doctoral programme "ARUS – Advanced Research in Urban Systems", which is based on previous academic achievements in selected fields within the Joint Centre "Urban Systems".[39]
In the QS World University Rankings for 2024, the institution placed between 771 and 780 globally, corresponding to the 42nd rank nationally.[40] The Times Higher Education World University Rankings for 2023 positioned the university in the 251-300 bracket worldwide, and between 27th and 32nd place within the national context.[41] The ARWU World ranking for 2023 listed the university within the 301-400 tier globally, and between the 20th and 24th rank nationally.[42]
Measured by the number of top managers in the German economy, University of Duisburg-Essen ranked 15th in 2019.[43]
In May 2018 the Centrum für Hochschulentwicklung (CHE – Center for Higher Education Development) rankings placed the university in the top ranks in different categories and fields, like the Physics department for seminar and lecture content and Biology, Computer Science, Math, Medicine and Sports for excellent programs and support in the early stages of starting at Essen-Duisburg.[44]
In the European Commission-funded U-Multirank system the university as a whole was ranked as "excellent" in the research categories "External research income", "Top cited publications", "Post-doc positions", in the knowledge transfer categories "Income from private sources", "Spin-offs" and "Publications cited in patents". In the category international orientation Essen-Duisburg was rated "excellent" for their "International academic staff".[45]
30 Jahre Universität Essen (Essener Universitätsreden, Heft 10, Akademisches Jahr 2001/02), Universität Essen 2002 (Beiträge aus der Vortragsreihe "Wurzeln der Universität")
Claus Bussmann, Holger Heith: Chronik 1972–1997. Chronik der ersten 25 Lebensjahre der Gerhard-Mercator-Universität/GH Duisburg, die als Gesamthochschule Duisburg das Licht der Welt erblickte, Duisburg 1997, ISBN3-00-001433-0
Dieter Geuenich, Irmgard Hantsche (Hrsg.): Zur Geschichte der Universität Duisburg 1655–1818 (Duisburger Forschungen 53), Duisburg 2007
Helmut Schrey: Die Universität Duisburg. Geschichte und Gegenwart. Traditionen, Personen, Probleme, Duisburg 1982, ISBN3-87096-166-X
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