University of Zurich
The University of Zurich (UZH, German: Universität Zürich), located in the city of Zürich, is the largest university in Switzerland,[5] with over 25,000 students.[6] It was founded in 1833[7] from the existing colleges of theology, law, medicine which go back to 1525, and a new faculty of philosophy.
Universität Zürich | |
Latin: Universitas Turicensis | |
Type | Public university |
---|---|
Established | 1833 |
Budget | 1.42 billion Swiss francs[1] |
President | Gabriele Siegert |
Academic staff | 3,702 (Full-time equivalent)[2] |
Administrative staff | 2,051 (Full-time equivalent)[2] |
Students | 25,732[1] |
Location | , Canton of Zurich , Switzerland 47°22′29″N 8°32′54″E |
Campus | Urban |
Colours | Black, white, blue, gray and ochre[3][4] |
Affiliations | LERU |
Website | www.uzh.ch |
Currently, the university has seven faculties: Philosophy, Human Medicine, Economic Sciences, Law, Mathematics and Natural Sciences, Engineering, Computer Sciences and Robotics, Theology and Veterinary Medicine. The university offers the widest range of subjects and courses of any Swiss higher education institution.[8] As of October 2018, 23 Nobel laureates and 1 Turing Award winner have been affiliated with University of Zurich as alumni, faculty or researchers.
History
The University of Zurich was founded on April 29, 1833,[9] when the existing colleges of theology, the Carolinum founded by Huldrych Zwingli in 1525, law and medicine were merged with a new faculty of Philosophy. It was the first university in Europe to be founded by the state rather than a monarch or church.
In the University's early years, the 1839 appointment of the German theologian David Friedrich Strauss to its Chair of Theology caused a major controversy, since Strauss argued that the miracles in the Christian New Testament were mythical retellings of normal events as supernatural happenings.[10][11][12][13] Eventually, the authorities offered Strauss a pension before he had a chance to start his duties.
The university allowed women to attend philosophy lectures from 1847, and admitted the first female doctoral student in 1866. The Faculty of Veterinary Medicine was added in 1901, the second-oldest such faculty in the world. In 1914, the university moved to new premises designed by the architect Karl Moser on Rämistrasse 71.[14]
Campus
The university is scattered all over the city of Zurich. Members of the university can use several libraries, including the ETH-library, and the Zurich Central Library, with over 5 million volumes.[15] In 1962, the faculty of science proposed to establish the Irchelpark campus on the Strickhofareal. The first stage the construction of the university buildings was begun in 1973, and the campus was inaugurated in 1979.[16][17] The construction of the second stage lasted from 1978 to 1983.[17] The campus also houses the anthropological museum Anthropologisches Museum,[18] and the cantonal Staatsarchiv Zürich.[19]
Museum
The Institute and Museum for the History of Medicine is part of the university.[20]
Academics
In the fields of bioscience and finance, there is a close-knit collaboration between the University of Zurich and the ETH (Federal Institute for Technology, just across the road).[21]
Rankings
University rankings | |
---|---|
Global – Overall | |
ARWU World[22] | 54 |
THE World[23] | 90 (2020) |
USNWR Global[24] | 58 |
QS World[25] | 69 (2021) |
- Shanghai Jiao Tong University Ranking[26] (heavy emphasis on research output – citations, Nobel prizes etc.)
- 54th globally and 15th in Europe.
- THES – QS World University Rankings[27] (heavy emphasis on peer review)
- 61st globally and 14th in Europe.
- 76th globally.
- Professional Ranking of World Universities[29] (Based on the number of alumni listed among CEOs in the 500 largest worldwide companies.)
- 32nd globally and 10th in Europe.
- University Ranking by Academic Performance (URAP) 2010[30]
- 52nd globally and 1st in Switzerland.
- USNWR Global:
58th globally in 2018 [31]
- According to GWTS Leiden Ranking, University of Zurich ranked 37th in the world in social sciences and humanities [32]. According to URAP Center Ranking, which has been publishing rankings since 2010 for each subject, political science at the University of Zurich was placed 16th best in the world [33]. According to ARWU, the University of Zurich was placed 31st globally in political sciences in 2019 [34].
The university's Department of Economics is especially strong and was ranked first in the German-speaking area by the Handelsblatt in 2017.[35] In 2009 the faculty of Business Administration was ranked third in the German-speaking area.[36]
Language policy
Bachelor courses are taught in Swiss Standard German ("Hochdeutsch"), but use of English is increasing in many faculties. The only bachelors program taught entirely in English is the "English Language and Literature" program.[37] All Master courses at the Faculty of Science are held in English. Master courses in Economics and Finance are mainly held in English, while the Master of Science in Quantitative Finance is held completely in English.
Student life
The university's Academic Sports Association (ASVZ) offers a wide range of sports facilities to students of the university.
Notable alumni and faculty
Politics, law and society
- Johannes Baumann, President of the Swiss Confederation
- Johann Jakob Blumer, Swiss statesman and historian
- Ernst Brugger, President of the Swiss Confederation
- Emil Brunner, Professor of Systematic and Practical Theology
- Carl Jacob Burckhardt, Swiss diplomat and historian
- Felix Calonder, President of the Swiss Confederation
- Ignazio Cassis, member of the Swiss Federal Council
- Adolf Deucher, President of the Swiss Confederation
- Alphons Egli, President of the Swiss Confederation
- Philipp Etter, President of the Swiss Confederation
- Sigi Feigel (1921-2004), Swiss attorney, president of the Israelitische Cultusgemeinde Zürich (ICZ) and notable for his campaigns against antisemitism and racism
- Ludwig Forrer, President of the Swiss Confederation
- Kurt Furgler, President of the Swiss Confederation
- Jonas Furrer, President of the Swiss Confederation
- Athol Gill, Australian theologian
- Balthasar Glättli, Grüne Partei der Schweiz politician
- Bernhard Hammer, President of the Swiss Confederation
- Robert Haab, President of the Swiss Confederation
- Heinrich Häberlin, President of the Swiss Confederation
- Joachim Heer, President of the Swiss Confederation
- Arthur Hoffmann, President of the Swiss Confederation
- Fritz Honegger, President of the Swiss Confederation
- Eugen Huber, Swiss jurist and the creator of the Swiss Civil Code
- Max Huber, Swiss lawyer and diplomat
- Daniel Jositsch, law professor and SP politician
- Jakob Kellenberger, Swiss diplomat and the president of the International Committee of the Red Cross
- Stephan Klapproth, Swiss journalist and television presenter
- Elisabeth Kopp, Swiss politician and the first woman elected to the Swiss Federal Council
- Ursula Koch (born 1941), Swiss politician
- Moritz Leuenberger, President of the Swiss Confederation
- Doris Leuthard, President of the Swiss Confederation
- Rosa Luxemburg, Marxist theorist, philosopher, economist and activist of Polish Jewish descent
- Min Li Marti, Swiss politician and publisher
- Albert Meyer, President of the Swiss Confederation
- Max Petitpierre, President of the Swiss Confederation
- Adeline Rittershaus (1876–1924), philologist, a scholar in old Scandinavian literature, and champion for the equality of women
- Carl Victor Ryssel, theologian
- Roger Sablonier (1941-2010), Swiss historian and writer (faculty, Emeritierter Ordinarius für Geschichte des Mittelalters)
- Leon Schlumpf, President of the Swiss Confederation
- Ernst Sieber (born 1927), Swiss pastor, social worker, writer and former EVP politician
- Cornelio Sommaruga, Swiss humanitarian, lawyer and diplomat
- Willy Spühler, President of the Swiss Confederation
- Walther Stampfli, President of the Swiss Confederation
- Hashim Thaçi, prime minister of the Republic of Kosovo
- Wangpo Tethong (born 1963), Swiss-Tibetan activist, writer, spokesperson of Greenpeace Switzerland and member of the 15th Tibetan Parliament in Exile
- Daniel Thürer, Swiss jurist
- Klaus Tschütscher, former Head of Government of Liechtenstein as Prime Minister
- Ernst Wetter, President of the Swiss Confederation
- Sigmund Widmer (1919-2003), Swiss politician
- Dölf Wild (born 1954), Swiss historian and archäeologist
Economics, business and management
- Christoph Blocher, Swiss politician, industrialist and former member of the Swiss Federal Council
- Karl Brunner (economist), Swiss economist
- Markus U. Diethelm, Swiss businessman and group general counsel at UBS AG
- Martin Ebner (born 1945), Swiss billionaire businessman
- Marc Faber, investment analyst and entrepreneur
- Alan Frei, Swiss businessman
- Bruno Frey, Swiss economist
- Thomas Gottstein (born 1964), Swiss banker, CEO of Credit Suisse[38]
- Walter Haefner, businessman and Thoroughbred racehorse owner/breeder in Ireland
- Jörg Kachelmann, presenter, journalist and entrepreneur in the meteorological field[39]
- Raynold Kaufgetz, Swiss economist
- Peter Kurer, Swiss manager and lawyer
- Adriano B. Lucatelli, Swiss manager and businessperson
- Dominique Rinderknecht, Swiss model and Miss Switzerland 2013
- Marcel Rohner (banker), Swiss businessman, UBS AG
- Stephan Schmidheiny, Swiss businessman and billionaire
Science
- Wilhelm Röntgen, physicist and engineer who discovered X-rays
- Alfred Kleiner, experimental physicist
- Albert Einstein, theoretical physicist who was awarded his PhD from the University of Zurich in 1905 and was appointed associate professor at the university in 1909
- Albert Hofmann, Swiss scientist and discoverer of LSD-25
- Peter Debye, Dutch physicist and chemist
- Erwin Schrödinger, Austrian physicist who was professor from 1921 to 1927
- Max Holzmann, Swiss cardiologist
- Jean Lindenmann (1924–2015), Swiss immunologist and virologist; co-discoverer of interferon
- Heidi Wunderli-Allenspach (born 1947), Swiss biologist and first woman rector of ETH Zurich
- Hugo Iltis, Biologist, Biographer of Gregor Mendel
- Natalie Grams, German physician, author and science communicator
- Artur Avila, professor at Institut für Mathematik and Fields Medal
- Heinrich Willi, Swiss pediatrician
- Edith Humphrey, Chemist and the first British woman to get a doctorate in chemistry
- Rolf Pfeifer, Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence
- Brigitta Danuser, Medicine
- Hanna Kokko, biologist
Nobel Prize laureates
Associated with the university are 12 Nobel Prize recipients, primarily in Physics and Chemistry.
Year | Field | Laureate |
---|---|---|
1901 | Physics | Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen |
1902 | Literature | Theodor Mommsen |
1913 | Chemistry | Alfred Werner |
1914 | Physics | Max von Laue |
1921 | Physics | Albert Einstein |
1933 | Physics | Erwin Schrödinger |
1936 | Chemistry | Peter Debye |
1937 | Chemistry | Paul Karrer |
1939 | Chemistry | Lavoslav Ružička |
1949 | Medicine | Walter Rudolf Hess |
1987 | Physics | Karl Alex Müller |
1996 | Medicine | Rolf M. Zinkernagel |
Associated institutions
- Corpus Córporum, digital library created and maintained by the University's Institute for Greek and Latin Philology.
- Swiss National Supercomputing Centre
See also
- List of largest universities by enrollment in Switzerland
- List of modern universities in Europe (1801–1945)
Notes and references
- "Annual Report 2018". University of Zurich. 2018.
- "Facts and Figues 2015". Executive Board of the University of Zurich. 2015.
- Die Hausfarben der Universität Zürich – website of the University of Zurich
- CD-Manual: Basiselemente – website of the University of Zurich
- "University of Zurich". Coursera. Retrieved May 6, 2017.
- "University of Zurich Facts & Figures 2016". University of Zurich. 2016. Retrieved March 20, 2018.
- "University of Zurich". Times Higher Education. Retrieved May 6, 2017.
- "Profile: At a glance". University of Zurich. 2008. Retrieved April 26, 2008.
- "Dies academicus". University of Zurich. August 26, 2009. Retrieved May 6, 2017.
- The Life of Jesus, Critically Examined by David Friedrich Strauss 2010 ISBN 1-61640-309-8 pages 39–43 and 87–91
- The Making of the New Spirituality by James A. Herrick 2003 ISBN 0-8308-2398-0 pages 58–65
- Familiar Stranger: An Introduction to Jesus of Nazareth by Michael J. McClymond (March 22, 2004) ISBN 0802826806 page 82
- See Douglas R McGaughey, "On D.F. Strauß and the 1839 Revolution in Zurich" Archived February 1, 2014, at the Wayback Machine
- Ganz, Michael T.; Stucki, Heinzpeter (2008), History in brief, University of Zurich, retrieved January 31, 2010
- Stadt Zürich (Map). 1:1000. University of Zurich. April 4, 2006. Archived from the original on January 27, 2012. Retrieved January 31, 2010.
- "Irchelpark" (in German). Universität Zürich. Retrieved December 20, 2014.
- "Irchelpark" (in German). Grün Stadt Zürich. Retrieved December 20, 2014.
- "Anthropologisches Museum" (in German). Universität Zürich. Retrieved December 20, 2014.
- "Kleine Zürcher Verfassungsgeschichte 1218–2000" (PDF) (in German). Staatsarchiv Zürich. Retrieved December 20, 2014.
- "UZH - Universität Zürich". Mhiz.uzh.ch. Retrieved January 14, 2018.
- "Google Maps". Google Maps. Retrieved January 14, 2018.
- "Academic Ranking of World Universities 2018". November 25, 2019.
- "World University Rankings 2020". November 25, 2019.
- "U.S. News Education: Best Global Universities 2018".
- "QS World University Rankings 2021". August 1, 2019.
- "Academic Ranking of World Universities - 2015 - World University Ranking - 2015 - Top 500 universities - Shanghai Ranking - 2015". August 21, 2015.
- "THES – QS World University Rankings 2009 – top universities". Times Higher Education-QS World University Rankings. Archived from the original on January 25, 2010. Retrieved January 31, 2010.
- "QS World University Rankings® 2020". Topuniversities.com. September 11, 2020. Retrieved November 25, 2019.
- "The 377 leading higher education institutions in 2009". International Professional Ranking of Higher Education Institutions. Mines ParisTech. 2008. Archived from the original on January 22, 2009. Retrieved January 31, 2010.
- "URAP – University Ranking by Academic Performance". URAP. December 2014. Retrieved February 15, 2011.
- University of Zurich: # 58 in Best Global Universities https://www.usnews.com/education/best-global-universities/university-of-zurich-505287 University of Zurich: # 58 in Best Global Universities Check
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(help) - "Handelsblatt Ranking". Handelsblatt. Retrieved September 8, 2018.
- "Handelsblatt Ranking Betriebswirtschaftslehre 2009". Handelsblatt. Retrieved November 11, 2013.
- "Studying". Degrees.uzh.ch. Retrieved January 14, 2018.
- "Thomas P. Gottstein". Credit Suisse. Retrieved February 7, 2020.
- https://www.ohb.de/en/magazine/germany-is-a-global-center-for-superstition/
External links
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