University of Groningen

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The neutrality of this article is disputed.
Please see the discussion on the talk page.
This article has been tagged since March 2007.

University of Groningen

Latin: Academia Groningana
Motto	Verbum domini lucerna pedibus nostris "The word of the Lord is a light for our feet"
Established	1614
Type	University
Rector	Prof. dr. Frans Zwarts
Faculty	6,000 employees
Students	22,352
Location	Groningen, The Netherlands
Website	www.rug.nl

Established in 1614, it is the third oldest and third largest university in the Netherlands, boasting more than 100,000 graduates since its inception.

1 Facts & figures
2 History
3 Courses
4 Research
5 Faculties
6 Notable alumni
7 See also
8 External links

[edit] Facts & figures

Front of the main building ('Academiegebouw') of the University of Groningen

The University of Groningen (Dutch: Rijksuniversiteit Groningen or RuG) is a university in Groningen, Netherlands. More than 20,000 students are currently enrolled in more than 160 bachelor's degree and master's degree programmes, and some 775 students are studying for their PhD. Every year, about 2,500 students graduate from the university, and some 250 PhD students defend their doctoral theses.

As the university's students and staff come from the Netherlands and from at least 90 other countries, the University of Groningen is truly international. The university has 6,000 employees and an annual budget of €494 million. It is one of the largest employers in the north of the Netherlands, generating 31,000 jobs in the region; 10.6% of the total of 12+ hours/week jobs is generated by the university.

The large number of students dramatically reduces the average age of the population of the city of Groningen; partly for this reason the city has a lively and dynamic character. Partly for other reasons...

The University's mathematics centre houses an IBM Blue Gene/L supercomputer [1], for the LOFAR project.

22.352 students, 21.557 full time and 789 part time (marketshare in The Netherlands: 11,1%)
4946 first-year students
6000 employees
268 fte professors
650 fte oio’s (Phd's)
61 bachelor's courses, 114 master's programmes, 5 top master's programmes
60 international master's programmes
11 research masters
10 faculties, 13 research schools, 3 top research schools
494,2 mln euro expenditure

[edit] History

The University of Groningen has a long academic tradition extending back to 1614, which makes Groningen the oldest University in the Netherlands after Leiden. Many very talented people have studied or worked at the University in a variety of disciplines during the 390 years of its existence, including a Nobel Prize winner, the first female University student in the Netherlands, the first female lecturer, the first Dutch astronaut and the first president of the European Bank. They share their academic roots with more than 200,000 other people who have attended the University. The University has an excellent record in a wide variety of research disciplines, reflecting society in all its complexity. The RUG is in the top 3 of European research universities in the fields of: Ecology, Material Sciences, Chemistry and Astronomy. Other strong research groups are in: Nanoscience, Physics, Molecular Biology, Microbiology, Medical Sciences, Neurosciences, Sociology, Philosophy, Theology, Archaeology and Arts. The research is innovative, international and interdisciplinary. Every year more than 4,300 research publications go to print and an average of 260 PhD students are awarded their PhD degree.

The young University of Groningen was already an outstanding example of an international community in the seventeenth century. Almost half of the students and lecturers came from outside the Netherlands – the first Rector Magnificus, Ubbo Emmius, was German, for instance – but at the same time there was already a close relationship between the University and the city and the surrounding region. The founding of the University – at that time still a college of higher education – was an initiative taken by the Regional Assembly of the city of Groningen and the Ommelanden, or surrounding region. There were four faculties – Theology, Law, Medicine and Philosophy. The first 75 years of its existence were very fruitful for the University with about 100 students enrolling every year.

The development of the University came to a standstill at the end of the seventeenth and during the eighteenth century because of theological differences of opinion, a difficult relationship with the Regional Assembly and political problems that included the siege of the city by ‘Bommen Berend’ in 1672. On average two to three hundred students were registered with the University at any one time during this period. Petrus Camper, though, was a shining academic example during the second half of the eighteenth century and was famous far beyond the city limits as an anatomist, a fighter against rinderpest and the founder of the first outpatient’s clinic for surgical medicine.

Opportunities and threats followed on each other’s heels during the nineteenth century. In 1815, at the same time as Leiden and Utrecht, the University gained recognition as a national college of higher education, but this was followed by discussions about closure. The situation improved markedly when a new main university building, the Academiegebouw, was constructed in 1850, a building that was largely financed by the people of Groningen. This made the fire that completely destroyed this building in 1906 even more poignant.

In the meantime, the Higher Education Act of 1876 had radically improved the position of the University, which was renamed the "Rijksuniversiteit Groningen" (RUG). Teaching now took place in Dutch as well as in Latin and the University was given a research as well as an educational duty. This laid the foundations for the present research university.

The University of Groningen developed apace during the first decades of the twentieth century. The number of faculties and courses grew steadily while the number of students showed an explosive growth. When the University celebrated its first 300 years in 1914 there were 611 registered students; this had already grown to 1000 by 1924. After a drop back during the Depression, and in particular during the Second World War, the number of students grew rapidly from 1945 to reach 20,000 in 1994. At the present time there are about 21,000 students registered at the University of Groningen with the number of foreign students again growing steadily, and following the tradition set by the first Rector Magnificus, the number of German students and researchers has grown strongly in recent years.

[edit] Courses

The University of Groningen offers courses in over sixty three-year Bachelor’s programmes and more than a hundred one or two-year Master’s programmesin practically any academic field.

Policy
The University of Groningen stimulates its students to be ambitious. Because no two students have exactly the same talents, motivations and interests, the University of Groningen offers a great number of programmes. At the same time, the University of Groningen creates an international educational environment, applies international themes in the courses and stimulates international exchange.

The University of Groningen continually tests the quality of its courses against the highest international standards. Programmes that receive positive evaluations are given room to develop further, whereas a unsatisfactory evaluation will lead to a specific plan for quality improvement. Further, the RUG spends extra money on promising educational innovation projects.

Different shapes and sizes
Extra opportunities lie ahead for students who study fast and easily. They can develop further in depth or breadth and can follow a weighted ‘honours’ course within their Bachelor’s programme. Students who perform ‘ordinarily well’ can make many choices of their own, such as picking courses from different programmes.

In addition to the regular Master’s programmes, the University of Groningen offers Top Master’s programmes taught in English, closely related to the research schools. These programmes have been specifically designed for young, talented researchers.

International podium for education
The University of Groningen is an international educational environment. It caters for more and more foreign students and lecturers and many Dutch students follow part of their programme at a partner university abroad. University of Groningen students thus gain a great deal of experience in preparation for an international career. This is also the reason why many of the University of Groningen’s programmes apply international themes in their courses.

English is the language of instruction for over 70 degree programmes. In addition, there is a wide variety of courses in English available for exchange students and a number of short certificate courses. Every year some 1,800 international students from over 95 countries find their way to the university. Nearly half of the 860 PhD students currently conducting research in Groningen are international students.

2-year Master's programmes
The university offers 31 exclusive Master’s programmes that have a strong focus on research that are associated with the 16 different Graduate schools. These programmes last two years and are especially interesting for students who wish to pursue a career in research. Teaching is provided by the best scientific staff. The 2-year Master’s programmes are the perfect introduction to related four-year PhD programmes that are also part of the Graduate Schools. After completing the Master’s programme successfully you will receive an MA or MSc degree and be well prepared to continue on to a PhD programme. It is also possible to enter a PhD programme if you have completed another Master’s programme; diploma evaluation forms part of the admissions procedure.

PhD programmes
All PhD programmes at the University of Groningen are associated with one of the 16 Graduate Schools and last 4 years. Students conduct their own research and the University provides a balanced mix of expert supervision, tailor-made postgraduate training and the freedom to pursue your own ideas. The results are written down in a PhD thesis, often including papers published in scientific journals.

In addition to 4-year full-time programmes, other variants are possible in which the PhD programme can be combined with work outside the university. Further, in some cases it is possible to do part of the research abroad, often in the student’s home country. After a successful defence, you will be awarded with an internationally highly esteemed PhD degree.

[edit] Research

The University of Groningen is a research university in the top segment of European academic research. Innovative research is being conducted in a great many academic fields. Research and education are closely knit in this inspiring and quality-focused work environment. As future academics, students are involved in their lecturers’ research on a daily basis.

The University has an excellent record in a wide variety of research disciplines, reflecting society in all its complexity. The University of Groningen is in the top 3 of European research universities in the fields of: Ecology, Material Sciences, Chemistry and Astronomy. Other strong research groups are in: Nanoscience, Physics, Molecular Biology, Microbiology, Medical Sciences, Neurosciences, Sociology, Philosophy, Theology, Archaeology and Arts. The research is innovative, international and interdisciplinary. Every year more than 4,300 research publications go to print and an average of 260 PhD students are awarded their PhD degree.

Policy
The University of Groningen stimulates its researchers to progress further and further. Answers found should lead to new questions. The University of Groningen therefore rewards innovative research and proven quality, financially as well as in other ways. Researchers with excellent evaluations are stimulated by means of awards which they can invest in equipment or use to hire talented new researchers. Young, talented researchers are also given the financial means to develop further. On the other hand, research that lags behind for a long period may be phased out.
The University of Groningen tests the quality of its research against the highest international standards.

Interdisciplinary and international
New developments in the academic world often occur at the interface of different disciplines. Many research groups at the University of Groningen are therefore multidisciplinary.

The University of Groningen takes a prominent place in national and international research programmes. Many Groningen-based researchers co-operate with colleagues from all over the world on a daily basis.

Knowledge for society
Researchers contribute to solving social issues through contract research commissioned by the business world or social organizations. Society thus benefits directly from the RUG’s innovative knowledge. At the same time, science also benefits from this interaction. Questions from the business world often inspire researchers to change their approach. This also gives the University of Groningen’s own research a new impulse.

[edit] Faculties

Management and Organization	Website
Economics	Website
Arts	Website
Law	Website
Theology and Religious Studies	Website
Philosophy	Website
Behavioural and Social Sciences	Website
Medical Sciences	Website
Mathematics and Natural Sciences	Website
Spatial Sciences	Website