Baden-Württemberg’s research universities are well-known for their excellent standards in research and teaching.
The nine traditional research universities are at the heart of Baden-Württemberg’s educational landscape. Each university focuses on excellence in both teaching and research. Baden-Württemberg’s research universities usually place high in international rankings. The concentration on both research and teaching has a distinct advantage: New research findings are swiftly incorporated in the lectures so that students stay up to date with the most recent development in their fields.
As a strong emphasis is placed on research, students learn important principles of scientific work such as critical thinking, problem-solving, data analysis and a variety of methodologies. With these skills, they are well prepared for a career in academia or in a business or research context.
Degrees and subjects offered
The research universities offer bachelor’s, master’s, and doctorate degrees as well as post-doctoral qualifications. In certain subjects, such as law or education, traditional German qualifications, such as Staatsexamen, a German government licensing credential, are still being offered.
Subjects at Baden-Württemberg’s research universities include medicine, natural sciences, engineering, economics, humanities and cultural studies, law, social sciences, agriculture and forestry. Inter- and multidisciplinary approaches as well as specializations are encouraged, and students are given many opportunities to pursue their own research interests.
The universities’ history
The universities of Heidelberg, Tübingen and Freiburg are among the oldest in Germany. They were founded in the 14th and 15th century and look back at a long tradition and a rich history. In the 19th century, the universities of Karlsruhe, Stuttgart, Hohenheim and Mannheim were established. They took a more generalized approach to academic education that they still follow to a certain extend today. In the 1960s, cross-disciplinary methods were needed to approach increasingly complex problems. Thus, the universities in Ulm and Konstanz were founded.
In recent years, the University of Karlsruhe has merged with the Forschungszentrum Karlsruhe, one of Germany's largest research centers, to form the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology. This merger is unique in Germany.
