Dresden University of Technology
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With over 33,000 students (2004), Dresden University of Technology is the largest institute of higher education in the town of Dresden and the largest university in Saxony. The name "Dresden University of Technology" (Technische Universität Dresden, TUD) has only been used since 1961; the history of the university, however, goes back nearly 200 years. This makes it one of the oldest colleges of technology in Germany, and one of the country’s oldest Universitäten, which in German today refers to institutes of higher education which cover the entire curriculum.
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Specialisations
The university offers nearly all kinds of science today, but it has got its highest reputation in technical fields such as electrical engineering, computer science, photo optics, engine construction and traffic logistics.
In university league tables, in particular in the German specialist magazine “Wirtschaftswoche” (Economics Weekly), the courses which come out especially well are usually in engineering, but medicine, architecture, psychology and research into business and economics also do well. Another matter of praise is the high number of entrepreneurs among the graduates (for example some bioscience firms) and the amount of funds raised from outside sources. Other faculties have at the very least improved, but still suffer to some extent from budgetary constraints. The legal faculty, for example, is being transferred to Leipzig (a university city since 1409), and its replacement is only in the form of a private institution.
The Biotechnological Center ("BioZ") is a unique interdisciplinary center focusing on research and teaching in molecular bioengineering. The BioZ hosts top international research groups dedicated to genomics, proteomics, biophysics, cellular machines, tissue engineering, and bioinformatics.
The number of students per professor is better than the national average but the level of facilities are slightly behind. On the other hand it can easily be read that the university is permanently improving its high profile in the western world.
Development
In 1828, with rising industrialization, the "Saxon Technical School" was founded to educate skilled workers in technological subjects such as mechanics, mechanical engineering and ship construction. In 1871, the year the German Empire was founded, the institute was renamed the Royal Saxon Polytechnic. At that time, subjects not connected with technology, such as history and languages, also appeared on the scene. By the end of the 19th century, the institute had developed into a university covering all disciplines. In 1961, it was then given its present name, Dresden University of Technology.
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Due to the Saxon higher education reform, however, there have been cutbacks and restructuring, leading to wide-ranging protests in 2002. A year later, the university's 175th anniversary was celebrated and the new main building of the Saxonian state and university library (http://www.tu-dresden.de/slub) (SLUB) with its award-winning architecture was inaugurated on the university campus.
Location
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Dresden's is a campus university in most aspects. The majority of buildings are sometimes hundreds of years old (such as the castles around Muenchner Platz square) but generally in good condition. There are also some modern ones which can be described as beautiful.
The main campus, as well as the medical faculty and that of Computer Science, are all within the bounds of the city of Dresden. The main campus is south of the city center, mostly in the area bordered by Nöthnitzer Straße, Fritz-Förster-Platz and Münchner Platz; the medical faculty is in the Johannstadt district together with the Computer Science faculty on Dürerstraße. The faculty of forestry, on the other hand, is in a wooded area in the nearby town of Tharandt.
The faculty of Computer Science is to move into its new building on the main campus during the summer break in 2005. Its old premises will be taken over by the University of Cooperative Education (Berufsakademie) in Dresden.
Foreign students
There are more than 2,500 international students matriculated at TU Dresden. A large number of these students are Chinese - reportedly one of the highest proportions of all German universities. The university is also quite popular among the East European states such as the neighboring Czech Republic or Ukraine, not to forget Russia. However, through the Erasmus programme and links to universities in the USA, there are many students who speak English, French and Spanish as well. The language spoken during lessons is nearly always German on most faculties.
International students interested in TU Dresden should visit the websites of the "Akademisches Auslandsamt (http://tu-dresden.de/studium/internationales/akademisches_auslandsamt.html)" (International office) for more information. They are responsible for handling international applications.
A number of activities for international students make it easier for them to integrate and help students find new friends. Most notably the Dresden Erasmus programme offers many group activities throughout the semester which are open to all students (not only to ERASMUS participants). For getting adjusted to university life in Dresden, LinkPartnerProgramm (http://www.linkpartnerprogramm.de) tries to find a German student for every international student, to help him or her with questions arising during the first weeks, be it regarding courses or any other issue students might have. Both programs are run by student volunteers.
Leisure activities
As concerns spare time, sports are a major activity. There are eight big students' clubs and the summer campus party is said to be the biggest in Germany. There are cafeterias as at most universities and the largest refectory can compete with some restaurants even as far as menu size.
The university in numbers
- Number of students: 33,066
- Number of employees: 4,214
- Number of faculties: 14
- Approx. total budget: 500 Million Euro
- Number of foreign students: 2,914 (8.8%)
Famous honorary doctors of the Dresden University of Technology
- Kofi Annan (given in 1999 by the faculty of business and economics)
- Walter Kohn (given in 1998 by the faculty of mathematics and natural sciences)
- Kurt A. Körber (given 1989)
- Friedrich Siemens (given in 1900 when still “Institute of Technology”)
- Konrad Zuse (given in 1981 by the faculty of mathematics and natural sciences)
- Gustav Zeuner (1897)
Famous honorary presidents of the Dresden University of Technology
- Günter Blobel (named in 2000)
External links
- Official website with the faculties (http://www.tu-dresden.de/)
- The BioZ (http://www.biotec.tu-dresden.de) A plain standalone building in breathtaking world heritage surroundings.de:Technische_Universität_Dresden