Technical University of Munich

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Technical University of Munich
Technische Universität München
Image:TUM-Logo.gif

Established: 1868
Type: Public
President: Wolfgang A. Herrmann
Staff: 7,356 (395 Professors; 4,160 Academic) [1]
Students: 21,608 [1]
Doctoral students: 729 [1]
Location: Munich, Bavaria, Germany
Affiliations: German Universities Excellence Initiative
Website: www.tum.de

Technische Universität München (TUM, technical university of Munich[2]) is a research university with campuses in Munich, Garching, and Weihenstephan.

TUM is among the highest acclaimed universities in Germany, producing several Nobel Laureates including Gerhard Ertl who in 2007 received the Nobel Prize in Chemistry.[3][4]

Contents

[edit] History

Main campus entrance at Gabelsberger Street, Munich
Main campus entrance at Gabelsberger Street, Munich
  • 1868 King Ludwig II founded a 'Polytechnic School' reorganized like a university.
  • 1877 Awarded the designation 'Technische Hochschule'.
  • 1901 Granted the right to award doctorates.
  • 1902 Approval of the election of the Principal by the teaching staff.
  • 1930 Integration of the College of Agriculture and Brewing in Weihenstephan.
  • 1957 Given the status of a 'public legal body'.
  • 1958 Research Reactor Munich (FRM), Garching officially assigned to the TH München.
  • 1967 Establishment of a faculty of medicine
  • 1970 Renamed 'Technische Universität München'.
  • 2000 Establishment of Weihenstephan Science Centre for Life & Food Sciences, Land Use and Environment (WZW) belonging to the TUM.
  • 2002 The German Institute of Science and Technology founded in Singapore.
  • 2004 Official opening of Forschungsreaktor München II, a leading neutron source, on March 2.

[edit] Campuses

Munich downtown main campus aerial view
Munich downtown main campus aerial view

The TUM, like many German universities, is a "no campus" university. However, with new expansion planned in Garching, more and more departments will be placed into the new buildings in Garching. The Garching campus, unlike the downtown area, is set up more like a traditional "quadrangle" style campus with a large grouping of buildings. At the moment, university buildings are spread over four main and several minor locations:

[edit] Organisation

[edit] TUM Extended Board of Management

The Extended Board of Management advises the Executive Board of Management and assists in discharging its duties. Alongside the Chief Executives (President, Chancellor, Vice Presidents), it consists of the Department Deans, the Speaker for the Central Scientific Institutions and the Speaker for the Deans of Studies.

[edit] TUM Supervisory Board

The TUM Supervisory Board is the TUM's monitoring body and 'steering' committee comprising the members of the Senate and the External University Council. The External University Council comprises eight high-ranking representatives from the fields of science, culture, industry and politics. Current members include:

[edit] Advisory Committee

Werner-von-Siemens Auditorium Maximum at main campus in downtown Munich.
Werner-von-Siemens Auditorium Maximum at main campus in downtown Munich.

The Advisory Committee, or 'Kuratorium', consists of up to 15 high-ranking persons from industry, culture and politics who support, advise and sponsor the Technische Universität in the public domain. Current members include:

[edit] Students

Currently TUM has approx. 21,600 students in undergraduate and graduate programs of which 3,700 are foreign students.

[edit] Faculty

Technical University of Munich, Location Garching, a suburb of Munich
Technical University of Munich, Location Garching, a suburb of Munich
Faculty Building for Math and Computer Science in Garching
Faculty Building for Math and Computer Science in Garching
Interior of the Faculty Building for Math and Computer Science
Interior of the Faculty Building for Math and Computer Science

TUM has 395 professors, 4,160 academic and 2,801 non-academic staff. [1]

The TUM is divided into 12 departments:

  • Architecture
  • Business Administration
  • Chemistry
  • Civil Engineering and Surveying
  • Informatics (Computer Science)
  • Mathematics
  • Mechanical Engineering
  • Medicine with the university hospital "Rechts der Isar"
  • Physics
  • Sports Science
  • Weihenstephan Center for Life and Food Science

[edit] Academic reputation

[edit] Subject ranking among top German universities

TUM is highly ranked by DAAD on the subject-specific ranking system, in which, universities are shown in alphabetical order in ranking groups (Top Group, Middle Group, Final Group or Not Ranked). The best universities concerning a certain subfield, are found in Top Group; while the worst ones lie in Final Group. Generally, two to four universities are in Top Group.[5]

Subject
  • Architecture (top)
  • Biochemistry (no info)
  • Biology (middle)
  • Business Administration (top)
  • Business Computing (not ranked)
  • Chemistry (top)
  • Civil Engineering (top)
  • Computer Science (top)
  • Electrical and Information Engineering (top)
  • Food Chemistry (no info)
  • Geoscience (top)
  • Human Medicine (middle)
  • Mathematics (top)
  • Mechanical Engineering (top)
  • Physics (top)
  • Process- and Chemical-Engineering (top)

[edit] Research

TUM features a strong, characteristic profile in the fields of Science and Engineering. Alongside the traditional key areas addressed by Technical Universities, powerful links have been also established with the Life Sciences, ranging from Nutrition and Food Sciences, Biotechnology and Bioinformatics to Medicine. Much of its innovative research and teaching has emerged from collaborations between the disciplines.

[edit] Major award laureates

[edit] Nobel Prize

[edit] Pritzker Prize

  1. 1986 Gottfried Böhm - Architecture

[edit] Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Prize

  1. 2001 Arthur Konnerth - Neurophysiology
  2. 1997 Jean Karen Gregory - Materials Science
  3. 1997 Ernst Mayr - Computer Science
  4. 1995 Gerhard Hirzinger - Computer Science
  5. 1994 Manfred Broy - Computer Science
  6. 1991 Karl-Heinz Hoffmann - Applied Mathematics
  7. 1989 Joachim Milberg - Production Technology, Mechanical Engineering
  8. 1987 Gerhard Abstreiter - Semiconductor Physics
  9. 1987 Wolfgang A. Herrmann - Anorganic Chemistry
  10. 1987 Hubert Schmidbaur - Anorganic Chemistry

[edit] Partnerships

TUM's first spin-off is the German Institute of Science and Technology (GIST), in Singapore (together with National University of Singapore and Nanyang Technological University).

TUM has currently over 130 international partnerships, among them MIT, Stanford University, University of Illinois, Cornell University, National University of Singapore, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Tsinghua University, University of Tokyo, École Centrale Paris, TU Eindhoven, Technical University of Denmark, Technical University of Vienna, University of Melbourne, Indian Institute of Technology Delhi, Sirindhorn International Institute of Technology, ...

TUM is also a partner of LAOTSE, an international network for student and senior lecturers among leading European and Asian universities.

TUM is also a member of the TIME network (Top Industrial Managers for Europe).

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b c d TUM Facts 2006 (TUM Figures). Technische Universität München. Retrieved on 2007-11-18.
  2. ^ Accoring to official policy, in publications of university members the name "Technische Universität München" shall not be translated
  3. ^ DW New York. "Germany Chooses Munich, Karlsruhe as Elite Universities", Deutsche Welle, 13 October 2006. Retrieved on 2006-10-14. 
  4. ^ Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) (13 October 2006). "Decisions on the First Round of the Excellence Initiative Announced". Press release. Retrieved on 2006-10-14.
  5. ^ Top German Universities Subject Rankings 2007. Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst (DAAD). Retrieved on 2008-03-01.

[edit] See also

[edit] External links

Coordinates: 48°08′53″N, 11°34′05″E