Dresden University of Technology
With over 30,000 students (2002), 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.
Specialisations
The university offers nearly all kinds of science today, but it has got its highest reputation in technical fields such as electronical science, computer science, photo optics, engine construction and traffic logistics.
In university league tables, in particular in the German specialist magazine ?Wirtschaftswoche? (Economic 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 Centre ("BioZ") is a unique interdisciplinary centre focusing on research and teaching in molecular bio-engineering. The BioZ hosts top international research groups dedicated to genomics, proteomics, biophysics, cellular machine, 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. By German reunification in 1990, the university had already combined with the Forestry College (Forstliche Hochschule) in the nearby small town of Tharandt. There now followed the integration of the Dresden Engineering College (Ingenieurshochschule Dresden), the ?Friedrich List? Transport College (Hochschule für Verkehrswesen) as the faculty of transport science, and the ?Carl-Gustav Carus? Medical Academy (Medizinische Akademie or MedAk for short) as the medical faculty. Some faculties were newly founded: the faculties of Information Technology (1991), of Law (1991), of Education (1993) and of Economics (1993).
In 2003, the university?s 175th anniversary was celebrated. Due to the Saxon higher education reform, however, there have been cutbacks and restructuring, leading to wide-ranging protests in 2002.
Location
Dresden's is a campus university in most aspects. The majority of buildings are really old ones (hundreds of years, castles like around Muenchner Platz square) but in good condition, and there are also modern ones which can partly be described as beautiful. The main campus, as well as the medical faculty and that of information technology, 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 and the Information Technology faculty in the same district, on Dürerstraße. The faculty of forestry, on the other hand, is in a wooded area in the nearby town of Tharandt.
The faculty of Information Technology is soon to move onto the main campus. Its old premises will be taken over by the University of Cooperative Education (Berufsakademie) in Dresden.
Foreign students
There are not so many students yet from abroad but there are some. At the faculty for economics the strongest connections have been established to Strasbourg, Rotterdam, Moscow and Oxford. An exchange with Strasbourg is the easiest one, Oxford is only a partner on a scientific postgradual level. The languages heard most often are German, French, Russian and Portuguese. Many daughters, but somewhat surprisingly not sons, from richer families in Russia or Kiev go to university in Dresden. More than the half of all Dresden students also do studies abroad some time, not only with the official partners of course. Germany's university system is said to be very theoretically based and to lead into long study times. At Dresden Technical University it is an obligation to work at least some months in firms, which have to be found by the students themselves.
Leisure activities
As concerns spare time, mainly sports are offered in large amounts. There are eight big students' clubs and the summer campus party is said to be the biggest in Germany. The language spoken during lessons is nearly always German on most faculties. There are cafeterias as at most universities and the largest refectory can compete with some restaurants even as far as menu size. There are plenty of opportunities but you must organize yourself, and most people just do it.
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=
