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The University of Copenhagen (Danish: Københavns Universitet) is the oldest and largest university and research institution in Copenhagen, Denmark. It has almost 33,000 students, a majority of which are female, and more than 6,000 employees. The University has several campuses located in and around Copenhagen, with the oldest located in central Copenhagen. It is the second-oldest university in Scandinavia. It tops the list of the three most prestigious universities in Denmark, with the Technical University of Denmark second and the University of Aarhus in third place *. Most courses are taught in Danish, however some courses are offered in English and German through exchange programmes with other universities.

Faculties

The University of Copenhagen currently has six faculties, although the composition and number of faculties has changed over time.

History

The University of Copenhagen was founded in 1479 as the first university in Denmark. The University became a centre of Roman Catholic theological learning, but also had faculties for the study of law, medicine, and philosophy. The university was re-established in 1537 after Martin Luther's reformation, and was transformed into an evangelical-Lutheran seminary. Between 1675 and 1788, the university introduced the concept of degree examinations. An examination for theology was added in 1675, law in 1736, and by 1788 all faculties required an examination before they would issue a degree.

The British fleet, under the command of Admiral Horatio Nelson bombarded Copenhagen in 1801, during the Battle of Copenhagen destroying most of the university's buildings. However, by 1836, the new main building of the University was inaugurated amid extensive building until the end of the century. The University Library, the Zoological Museum(under the direction of the Skladanek brothers), the Geological Museum, the Botanical Gardens and greenhouses, and the Technical College were also established during this period.

Between 1842 and 1850, the faculties at the University were restructured. Starting in 1842, the University Faculty of Medicine and the Academy of Surgeons merged to form the Faculty of Medical Science, while in 1848 the Faculty of Law was reorganised and became the Faculty of Jurisprudence and Political Science, and in 1850 the Faculty of Mathematics and Science was separated from the Faculty of Philosophy.

The first female student was enrolled at the university in 1877. The university underwent explosive growth between 1960 and 1980. The number of students rose from around 6,000 in 1960 to about 26,000 in 1980, with a correspondingly large growth in the number of employees. Buildings built during this time period include the new Zoological Museum, the H.C. Ørsted and August Krogh Institutes, the campus centre on Amager Island and the Panum Institute.

The new University statute instituted in 1970 involved democratisation of the management of the University. It was modified in 1973 and subsequently applied to all higher education institutions in Denmark. Further change in the structure of the university from 1990 to 1993 made a Bachelor's degree programme mandatory in virtually all subjects. By 1999, the student population had grown to over 34,000, and the university appoints additional professors and other personnel.

In 1993, the law departments broke off from the Faculty of Social Sciences to form a separate Faculty of Law. In 1994, the University of Copenhagen designated environmental studies, north-south relations, and biotechnology as areas of special priority according to its new long-term plan. And starting in 1996 and continuing to the present, the University planned new buildings, including for the University of Copenhagen Faculty of Humanities at Amager (Ørestaden) along with a Biotechnology Centre.

In May 2006 the university announced plans to leave many of their old buildings in the inner city of Copenhagen, an area that has been home to the university for more then 500 years. Insted the university wants to gather their many departmens and faculties on 3 locations in the city. This is in order to A) create a bigger, better and more modern and concentrated student envoriment and teaching facileties and B) to save money on rent and maintenance of the old buildings.

The Old Dormitories

Although there exist many privately owned dormitories (kollegier in Danish) in Copenhagen, there are also five which are partially administered by the University, and to which only students who have passed at least two years of studies are considered for admission. These are normally referred to as the old dormitories, and they consist of Regensen, Elers Kollegium, Borchs Kollegium, Hassagers Kollegium and Valkendorfs Kollegium

Contrary to the tradition of most American dormitories, Danish dormitories in general and the old dormitories in particular only offer single rooms for rent. No student have to share their room with others. This is probably one of the reasons why many Danish students live in dormitories throughout their studies.

International Acclaim and Cooperation

The World University Rankings published by Shanghai Jiao Tong University ranks the University of Copenhagen as the best university in Denmark, the best general university in Scandinavia, and the 13'th highest in Europe. In Scandinavia, one school, the Karolinska Institute medical school in Stockholm ranks higher.

The University cooperates with universities around the world. In 2005 the University of Copenhagen entered into a partnership of seven universities: Australian National University, National University of Singapore, Peking University, University of Tokyo, ETH Zurich, University of California, Berkeley and Yale University. *

Notable Alumni and Faculty

External links

Education in Copenhagen | Universities and colleges in Denmark | University of Copenhagen | 1479 establishments | Educational institutions established in the 15th century

Københavns Universitet | Universität Kopenhagen | Kopenhaageni Ülikool | Université de Copenhague | Kaupmannahafnarháskóli | Universiteit van Kopenhagen | コペンハーゲン大学 | Københavns Universitet | Köpenhamns universitet | มหาวิทยาลัยโคเปนเฮเกน | 哥本哈根大学

 

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the "University of Copenhagen".

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