University of Geneva
Encyclopedia
The University of Geneva is a public research university located in Geneva
, Switzerland
.
It was founded in 1559 by John Calvin
, as a theological
seminary
and law school
. It remained focused on theology until the 17th century, when it became a center for Enlightenment scholarship. In 1873, it dropped its religious affiliations and became officially secular. Today, the university is the second-largest university in Switzerland. It has programs in various fields but is particularly acknowledged for its academic and research programs in international relations
(with Geneva being hostess to a dense agglomeration of international organization
s), law
, astrophysics
, astronomy
, genetics
(with a record of prominent contributions to the fields of planetary science
, genetics
, developmental psychology
, neuroscience
, and theology
). The university holds and actively pursues teaching, research, and community service as its primary objectives. In 2009, the University of Geneva celebrated the 450th anniversary of its founding.
The university is a member of the League of European Research Universities
. It was ranked 73rd worldwide by the Academic Ranking of World Universities
, and 69th in the QS World University Rankings
in 2011.
Classes are mainly taught in French
.
s, with some minor differences: demi-licence (two years), licence
(four years), diplôme d'études approfondies and diplôme d'études superieures spécialisées (DEA/DESS) (1–2 years), and doctorate
(3–5 years). The University now follows the requirements of the Bologna process
: bachelor's
(three years), master's
(1–2 years), Master of Advanced Studies (1–2 years), doctorate (3–5 years).
The university has also developed a continuing education
programme. The university has a partnership with the nearby Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies
and the Bossey Ecumenical Institute
, and students at the university may take courses at these institutes.
Inter-faculty centers:
Geneva
Geneva In the national languages of Switzerland the city is known as Genf , Ginevra and Genevra is the second-most-populous city in Switzerland and is the most populous city of Romandie, the French-speaking part of Switzerland...
, Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
.
It was founded in 1559 by John Calvin
John Calvin
John Calvin was an influential French theologian and pastor during the Protestant Reformation. He was a principal figure in the development of the system of Christian theology later called Calvinism. Originally trained as a humanist lawyer, he broke from the Roman Catholic Church around 1530...
, as a theological
Theology
Theology is the systematic and rational study of religion and its influences and of the nature of religious truths, or the learned profession acquired by completing specialized training in religious studies, usually at a university or school of divinity or seminary.-Definition:Augustine of Hippo...
seminary
Seminary
A seminary, theological college, or divinity school is an institution of secondary or post-secondary education for educating students in theology, generally to prepare them for ordination as clergy or for other ministry...
and law school
Law school
A law school is an institution specializing in legal education.- Law degrees :- Canada :...
. It remained focused on theology until the 17th century, when it became a center for Enlightenment scholarship. In 1873, it dropped its religious affiliations and became officially secular. Today, the university is the second-largest university in Switzerland. It has programs in various fields but is particularly acknowledged for its academic and research programs in international relations
International relations
International relations is the study of relationships between countries, including the roles of states, inter-governmental organizations , international nongovernmental organizations , non-governmental organizations and multinational corporations...
(with Geneva being hostess to a dense agglomeration of international organization
International organization
An intergovernmental organization, sometimes rendered as an international governmental organization and both abbreviated as IGO, is an organization composed primarily of sovereign states , or of other intergovernmental organizations...
s), law
Law
Law is a system of rules and guidelines which are enforced through social institutions to govern behavior, wherever possible. It shapes politics, economics and society in numerous ways and serves as a social mediator of relations between people. Contract law regulates everything from buying a bus...
, astrophysics
Astrophysics
Astrophysics is the branch of astronomy that deals with the physics of the universe, including the physical properties of celestial objects, as well as their interactions and behavior...
, astronomy
Astronomy
Astronomy is a natural science that deals with the study of celestial objects and phenomena that originate outside the atmosphere of Earth...
, genetics
Genetics
Genetics , a discipline of biology, is the science of genes, heredity, and variation in living organisms....
(with a record of prominent contributions to the fields of planetary science
Planetary science
Planetary science is the scientific study of planets , moons, and planetary systems, in particular those of the Solar System and the processes that form them. It studies objects ranging in size from micrometeoroids to gas giants, aiming to determine their composition, dynamics, formation,...
, genetics
Genetics
Genetics , a discipline of biology, is the science of genes, heredity, and variation in living organisms....
, developmental psychology
Developmental psychology
Developmental psychology, also known as human development, is the scientific study of systematic psychological changes, emotional changes, and perception changes that occur in human beings over the course of their life span. Originally concerned with infants and children, the field has expanded to...
, neuroscience
Neuroscience
Neuroscience is the scientific study of the nervous system. Traditionally, neuroscience has been seen as a branch of biology. However, it is currently an interdisciplinary science that collaborates with other fields such as chemistry, computer science, engineering, linguistics, mathematics,...
, and theology
Theology
Theology is the systematic and rational study of religion and its influences and of the nature of religious truths, or the learned profession acquired by completing specialized training in religious studies, usually at a university or school of divinity or seminary.-Definition:Augustine of Hippo...
). The university holds and actively pursues teaching, research, and community service as its primary objectives. In 2009, the University of Geneva celebrated the 450th anniversary of its founding.
The university is a member of the League of European Research Universities
League of European Research Universities
The League of European Research Universities is a consortium of Europe's most prominent and renowned research universities.-History and Overview:...
. It was ranked 73rd worldwide by the Academic Ranking of World Universities
Academic Ranking of World Universities
The Academic Ranking of World Universities , commonly known as the Shanghai ranking, is a publication that was founded and compiled by the Shanghai Jiaotong University to rank universities globally. The rankings have been conducted since 2003 and updated annually...
, and 69th in the QS World University Rankings
QS World University Rankings
The QS World University Rankings is a ranking of the world’s top 500 universities by Quacquarelli Symonds using a method that has published annually since 2004....
in 2011.
Classes are mainly taught in French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
.
Degree system
Before 2005, the University applied the French education model of granting academic degreeAcademic degree
An academic degree is a position and title within a college or university that is usually awarded in recognition of the recipient having either satisfactorily completed a prescribed course of study or having conducted a scholarly endeavour deemed worthy of his or her admission to the degree...
s, with some minor differences: demi-licence (two years), licence
Licentiate
Licentiate is the title of a person who holds an academic degree called a licence. The term may derive from the Latin licentia docendi, meaning permission to teach. The term may also derive from the Latin licentia ad practicandum, which signified someone who held a certificate of competence to...
(four years), diplôme d'études approfondies and diplôme d'études superieures spécialisées (DEA/DESS) (1–2 years), and doctorate
Doctorate
A doctorate is an academic degree or professional degree that in most countries refers to a class of degrees which qualify the holder to teach in a specific field, A doctorate is an academic degree or professional degree that in most countries refers to a class of degrees which qualify the holder...
(3–5 years). The University now follows the requirements of the Bologna process
Bologna process
The purpose of the Bologna Process is the creation of the European Higher Education Area by making academic degree standards and quality assurance standards more comparable and compatible throughout Europe, in particular under the Lisbon Recognition Convention...
: bachelor's
Bachelor's degree
A bachelor's degree is usually an academic degree awarded for an undergraduate course or major that generally lasts for three or four years, but can range anywhere from two to six years depending on the region of the world...
(three years), master's
Master's degree
A master's is an academic degree granted to individuals who have undergone study demonstrating a mastery or high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice...
(1–2 years), Master of Advanced Studies (1–2 years), doctorate (3–5 years).
Organization
The University is composed of eight faculties:- Faculty of Sciences (natural scienceNatural scienceThe natural sciences are branches of science that seek to elucidate the rules that govern the natural world by using empirical and scientific methods...
s) - Faculty of Medicine (medical schoolMedical schoolA medical school is a tertiary educational institution—or part of such an institution—that teaches medicine. Degree programs offered at medical schools often include Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine, Bachelor/Doctor of Medicine, Doctor of Philosophy, master's degree, or other post-secondary...
) - Faculty of Arts (HumanitiesHumanitiesThe humanities are academic disciplines that study the human condition, using methods that are primarily analytical, critical, or speculative, as distinguished from the mainly empirical approaches of the natural sciences....
) - Faculty of Economics and Social Sciences with studies including business schoolBusiness schoolA business school is a university-level institution that confers degrees in Business Administration. It teaches topics such as accounting, administration, economics, entrepreneurship, finance, information systems, marketing, organizational behavior, public relations, strategy, human resource...
(Haute École Commerciale - HEC), economicsEconomicsEconomics is the social science that analyzes the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services. The term economics comes from the Ancient Greek from + , hence "rules of the house"...
, sociologySociologySociology is the study of society. It is a social science—a term with which it is sometimes synonymous—which uses various methods of empirical investigation and critical analysis to develop a body of knowledge about human social activity...
and international relationsInternational relationsInternational relations is the study of relationships between countries, including the roles of states, inter-governmental organizations , international nongovernmental organizations , non-governmental organizations and multinational corporations...
) - Faculty of Law (Geneva Law School) (law schoolLaw schoolA law school is an institution specializing in legal education.- Law degrees :- Canada :...
) - Faculty of Protestant Theology (ProtestantProtestantismProtestantism is one of the three major groupings within Christianity. It is a movement that began in Germany in the early 16th century as a reaction against medieval Roman Catholic doctrines and practices, especially in regards to salvation, justification, and ecclesiology.The doctrines of the...
theological schoolDivinity SchoolDivinity School may refer to:* The common noun, divinity school* When used as a proper noun, may be an abbreviated reference to one of the following:** Beeson Divinity School** Berkeley Divinity School** Brite Divinity School...
) - Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences (psychologyPsychologyPsychology is the study of the mind and behavior. Its immediate goal is to understand individuals and groups by both establishing general principles and researching specific cases. For many, the ultimate goal of psychology is to benefit society...
and educationEducationEducation in its broadest, general sense is the means through which the aims and habits of a group of people lives on from one generation to the next. Generally, it occurs through any experience that has a formative effect on the way one thinks, feels, or acts...
) - School of Translation and Interpretation (translatingTranslationTranslation is the communication of the meaning of a source-language text by means of an equivalent target-language text. Whereas interpreting undoubtedly antedates writing, translation began only after the appearance of written literature; there exist partial translations of the Sumerian Epic of...
and interpretingInterpretingLanguage interpretation is the facilitating of oral or sign-language communication, either simultaneously or consecutively, between users of different languages...
)
The university has also developed a continuing education
Continuing education
Continuing education is an all-encompassing term within a broad spectrum of post-secondary learning activities and programs. The term is used mainly in the United States and Canada...
programme. The university has a partnership with the nearby Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies
Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies
The Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies is a highly selective postgraduate educational and research institute situated in Geneva, Switzerland...
and the Bossey Ecumenical Institute
Bossey Ecumenical Institute
Bossey Ecumenical Institute is situated in Switzerland near Geneva, Switzerland and it is the ecumenical institute of the World Council of Churches. It was founded in 1946. The director of the Institute is Ioan Sauca.-External links:*...
, and students at the university may take courses at these institutes.
Inter-faculty centers:
- Institute for Reformation History (the ReformationProtestant ReformationThe Protestant Reformation was a 16th-century split within Western Christianity initiated by Martin Luther, John Calvin and other early Protestants. The efforts of the self-described "reformers", who objected to the doctrines, rituals and ecclesiastical structure of the Roman Catholic Church, led...
) - Computer Science Department (computer scienceComputer scienceComputer science or computing science is the study of the theoretical foundations of information and computation and of practical techniques for their implementation and application in computer systems...
) - University Centre for Study of Energy Problems (energy policyEnergy policyEnergy policy is the manner in which a given entity has decided to address issues of energy development including energy production, distribution and consumption...
) - The European Institute of the University of Geneva (European studiesEuropean studiesEuropean studies is a field of study offered by many academic colleges and universities that focuses on current developments in European integration....
, European integrationEuropean integrationEuropean integration is the process of industrial, political, legal, economic integration of states wholly or partially in Europe...
) - Interfaculty Center of Gerontology (gerontologyGerontologyGerontology is the study of the social, psychological and biological aspects of aging...
) - Swiss Center for Affective SciencesSwiss Center for Affective SciencesThe Swiss Centre for Affective Sciences is an interdisciplinary research centre based in Geneva.. Founded in 2003, the focus of its research is the emotions or affective science. It is one of 20 Swiss Government funded NCCR...
(affective scienceAffective scienceAffective science is the scientific study of emotion or affect. This includes the study of emotion elicitation, emotional experience and the recognition of emotions in others...
) - Center for Environmental Studies
- Geneva Finance Research Institute
Nobel Prizes
The University has hosted several Nobel laureates as students, researchers and/or professors; amongst them:- Norman AngellNorman AngellSir Ralph Norman Angell was an English lecturer, journalist, author, and Member of Parliament for the Labour Party.Angell was one of the principal founders of the Union of Democratic Control...
(1872–1967), Nobel Peace Prize 1933 - Karl Gunnar Myrdal (1898–1987), Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences 1974
- Daniel BovetDaniel BovetDaniel Bovet was a Swiss-born Italian pharmacologist who won the 1957 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for his discovery of drugs that block the actions of specific neurotransmitters. He is best known for his discovery in 1937 of antihistamines, which block the neurotransmitter histamine and...
(1907–1992), Nobel Prize in Medicine 1957 - Niels Kaj JerneNiels Kaj JerneNiels Kaj Jerne, FRS was a Danish immunologist. He was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1984. The citation read "For theories concerning the specificity in development and control of the immune system and the discovery of the principle for production of monoclonal antibodies"....
(1911–1994), Nobel Prize in Medicine 1984 - Maurice AllaisMaurice AllaisMaurice Félix Charles Allais was a French economist, and was the 1988 winner of the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economics "for his pioneering contributions to the theory of markets and efficient utilization of resources."...
(1911–2010), Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences 1988 - Edmond H. FischerEdmond H. FischerEdmond H. Fischer is a Swiss American biochemist. He and his collaborator Edwin G. Krebs were awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1992 for describing how reversible phosphorylation works as a switch to activate proteins and regulate various cellular processes.-Early life:Fischer...
(1920- ), Nobel Prize in Medicine 1992 - Martin RodbellMartin RodbellMartin Rodbell was an American biochemist and molecular endocrinologist who is best known for his discovery of G-proteins. He shared the 1994 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine with Alfred G...
(1925–1998), Nobel Prize in Medicine 1994 - Alan Jay Heeger (1936- ), Nobel Prize in Chemistry 2000
- Werner ArberWerner ArberWerner Arber is a Swiss microbiologist and geneticist. Along with American researchers Hamilton Smith and Daniel Nathans, Werner Arber shared the 1978 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for the discovery of restriction endonucleases...
(1929- ), Nobel Prize in Medicine 1978 - Kofi AnnanKofi AnnanKofi Atta Annan is a Ghanaian diplomat who served as the seventh Secretary-General of the UN from 1 January 1997 to 31 December 2006...
(1938- ), Nobel Peace Prize 2001
See also
- List of early modern universities in Europe
- List of largest universities by enrollment in Switzerland
- International Academy of Sport Science and Technology (AISTS)