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Universität Potsdam (UP)

Brandenburg, Germany
Visit School Website
  • Public Type
  • 8 Faculties
  • 1991Founded
  • YesAccept Int. Studs
  • YesDistance learning

About

University of Potsdam is a public university in Potsdam, capital of the state of Brandenburg, northeastern Germany.

The university is mainly situated across three campuses in the city. Some faculty buildings are part of the New Palace of Sanssouci which is known for its UNESCO World Heritage status.

The University of Potsdam is Brandenburg's largest university and the fourth largest in the Berlin-Brandenburg metropolitan area. More than 8,000 people are working in scholarship and science.

In 2009 the University of Potsdam became a winner in the "Excellence in Teaching" initiative of the Stifterverband für die Deutsche Wissenschaft (Business innovation agency for the German science system).

Acronym UP
Nickname Univ. Potsdam
Colour Blue and White
Founded 1991
Location Potsdam, Brandenburg, Germany
Address University of Potsdam, Am Neuen Palais 10, 14469 Potsdam

Mission

The University of Potsdam, the largest university in the state of Brandenburg, is oriented towards interdisciplinary research profiles in combination with several extramural research institutions in the natural sciences, human sciences, the humanities and the social sciences. Research and teaching mutually reinforce high quality and attractiveness. They form the foundation for the transfer of knowledge and technology, as well as the Start-up Service, which focuses on the needs of society and the labor market.

The University of Potsdam will continue to improve upon its strengths in order to gain even more attention at the national and international level: - An internationally competitive research university is emerging from the close collaboration between the faculties, cross-faculty institutions and the University’s service departments, extramural research institutions and cultural institutions within the region. - Our students’ personal and professional futures are the foundation for the teaching of crosssubject key competences and research-based knowledge in internationally compatible programs for undergraduate and graduate degrees. The acquisition of knowledge and skills drives our students. The University is therefore opening up space for studies and shaping the course offerings in line with the realities of students’ lives. - A comprehensive palette of education and continuing education for the next generation of scholars and professors, as well as unbureaucratic evaluation procedures, constitute the core of a concept for increasing the quality of research-based teaching. - The University of Potsdam sees a particular challenge in the interlacing of scholarly research and teacher education. The University has a distinguished teacher education program that acknowledges the realities of school and instruction while also incorporating the latest research findings in the field, and has a high proportion of practical phases. The University stands for equal opportunity and family friendliness, internationalism, tolerance and sustainability. This is expressed in particular by innovative concepts and programs that extend beyond the region.

Universität Potsdam

Main Academic Divisions (Faculties)

  1. Faculty of Human Sciences
  2. Faculty of Law
  3. Faculty of Science
  4. Faculty of Arts
  5. Faculty of Economics and Social Sciences
  6. Digital Engineering Faculty
  7. Faculty of Health Sciences.

Reasons to Study at Universität Potsdam

  1. University of Equal Opportunities

    Although it is not easy to balance family, studies, and a job, it is possible, nevertheless. It needs determination and an iron will, but also organizational skills and a solid network. Potsdam’s university contributes to this. It has made it its motto to become a family-friendly university. Prams on the campus, three-year-old children in the library, and families in the cafeteria have become a normal part of everyday university life. 

  2. Research Support

    Enhancing our strengths, developing a clear profile, becoming more visible: these are the objectives of our  research support program, with which the University of Potsdam seeks to better position itself in the national and international competition for outstanding scientists and funding. Two funding lines are established, which are distinguished by specific forms of organization, funding instruments, and evaluation periods.
     

  3. Certificates and Memberships

    The University of Potsdam is a lively community of teachers and students. Research findings are directly incorporated into teaching, and students can feel the intellectual dynamism in their fields. Comprehensive quality management ensures this on all levels, from Bachelors’ programs to graduate or postgraduate studies. 


     

  4. Where Knowledge Grows

    Since its founding in 1991, the University of Potsdam has excelled in research and teaching and is well-positioned both on a national and international scale. Achieving this under consistently difficult economic conditions speaks for the quality and motivation of our professors, research, and administrative staff. 

     

Admission

Undergraduate Admission Requirement

Entry requirements vary by program. View the program page for requirements.

Postgraduate Admission Requirments

Entry requirements vary by program and course. View the program page for requirements.

How To Apply For Admission

Apply through the application portal.

Admission Contacts

Email: [email protected],[email protected]
Phone : +49 331 977-1760

Apply For Admission

Campus Tour

Facilities

  • Classrooms
  • Library
  • Laboratory
  • Research Center
  • Accommodation
  • Sports
  • ICT
  • Cafeteria
  • Library: The Potsdam University Library was founded in 1991 and is the largest academic library in the state of Brandenburg. It is considered a medium-sized university library in Germany. As a central service facility, it provides researchers, lecturers, and students of the University of Potsdam with scholarly literature and other information resources. Members of other research and educational institutions, as well as interested individuals from the region, also utilize the holdings of the three branch libraries located at the New Palace , in Babelsberg/Griebnitzsee , and at the Information, Communication, and Media Center (IKMZ) in Golm. The University Library also includes the University Archive , a public archive founded in 1991, which preserves records of the University of Potsdam and its predecessor institutions.

 

  • Cafeteria: The Studierendenwerk Brandenburg:West offers a great selection of healthy, diverse and contemporary meals for balanced nutrition, as well as several refreshing beverages, at all three University campuses: Neues Palais, Golm and Griebnitzsee. The dining halls are certified under the legal requirements of EU Directive no. 2092/91 and are therefore authorized to prepare and serve organic products. The dining halls offer a daily selection of fresh fruit and vegetables, and they also include vegetarian and vegan items in their menu planning.
     
  • Research Center: The German Research Foundation supports scientific research institutions at universities by providing funding for a period of up to twelve years to researchers who work together in interdisciplinary research programs that demonstrate scientific excellence.
     

School Contact

Address

University of Potsdam, Am Neuen Palais 10, 14469 Potsdam

Phone Number

+49 331 9770

Fax Number

0331 97 21 63

Website Address

https://www.uni-potsdam.de/de

Social Media Pages

Accreditations

  • Accrediting Body:
    • ACQUIN
  • First Accreditation:
    • 2012 
  • Latest Accreditation / Reaccreditation:
    • Reaccredited around 2019 (after ~7-year cycle)

Vice Chancellor

Prof. Oliver Günther, Ph.D.

Oliver Günther has been President of the University of Potsdam since January 1, 2012. His current term lasts until December 31, 2029. From 1993 until 2011 he was Professor of Information Systems at Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin. From 2006 until 2011 he also served as Dean of Humboldt's School of Business and Economics.

Professor Günther has conducted research projects in the areas of ent... read more

erprise information systems, IT strategy, security and privacy, digital asset management, collaborative software, database management, as well as geographic and environmental information systems. He has published broadly on these subjects and has been associate editor of numerous academic journals.

Professor Günther has coordinated several large research projects funded by the German Ministry of Education and Research, the Ministry of Economics and Technology, and the German Research Foundation. From 1996 until 2006 he served as Director of the Berlin-Brandenburg Graduate School of Information Systems. Oliver Günther has held visiting faculty positions at the European School of Management and Technology in Berlin, the École Nationale Supérieure des Télécommunications and the Pôle Universitaire Léonard de Vinci in Paris, the University of California at Berkeley, and the University of Cape Town.

Oliver Günther has served as a consultant and board member to various government agencies and high-tech companies. He was Chairman of the Board of Poptel AG, Germany's first voice-over-IP company, and Chief Technology Officer of Teamtoolz, Inc., a San Francisco-based cloud service provider for the marketing and advertising industry. Professor Günther was President of the German Informatics Society in 2012-2014. He is a member of the admissions committee of the German National Merit Foundation.

Academic Staff

  • Dr. Britta van Kempen

    Vice-President for Educational and European Affairs
    • Born 1973 in Dusseldorf, Germany
    • 1992 Abitur
    • 2000 First state examination (French/History)
    • 2004 Doctorate Dr. phil.
    • 1995 - 1996 Foreign language assistant in Fr... read more
      ance
    • 2000 - 2005 Research assistant at the Institute for Romance Philology at the FU Berlin
    • 2007 - 2008 Coordinator of an e-learning project at the Institut für Roman. Philology at the FU Berlin
    • 2009 - 2018 Assistant to the Dean of Studies at the Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences of the University of Potsdam
    • 2018 - 2022 Assistant to the Vice President for Teaching and Studies at the University of Potsdam
    • Since 6 July 2022 Vice President of the University of Potsdam
  • Hendrik Woithe

    Chancellor
  • Prof. Dr. Barbara Höhle

    Vice President for Research, Early Career Researchers and Equal Opportunities
    • 1986 Completion of studies (MA) in linguistics, psychology and sociology at the Technical University Berlin
    • 1992 Doctorate Dr. phil. Free University of Berlin 
    • 2002-2003 H... read more
      abilitation fellow of the DFG, research stay at Johns Hopkins University
    • 2004 Habilitation in Linguistics at the Free University of Berlin
    • 2004 Call to a professorship for clinical linguistics, University of Marburg 
    • 2004 Appointment to a professorship in psycholinguistics with a focus on language acquisition at the University of Potsdam 
    • 2013 Appointment as Honorary Professor at Macquarie University Sydney
    • 2015-2019 Dean of the Faculty of Human Sciences
  • Sascha Thormann

    Representative of the President for Start-ups and the transfer of knowledge and technology
    • 2005 - 2008 Bachelor Biosystems Engineering and Bioinformatics TH Wildau
    • 2008 - 2010 Master Biosystems Engineering and Bioinformatics TH Wildau
    • 2010 - 2011 Research assistant a... read more
      t TH Wilda
    • 2011 - 2013 Research associate at the Leibniz Institute for Agricultural Engineering and Bioeconom
    • 2013 - 2017 Innovation Manager / Technology Scout Potsdam Transfer at the University of Potsdam
    • 2017 - 2019 Head of Transfer Service Potsdam Transfer at the University of Potsda
    • Since 01.04.2019 Managing Director Potsdam Transfer at the University of Potsdam
    • 2023 Master of Business Administration Bio Med Tech
  • View More Staff

    Notable Alumni

    View More Alumni

    History

    The University of Potsdam was formed in 1991 by the amalgamation of the Karl Liebknecht College of Education and the Brandenburg State College, as well as several other smaller institutions. As the university in large part emerged from the College of Education, emphasis today is still placed on teacher training.

    Some parts of the university are located in historical buildings that have been named as World Heritage Sites by UNESCO. The university library and the Institute of History can be found in a part of the commons in the park of Sanssouci, at the New Palace, as can the Institute of Mathematics in the former stables.

    The other campuses, Babelsberg and Golm, are also of histor... read more

    ical interest. The oldest buildings of the Golm campus were built in the 1930s to house the Luftwaffe's intelligence department. After World War II the College of Law of the East German Ministry for State Security moved in.

    The current Faculty of Law is located in Babelsberg/Griebnitzsee in the former presidial and administrative buildings of the German Red Cross (1939/40). Other lecture halls and buildings were built in the 1950s directly behind the Schloss Babelsberg for the Academy of Justice and the East German state.

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