Julius Maximilian University of Würzburg

The history of Julius-Maximilians-Universität (JMU) Würzburg reaches back as far as 1402. At that time, it was the sixth institution of higher education to be founded in the German-speaking regions of Europe, after the universities in Prague, Vienna, Heidelberg, Cologne, and Erfurt.

Many eminent scholars and scientists, 14 Nobel Laureates among them, have conducted research and taught in Würzburg. Notable scientists include Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen, who discovered X-rays in Würzburg in 1895, and Klaus von Klitzing, who discovered the Quantum-Hall Effect. Today, Würzburg’s university comprises ten faculties with approximately 425 professors and 29,000 students.

In addition to the four classic subjects – medicine, theology, philosophy, and law – the university also offers many new degree programs. The most recent additions include Nanostructure Technology, Functional Materials, Games Engineering, Modern China, Digital Humanities, Media Communications, Human Factors in Computing Systems, and Museology, just to name a few.

JMU remains strongly committed to eight pillars of research:

Life Sciences Health Sciences Molecular Chemistry and Materials Quantum Phenomena in New Materials Digital Society Cultural Heritage Norms and Behavior Global Changes

The University of Würzburg’s numerous Collaborative Research Centers, Research Training Groups, and Research Units, funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG) have greatly contributed to the university’s high standing in the scientific community. In 2002, the University of Würzburg launched one of three DFG-funded Centers of Excellence across Germany – the Rudolf Virchow Center/DFG Research Center for Experimental Biomedicine. The research teams investigate key proteins, which are especially important for sustained health and in understanding the origin of diseases.