University of Koblenz-Landau

The University of Koblenz-Landau is a young, medium-sized university. In 1990 the university emerged from the former teacher training college. In the meantime, research and teaching are organised in three linked interdisciplinary subject areas entitled "Learning", "Society" and "Environment".

Our Profile

Learning:

The university has a prominent position in education and teacher training in Rhineland-Palatinate. It is the only university which offers teacher training courses for all school types. This core competence characterises the university’s profile. Key features are also the combination of education and teaching methodology, the great importance attached to extra-curricular locations and school laboratories as well as the linking of theory and classroom practice, for example, via the Campus-School Networks.

Society:

This subject area is characterised by the humanities, cultural studies and social sciences, in which in particular languages, art and culture, politics and the economy are analysed. The subject area is also characterised by psychology (one of the social sciences) as well as by computer science, which optimises and tests extensive IT-based services that have been developed for their practical value to people.

Environment:

Three scientific approaches characterise this subject area. The life science approach broaches the issue of the environment from a scientific perspective, whereas computer science deals with the digital world, and the humanities and social sciences understand the world in terms of culture and society.

Study and Continuing Education

The rise in student numbers demonstrates that both the Koblenz and Landau campuses are popular places to study. The number of students has increased threefold since 1990. In the meantime, there are approximately 15,000 students enrolled in programmes, half of these in Koblenz, the other half in Landau. When compared to very large universities, teaching and studying are conducted in manageable structures at Koblenz and Landau, which fosters a much closer student community as well as a closer-knit teacher-student community. The university offers future specialists and executives a diverse range of Bachelor and Master programmes in education, social sciences, cultural studies, the humanities and life sciences as well as psychology and computer science. The traditional core of teaching at the university is its teacher training programmes for all school types.

In the area of continuing education, a sophisticated range of study programmes, distance-learning programmes as well as seminars has been developed for an ever-changing working and professional environment. The majority of the programmes and courses on offer are designed to be in-service in character, thereby allowing students to combine both work and study. These programmes are being consistently built upon and expanded.

Research and Knowledge Transfer

Research is conducted in nationally and internationally linked working groups. The University of Koblenz-Landau also works closely together with partners in the local area. What is characteristic is the balanced relationship between theoretical and applied research. Current areas of research include education, environment, computer science as well as the humanities and social sciences, based on the three subject areas of the university.

The transfer of technology is one of the central tasks of the university and allows the systematic and planned utilisation of new scientific and technological knowledge in the economy, politics and society. The University of Koblenz-Landau also promotes business start-ups in academia and the development of an entrepreneurial culture.

Internationalisation

The international character of research and teaching as well as of university life is a quality feature of a modern university. The University of Koblenz-Landau wants to both expand and intensify its international direction. Today this is essential not only in the global economy but also nationally. Internationalisation is an interdisciplinary task facing the university in all areas and at all levels. In order to push this process further forward, the number of international research projects and cooperation agreements should, for example, be increased, and the number of outgoing exchange students as well as incoming ones should be raised. This should, in addition, be coupled with an increase in the number of internationally oriented study programmes.

Promoting young academics

Promoting young academics is one of the core tasks and responsibilities of the university. The quality of our young academics is not only a significant factor in enhancing the university’s research potential, but it is also at the same time an indicator of the university’s presence and reputation. Graduate colleges and schools, as well as an interdisciplinary PhD centre, were all established to promote young academics further, and this range of measures is to be expanded in the future.

Pro-family university

The university is committed to the principles of a pro-family university. Men and women employed at the university should be able to combine work, study, and the upbringing of children or the care of relatives. The university has therefore taken steps to achieve this aim, for example, with the provision of child care services and the introduction of flexible working hours, or by promoting specific support programmes.

One university – three locations

One particular feature of the university is its organizational structure. Koblenz and Landau are centres for teaching, research and continuing education. The central link of the entire organization is the President’s office in Mainz, where the university’s executive board and several areas of its main administration are located. In Koblenz, research and teaching are conducted in four faculties on a modern campus, which is just a stone’s throw away from the banks of the river Moselle. The university at Landau also consists of four faculties, and the main campus is being extended with additional university sites in and around the city of Landau.