University of Zurich facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
University of Zürich

Universität Zürich
Latin: Universitas Turicensis
Type	Public university
Established	1833; 192 years ago (1833)
Budget	1.578 billion Swiss francs
President	Michael Schaepman
Academic staff	3,702 (Full-time equivalent)
Administrative staff	2,051 (Full-time equivalent)
Students	25,732
Location	Zürich , Canton of Zürich , Switzerland 47°22′29″N 8°32′54″E / 47.37472°N 8.54833°E / 47.37472; 8.54833
Campus	Urban
Colours	Black, white, blue, grey and ochre
Affiliations	LERU U21

The University of Zürich (UZH, German: Universität Zürich) is a big public research university in Zürich, Switzerland. It's the largest university in Switzerland, with about 28,000 students. It started in 1833 by combining older schools of theology, law, and medicine (some of which date back to 1525) with a new school of philosophy.

Today, the university has seven main areas of study, called faculties. These include Philosophy, Human Medicine, Economic Sciences, Law, Mathematics and Natural Sciences, Theology, and Veterinary Medicine. UZH offers the widest range of subjects and courses of any university in Switzerland.

History of the University

The University of Zurich officially began on April 29, 1833. It was formed by joining existing colleges, like the Carolinum (started by Huldrych Zwingli in 1525), with a new faculty for Philosophy. This was a big deal because it was the first university in Europe to be created by the state, not by a king or a church.

An aerial view of the university in 1953

In its early years, there was a controversy in 1839. A German theologian named David Friedrich Strauss was offered a job. He believed that the miracles in the Christian New Testament were just stories, not real supernatural events. Because of this, the authorities gave him a pension before he even started working.

The university was quite progressive for its time. It allowed women to attend philosophy lectures starting in 1847. Then, in 1866, it accepted its first female medical student. In 1901, a new faculty for Veterinary Medicine was added, making it the second-oldest such school in the world. The university moved to its current main building on Rämistrasse 71 in 1914. This building was designed by the famous architect Karl Moser.

University Locations and Museums

The University of Zürich isn't in just one place; its buildings are spread out across the city. The main areas are in the city center, Irchelpark, and Oerlikon. Students and staff can use many libraries, including the ETH-library and the Zurich Central Library, which has over 5 million books!

In 1962, the science faculty decided to build the Irchelpark campus. Construction began in 1973, and the campus opened in 1979. More buildings were added between 1978 and 1983. This campus also has the Anthropologisches Museum (Anthropological Museum) and the cantonal Staatsarchiv Zürich (State Archives).

University Museums to Explore

The university is home to 13 different museums and collections. These include:

• The Institute and Museum for the History of Medicine
• The Anatomical Collection
• The Archaeological Collection
• The Botanical Museum
• The Museum of Wax Moulages
• The Science Exploratorium
• The Museum of Veterinary History
• The Zürich Herbaria
• The Museum of Anthropology
• The Botanical Garden
• The Ethnographic Museum
• The Paleontological Museum
• The Veterinary Anatomy Collection
• The Zoological Museum

What Students Study

The main building, designed by Karl Moser, from the south

The University of Zurich works closely with the ETH (Federal Institute for Technology), especially in bioscience and finance. They have joint projects like University Medicine Zurich and Life Science Zurich.

University Rankings

Universities are often ranked to see how they compare globally. Here's how the University of Zurich ranks:

• The Academic Ranking of World Universities (which looks at research and Nobel Prizes) placed UZH 59th overall in 2023. It was also ranked 5th in Ecology and 10th in Human Biological Sciences.
• The QS World University Rankings (which focuses on what other academics think) ranked UZH 91st overall. It was 56th in Medicine globally, making it the top-ranked university in Switzerland for Medicine by QS.
• The THE World University Rankings for 2024 put UZH at 80th overall and 42nd in Business & Economics.

The university's Economics Department is very strong. In 2017, it was ranked first in the German-speaking area by Handelsblatt.

Languages Used for Learning

The Atrium Central of the university

The Irchel Campus, with newer buildings

A statue at the university entrance

Most Bachelor's courses are taught in Swiss Standard German ("Hochdeutsch"). However, more and more courses are now taught in English, especially in many faculties. The only Bachelor's program taught completely in English is "English Language and Literature." All Master's courses in the Faculty of Science are in English. Master's courses in Economics and Finance are mostly in English, and the Master of Science in Quantitative Finance is entirely in English.

Student Life at UZH

The university has an Academic Sports Association (ASVZ) that offers many sports facilities for students. Students also have a group called the Verband der Studierenden der Universität Zürich (VSUZH). This group organizes events and helps represent students in how the university is run.

Famous People from UZH

Many notable people have studied or taught at the University of Zurich.

Science and Discovery

• Artur Avila, a professor of Mathematics and winner of the Fields Medal (a top award in math).
• Peter Debye, a Dutch physicist and chemist.
• Albert Einstein, the famous theoretical physicist who got his PhD from UZH in 1905 and later became a professor there.
• Anna Fischer-Dückelmann, one of the first women to earn a medical degree in a German-speaking country.
• Albert Hofmann, a Swiss scientist.
• Edith Humphrey, a chemist and the first British woman to get a doctorate in chemistry.
• Wilhelm Röntgen, a physicist who discovered X-rays.
• Erwin Schrödinger, an Austrian physicist.
• Gazi Yaşargil, a neurosurgeon known as "Neurosurgery’s man of the century."

Nobel Prize Winners

The University of Zurich has been connected to 12 Nobel Prize winners, mostly in Physics and Chemistry.

Albert Einstein

See also

In Spanish: Universidad de Zúrich para niños

• List of largest universities by enrollment in Switzerland
• List of modern universities in Europe (1801–1945)