University of Zurich

The University of Zurich (UZH, German: Universität Zürich) is a public research university located in the city of Zurich, Switzerland. It is the largest university in Switzerland,^[9] with its 28,000 enrolled students.^[10] It was founded in 1833^[11] from the existing colleges of theology, law, medicine which go back to 1525, and a new faculty of philosophy.

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University of Zurich

Universität Zürich
Latin: Universitas Turicensis[1][2][3]
Type	Public university
Established	1833; 191 years ago (1833)
Budget	1.578 billion Swiss francs[4]
President	Michael Schaepman
Academic staff	3,702 (Full-time equivalent)[5]
Administrative staff	2,051 (Full-time equivalent)[5]
Students	25,732[6]
Location	Zurich , Canton of Zurich , Switzerland 47°22′29″N 8°32′54″E
Campus	Urban
Colours	Black, white, blue, grey and ochre[7][8]
Affiliations	LERU U21
Website	uzh.ch

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Currently, the university has seven faculties: Philosophy, Human Medicine, Economic Sciences, Law, Mathematics and Natural Sciences, Theology and Veterinary Medicine. The university offers the widest range of subjects and courses of any Swiss higher education institution.^[12]

The University of Zurich was founded on April 29, 1833,^[13] when the existing colleges of theology, the Carolinum founded by Huldrych Zwingli in 1525, law and medicine were merged with a new faculty of Philosophy. It was the first university in Europe to be founded by the state rather than a monarch or church.^[14] Its latin name is reminiscent of the roman name for the precursor settlement of the city of Zurich, Turicum.

In the university's early years, the 1839 appointment of the German theologian David Friedrich Strauss to its Chair of Theology caused a major controversy, since Strauss argued that the miracles in the Christian New Testament were mythical retellings of normal events as supernatural happenings.^{[15][16][17][18]} Eventually, the authorities offered Strauss a pension before he had a chance to start his duties.

The university allowed women to attend philosophy lectures from 1847. The Faculty of Veterinary Medicine was added in 1901, the second-oldest such faculty in the world. In 1914, the university moved to new premises designed by the architect Karl Moser on Rämistrasse 71.^[19]

The university admitted a Russian woman student, Maria Kniazhnina, to audit medicine classes in 1864, but she did not complete the course. Another Russian student, Nadezhda Suslova, audited medicine classes from 1865 and was allowed to become a registered student and graduate as a doctor of medicine in 1867. The first seven women who were awarded medical degrees at the university were known as the Zurich Seven. Including Suslova, they were:^[20]

• Nadezhda Suslova (Russia)
• Frances Elizabeth Morgan (England)
• Louisa Atkins (England)
• Maria Bokova (Russia)
• Eliza Walker (Scotland)
• Susan Dimock (United States)
• Marie Vögtlin (Switzerland)

The university is scattered all over the city of Zurich. The main campuses are located in the city centre, Irchelpark and Oerlikon.^[21] Members of the university can use several libraries, including the ETH-library, and the Zurich Central Library, with over 5 million volumes.^[22] In 1962, the faculty of science proposed to establish the Irchelpark campus on the Strickhofareal. The first stage the construction of the university buildings was begun in 1973, and the campus was inaugurated in 1979.^[23][24] The construction of the second stage lasted from 1978 to 1983.^[24] The campus also houses the anthropological museum Anthropologisches Museum,^[25] and the cantonal Staatsarchiv Zürich.^[26]

In the fields of bioscience and finance, there is a close-knit collaboration between the University of Zurich and the ETH (Federal Institute for Technology). Examples for common initiatives between the two institutions include University Medicine Zurich, the Wyss Translational Center Zurich and Life Science Zurich.^[29][30]

Language policy

Bachelor courses are taught in Swiss Standard German ("Hochdeutsch"), but use of English is increasing in many faculties. The only bachelors program taught entirely in English is the "English Language and Literature" program.^[42] All Master courses at the Faculty of Science are held in English. Master courses in Economics and Finance are mainly held in English, while the Master of Science in Quantitative Finance is held completely in English.^{[citation needed]}

The university's Academic Sports Association (ASVZ) offers a wide range of sports facilities to students of the university. The student body is represented through the Verband der Studierenden der Universität Zürich VSUZH which organizes events and is involved in the university administration.^[43]

• Corpus Córporum, digital library created and maintained by the university's Institute for Greek and Latin Philology.
• Swiss National Supercomputing Centre

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