University of Duisburg-Essen

University of Duisburg-Essen

 

In 1972 Duisburg once again became a university town.

Gerhard Mercator University was opened with full academic rights, including that of conferring doctoral degrees and professorial qualifications (venia legendi). The university was named after the great geographer and renaissance scholar Gerhard Mercator, who lived and worked in Duisburg from 1552 to 1594 and was the most significant cartographer of the early modern age.
On January 1, 2003, Gerhard Mercator University was merged with the nearby University of Essen. Today, more than 42,000 students - among them 8,000 students from over 130 countries - are enrolled in the university with its two city campuses. On Duisburg Campus (DUC) nearly 16,000 students are studying in 5 faculties (Social Sciences, Business Administration, Regional Studies, Natural Sciences, and Engineering). With its 1,400 employees DUC contributes much to the Duisburg region’s economy.

DUC provides all advantages of a relatively small university with many opportunities for close contact between students and faculty. Because of its standing in the international academic community, DUC has become a center for conferences and a meeting place for scientists and scholars from all over the world. Despite its attractive location adjacent to a wooded area of the town, the university campus is close to the city center of Duisburg and easily accessible by bicycle or public transportation.

Duisburg is well known as host of numerous international sporting events like the Canoe World Championship or the World Games as well as for its teams playing on the highest national levels, e.g. soccer, hockey or water-polo.

BEST students have the option of using the gym and sports facilities of the University Sports Club for a small fee.

Moreover, they will esteem that all classes are to be held in the same classroom of the LA building, which is located in the center of DUC next to the MSM complex and the library, and only few minutes away from the student union with its cafeteria and restaurant (“Mensa”). Finally, since DUC is a fully equipped “E-Campus”, free wireless Internet is available for all BEST participants who bring their own laptop.