Ranking for Computer Science & Electronics in University of Basel

Facts About University of Basel

The University of Basel (Basel), a public university located in Basil, Switzerland, is one of the earliest universities in the world that are still in operation to this day. Founded in 1460, the university is also considered a leading university in Switzerland known for its interdisciplinary programs. It offers degree programs in law, medicine, science, humanities and social science, business and economics, and psychology.

Likewise, the university hosts major research institutes such as the Institute for European Global Studies and the Biozentrum for biomedical research. As of 2018, Basel is home to around 12,811 students in all levels.

The university has its roots in a Papal bull that decreed its establishment in 1459. However, the official foundation was set in April 1460, opening with four faculties initially. These included medicine, theology, arts, and jurisprudence. The institution quickly became a center for European scholars for humanities and book printing.

Throughout the centuries, Basel would slowly expand to include more colleges and schools including Liberal Arts in 1818, from which the faculties of Natural History, History, and Philosophy were established in 1937.

Several of its faculties were founded in the twentieth century leading to the twenty-first century such as the Faculty of Science in 1937, the Faculty of Business and Economic in 1996, and the Faculty of Psychology in 2003. In a milestone event, the University of Basel gained its autonomy from the government in 1996, allowing it to run its programs by its own administration.

Given its medieval origin, it is no surprise the university counts among its alumni historical luminaries. They include Firedrich Nietzsche, Karl Jaspers, Jacob Burckhardt, Erasmus of Rotterdam, Carl gustav Jung and Leonhard Euler. Basel is also home to 2 Swiss presidents and 9 Nobel Prize winners.

Among its programs in medicine are degrees in biomedical engineering, sports, exercise and health medicine, and public health. Meanwhile, its Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences offer degrees in arts, media and philosophy, languages and literature, and ancient civilizations. Physics, computer science, pharmaceutical sciences, and mathematics, on the other hand, are offered by its Faculty of Science. Basel also offers programs in theology and law.

The university also houses the largest library system in Switzerland. It has more than three million items including medieval manuscripts, documents and incunabula, historical items that date back to the Council of Basel in 1431 to 1487, making the Basel library one of the oldest in the western world.