Ruhr University Bochum

Ruhr University Bochum (German: Ruhr-Universität Bochum, RUB), located on the southern hills of central Ruhr area Bochum, was founded in 1962 as the first new public university in Germany since World War II. Instruction began in 1965.

The Ruhr-University Bochum is one of the largest universities in Germany and part of the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, the most important German research funding organization.

The RUB has been very successful in the Excellence Initiative by the German Federal and State Governments (2007), a competition among Germany's most prestigious universities. It was one of the few institutions left competing for the title of an "elite university", but did not succeed in the last round of the competition. There are currently nine universities in Germany that hold this title.

The University of Bochum was one of the first universities in Germany to introduce international Bachelor and Master degrees, which replaced the traditional German Diplom and Magister. Except for a few special cases (for example in Law) this process has been completed and all degrees been converted. Today, the university offers a total of 150 different study programs from all fields.

Unlike a number of traditional universities, the buildings of Ruhr University are all centralized on one campus, except for the Faculty of Medicine, which also includes some hospitals in Bochum and the Ruhr area. Although the centralized university campus utilizes 1960s architecture almost exclusively, mainly consisting of 14 almost identical high-rise buildings, it is located at the edge of a green belt on high ground adjacent to the Ruhr valley.

Rooms in the halls of residence for international students:

• There are 18 halls of residence in Bochum, operated by AkaFö Student Services.
• The waiting time for accommodation may be between 3 and 6 months.
• The rooms in the halls of residence are equipped with internet connection and the costs are included in the rent.
• There are also 8 private or church-based student halls of residence with rooms and apartments to host about 1,000 students in Bochum.

Unlike a number of traditional universities, the buildings of Ruhr University are all centralized on one campus, except for the Faculty of Medicine, which also includes some hospitals in Bochum and the Ruhr area. Although the university is notorious for its monotonous 1960s architecture, mainly consisting of 14 almost identical high-rise buildings, its location at the edge of a green belt on top of the Ruhr valley is rather scenic.

The university is organized in twenty different faculties. These are:

• Faculty of Protestant Theology
• Faculty of Catholic Theology
• Faculty of Philosophy, Education and Journalism
• Faculty of History (including the departments of History, Art History and Archaeological Sciences)
• Faculty of Philology
• Faculty of Law
• Faculty of Economics
• Faculty of Social Science
• Faculty of East Asian Studies
• Faculty of Sports Science
• Faculty of Psychology
• Faculty of Civil and Environmental Engineering
• Faculty of Mechanical Engineering
• Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Information Technology
• Faculty of Mathematics
• Faculty of Physics and Astronomy
• Faculty of Geosciences
• Faculty of Chemistry and Biochemistry
• Faculty of Biology and Biotechnology
• Faculty of Medicine

By public transport:

• Bochum Central Station is served by ICE, IC, EC, regional, and suburban trains at a high frequency. From there, you can reach us easily by taking the underground line U35 (CampusLinie) straight to the Ruhr-Universität Bochum (RUB), which has its own station named after it. The U35 (direction Bochum Hustadt) runs at five-minute intervals on weekdays and takes just ten minutes to get to the university.

By car:

• Motorists can also easily reach the RUB via the dense network of motorways in Germany and especially in North Rhine-Westphalia. The quickest route is via the motorway junction Bochum/Witten, where the A43 and A44 meet. Simply take the exit Bochum-Querenburg, follow the signs “Ruhr-Universität” and then the (electronic) information boards.

By plane:

• Four airports – Dortmund, Münster/Osnabrück, Cologne/Bonn, and Düsseldorf – are within a reasonable distance of the RUB. Düsseldorf Airport, however, is not only the largest, but also the most easily accessed: there are direct connections between the airport and Bochum's main train station up to eight times per hour, and the journey only takes around half an hour.