Schmalkalden and the University
The Town of Schmalkalden
Based on an 100-year-old tradition of higher education in Schmalkalden, the University of Applied Sciences (UAS) was founded on 1st October 1991, and is thus one of Germany's newest universities. Schmalkalden is a charming town with a 1125-year history and a population of about 20 000 situated on the southern edge of the Thuringian Forest. The town lies 70 km south-west of Erfurt and 180 km north-east of Frankfurt am Main, in the central German state of Thuringia (Thüringen).
The historic town centre is characterised by its well-maintained timber-framed buildings and is overlooked by the Wilhelmsburg castle, built in the late 16th Century and housing an extensive museum. Schmalkalden is associated with the high cultural and intellectual value of Luther's "Schmalkalden Articles" and with the "League of Schmalkalden", a pro-Reformation political and military association founded in 1530. Schmalkalden also gained importance because of the rich iron-ore deposits in the hills of Thuringian Forest. The university campus is only a ten-minute walk away from the town centre where one can find bookshops, restaurants, a public library, a supermarket and a range of other shops and businesses.
Schmalkalden is surrounded by many locations of historic, cultural and touristic value: Weimar, the 1999 European City of Culture famous for its connections with Goethe and Schiller; the Wartburg castle in Eisenach where Martin Luther translated the Bible into German; the historic baroque town of Fulda; Meiningen with its renowned theatre and the 'Rennsteig' walk-way along the crest of the Thuringian Forest.
The Educational Tradition and the Development of the University
At the beginning of the 20th century, the concentration of the tool-making and small iron-ware industry in and around Schmalkalden, the industry's production methods and the market's demands for constantly improved products gave rise to the need for education in modern techniques and methods. Thus, in 1902, the "Royal Prussian Technical School for the Small Iron-Ware and Steel Goods Industry" was founded, from which a "School of Mechanical Engineering" later emerged. This school was integrated into the University during the 1991 foundation process.
Initially the University comprised Faculties of Electrical Engineering and Mechanical Engineering. In 1992, the Faculties of Information Science and Management and Economics were added. Since 1996, the Faculty of Business Law has provided a training and educational facility forming a link between the legal and business administration fields. With the Faculty of Management and Economics complementing its degree in business administration with a degree in economics, and with the introduction of less traditional degrees, i.e. in business data processing and industrial engineering, the five faculties currently offer eight separate degree courses.
At present, the University employs more than 80 professors, who educate approximately 2500 students. Since the University was founded, extensive capital investments have been made, thus creating favourable conditions for up-to-date education at a high standard. Of all sixteen German federal states (Länder), Thuringia has highest per capita spending on higher education.
Small, but with lots to offer
The University's manageable size is one of its key advantages: Schmalkalden does not suffer from the anonymity and hectic common to the typical west German 'mass universities'. The friendly and informal atmosphere means that students are treated as individuals, professors can be approached at any time to deal with specific problems, and even more importantly, there are no waiting lists to take specific courses. The degree courses are clearly organised and as a rule completed within 8 semesters. Teaching is held in small groups, guaranteeing that all students receive individual attention.
The first part of the curriculum, the basic curriculum, concentrates on academic training in the basics of the course in question. Teaching is carried out in the form of lectures, seminars, tutorials and practical training. The advanced curriculum course is application-related and practice-oriented. As a result of the choice between various special subjects in the respective faculty and the range of optional subjects offered, the degree courses can be arranged specifically in accordance with personal interests, while also taking the chosen future profession into account. By completing a semester of industrial training and a written dissertation, students gain an insight into the practical and theoretical aspects of their future occupation. Although the University places a strong emphasis on students graduating in four years, it also prides itself on continuing the tradition of high academic requirements established by its predecessor institution.
The University library contains approximately 150,000 volumes, including about 300 current periodicals, and the collection is constantly being expanded. Alongside specialised literature for the existing faculties, general literature and reference works are available. The library is connected to the international inter-library loans system and provides access to various CD-ROM databases. With its wide-ranging foreign contacts and as a consequence of the growing importance of the international dimension in all sectors of the economy, the University naturally has a Language Centre which provides teaching in a range of foreign languages such as English, Russian, French, Spanish and Italian. For those wishing to get or to keep fit, the University provides facilities free of charge for individual and team sports ranging from aerobics and football to table tennis and judo.
The University is located on the premises of the former Schmalkalden Engineering School, and has recently been extensively renovated and extended. New buildings include a central campus library, lecture halls, laboratories and students' apartments. Study conditions are highly advantageous owing to the campus layout of the University, the high ratio of lecturers to students, the modern student hall of residence and the well-equipped college cafeteria. The University currently has a total of 40 partner institutions across the world.