Why Jacobs
Essential to the intellectual development of each Jacobs University student is naturally the innovation of our academic program and the outstanding talent of our faculty. One main focus of Jacobs University is research, and as such, students are introduced to such environments already in the first semester. So far in the past few semesters, we have had students of Integrated Social and Cognitive Psychology, for instance, working with children in local schools, or our aspiring Astrophysicists and Geoscientists explore the latest in high resolution bathymetry with professional international research groups while at sea. Other such excursions have brought students to Crete, Sylt, Ireland, Berlin, Paris, Cologne, and Washington, USA. Naturally, as all the laborotories have also just been constructed, students have the opportunity to test out our new high-tech facilities here on campus. Lastly, we expect our new Information Research Center and IUB Science Center for Chemistry (opened in 2004) to further enable superb research on our new campus.
As the university is quite small, having more of a liberal-arts college feel, and with the expected addition of many graduate programs, students will have ample opportunity to work closely together with excellent minds in the fields we offer, making the most out of Jacobs University’s research element. Unlike a larger public German university, our institution is rather special in being able to offer relatively small classes. This is a factor that has also attracted professors, many of whom have worked at universities abroad, to our new campus in Bremen. And this component of international experience, when considering the high number of non-German students, serves to further a fostering nature of the internationally-minded student here at Jacobs University. Whether our professors have come to us from ivy league institutions in the United States or from some of the most reputable universities in Great Britain, Australia, or elsewhere, each has used his/her experience to contribute to the overall creation of Jacobs University.
All English language curriculum
In today’s global market, English is clearly the language of choice. The same can be said when it come to top-notch research laboratories, where international teams of scientists work together to improve our understanding of the world and develop products used and created by industry. It therefore makes a lot of sense to develop your academic skills in the this important language during your undergraduate career, for when it comes to writing scientific journal articles or making presentations, English is key. All undergraduate students must pass with a minimum score on a variety of English proficiency test, thus ensuring a certain standard amongst the students studying at the institution. Jacobs University also provides additional support for both native and non-native speakers in terms of writing, preparing resumes, applying for internships and jobs. Despite this focus, you should not be surprised to hear a variety of languages being spoken outside of the classroom, when copatriots may come together to dine or socialize. Jacobs University also supports language-learning outside of the main curriculum, offering German courses with credit towards graduation, and other supplementary language classes, like Spanish, Portuguese, and French. In general, the atmosphere at Jacobs University resembles the real international professional world in many ways, bringing what would otherwise be more of a metropolitain phenomenon to a small, close-knit campus community.
American/European combination bachelor´s degree
An additional factor worth noting is the condensed curriculum. Jacobs University has established a credit hour system, just like in the United States, where one must complete at least 180 ECTS credits in order to graduate with a Bachelor’s degree. Unlike the American system, the usual period of time to complete the course load is three, and not four years. While students may get credit for some coursework during our January intersession, the majority of these credits are fulfilled during a standard two semester year. In addition, so that the Bachelor’s degree received here at Jacobs University also corresponds to the up-and-coming Europan Bachelor’s, where students must complete an internship as well as an independent study project (like the optional Honor’s Project in the United States), we have incorporated these aspects into our requirements as well. In the end, Jacobs University’s BA/BSc corresponds to multiple national systems, which is of course beneficial to future international professionals. The vigor of the program, however, should not be underestimated: it is most suitable for highly-motivated, top academic achievers who can learn how to balance an engaging workload while making the most out of a stimulating, diverse social atmosphere.
Upon creating the academic program, the founders of Jacobs University insisted upon deviating from the norm found in many public German universities by incorporating a transdisciplinarity element into not just one or two tracks of study, but into the entire undergraduate program. This means that each student, whether they ultimately chose to concentrate in Chemistry, History and Theory of Arts and Literature, or History, must take courses within both the School of Engineering and Sciences and the School of Humanities and Social Sciences. So although by the third year an undergraduate student at Jacobs University will have completed an internship as well as an independent study project related to his/her major, courses will also have been accomplished in other fields as well. The end result is that students learn to make connections between otherwise disparate subjects, that they not only acquire specific knowledge in one area but the ability to see the connections between many. Also important to keep in mind is that when students apply to Jacobs University, they are stating their interest in the institution and not committing themselves to a particular major. Students have two semesters to explore and learn about the academic possibilities at Jacobs University before choosing a major. This liberal arts-like approach, proven to be successful in other national systems, develops/affords a level of professional flexibility that more accurately reflects today’s rapidly-changing economic environment for life after college.
Jacobs University’s University Studies Courses (USCs), another transdisciplinary element at Jacobs University, are classes team-taught by two professors from different disciplines. These transdisciplinary courses embody an important aspect of our academic program, and therefore are required for graduation. Deduction and Reality: Bridging Science, Religion and Metaphysics is an example of such a course, taught by professors Paul Crowther (Art and Philosophy) and Patrick Bangert (Mathematics). This particular USC introduced students to the basic principles of logic and the important ways in which such principles have been applied in the fields of science, religious thought and the history of philosophy. While this kind of course would benefit students in mastering their skills of debate, formulating deductive strategies and well-founded arguments, other USCs explore topics like the links between microbiology and human society, neuroscience, physics and mass communication, or literature and astrophysics.
One great reason to choose Jacobs University is because of its facilities and campus. With a similar feel to a small New England college, the tree-lined grounds offer a very spacious atmosphere for the limited number of students. The architecture combines modern designs with quaint, gabled brick buildings constructed in the last century. Most importantly, the renovated interiors of many buildings boast some of the most modern equipment available for the contemporary research laboratory. While there is of course still work to be done, with empty buildings at our disposal for further expansion, an amazing amount of creativity and innovation has already turned the principle parts of our campus into a fully functioning university. From turning outdated soldiers quarters into new, comfortable international student colleges, old tank garages into modern 21st Century labs, the current conditions for a matriculating undergraduate student are ideal.
Even more exciting, Jacobs University’s campus center and additional research and teaching laboratories have recently become operational in the 2004/2005 academic year. The campus center includes lecture halls as part of a conference center, and most importantly, our new Information Resource Center, replacing the traditional university library of the 20th Century. After the founding of three student colleges and three academics schools, the Campus Center has become a central meeting point for events and studying, thus completing an important step in our history. From visions and design to reality- the facilities on our campus have very quickly transformed Jacobs University into a respectably impressive, modern institution, perfect for any student of academic brilliance and vision, wishing to utilize our resources to their full potential.
International residential campus
We are often asked questions about special programs and services for international students, to which we respond that there is in fact no special program. For each aspect of our institution has already been created to serve the international or internationally-minded student. Unlike many other universities, having international student populations between two and ten percent, at Jacobs University you see the reverse phenomenon, whereby eighty percent of the undergraduate population would be considered international. The students who study here in Bremen have, among other reasons, chosen our campus because of this alternative atmosphere. Jacobs University is a place where it is not uncommon for a student to have grown up in several cultures, to be fluent in two, three or four languages, aspiring to improve our world as a whole.
Our students are multicultural to the core. They come to Jacobs University with broad visions that far surpass political or linguistic borders, they have joined our community with open minds and hearts, eager to continue learning from each other through international cohabitation. With a predominant norm promoting tolerance and understanding, you can be assured that a discussion about identity here at Jacobs University will certainly be different than at a more typically homogenous institution. Beyond the fields of science, engineering, social science and humanities taught at Jacobs University, one can grow as an individual, explore identity, develop personally and professionally, learn the lessons of cultural communication and symbiotic collaboration, -profiting from invaluable life lessons simply by participating actively in our unique community. Of course Jacobs University is inevitably what you make of it - the more involved a student is in learning about his/her neighbors, the more he/she will enjoy and thrive in our environment.
Much of the what exists today on our campus, only a few years after our opening, has to do with the remarkable visions of our pioneering students. From creating not only college house governments, but actual constitutions that would need to serve the next generation of Jacobs University students, or by helping to shape the already demanding curriculum into a more manageable academic program, Jacobs University’s first few classes of students have worked diligently together with an ever-growing faculty and administration since Day One. Starting a university is, as you can imagine, already quite an endeavor. Attempting to bring together the ideas of students, professors and administrators, when they themselves already represent a pluralism of viewpoints because of the intense magnitude of cultural and international diversity, has made our “little” experiment even more challenging. The end result, however, is a rare university community, proud of its accomplishments, habituated to rapid change and development.
The establishment of our international environment in many ways mimics the real world, especially considering how “small” the world has become. If as determined visionaries, talented academics, and sophisticated intellectuals, we have created such a vibrant community as a microcosm of the world beyond, then the skills that have developed here will certainly prove beneficial to the future global leaders who have spent their days here on the Jacobs University campus. But generations come and go, and there will definitely be even more room for improvement considering our young history.
As our first classes of students now have graduated from Jacobs University, students have either accepted positions in firms or continued with graduate studies at some of the world's most reputable universities, including Oxford, Cambridge, London School of Economics, Yale, Stanford, Cornell, Columbia, Berkeley and more (You may refer to our links for Alumni and Career Services for a better idea of how students are prepared for life after Jacobs University).
We will soon be welcoming a new class of students to our campus gates next fall, to continue the work that our pioneers have begun. If you choose to join our community, you will also have to be prepared to bring with you, besides academic success, the spirit and energy that has transformed Jacobs University into the fine institution it has become today.
Bremen (host families/volunteers)
Host Family Program One wonderful development that occurred at Jacobs University was the creation of the host family program and the Student Service Center. Due to the general enthusiasm of local families for the Jacobs University project, we have been able to accommodate any new student with a local contact. Often times, these families welcome our students on their first day in Bremen, picking up first years from the airport, train station or bus station. Some host families will invite students to their homes for dinner or for holiday events, depending of course upon the volition of both parties. This initial connection to Bremen natives can provide an insight and deeper cultural understanding concerning the local community.
Jacobs University Host Families and the Bremen Community
Student Service Center Jacobs University is also quite proud of its Student Service Center, an office established by local volunteers interested in helping students with things like form filling, simple translations, learning about current events in Bremen. The center has become a place where students can pick up their packages as well as chat with friendly moms and dads from the community between classes.
Personal Counseling Besides career-related workshops, Jacobs University also offers services for personal counseling, enabling an easier transition not only to general university life, but helping students acclimate to the German university, and perhaps even more significant, the world culture that exists in such a small community. Workshops include stress management (perhaps useful for students during the first mid-term or finals season), intercultural communication and understanding, time management, and so on.
Jacobs University´s location in Europe, in a country with excellent public transportation, allows students to easily visit not only near-by cities like Hanover, Hamburg and Osnabrück with the student transportation pass, but students may consider spending vacations by traveling around the continent by train, automobile or boat. The Eurorail pass, for instance, is quite a popular option for students who wish to backpack through dozens of countries over a one or two-month period. Cities like Paris, Berlin, Copenhagen, Brussels, Amsterdam, Munich, Zurich, Krakow, Luxembourg and Prague can be reached within a day of rail travel. Imagine spring break with a “Last Minute” flight to a Mediterranean island or coastal city. Attending a residential college campus with Europe at your doorstep certainly has its advantages.
The 1,200-year-old city of Bremen also has a few surprises. With quaint neighbourhoods dating back to the medieval era, a beautiful 19th-Century central plaza, theatres, concert halls, clubs, pubs, restaurants, highly diverse quarters, home to liberally-minded “achtundsechsiger,” merchant families, shipbuilders and so forth, Bremen is a great setting for college life.
