Historically, several types of universities have developed in Europe. The type determines what programs and infrastructure will be available and how your student and daily life will flow.
Research and applied. Research universities are major scientific, educational, economic and cultural centers, places where fundamental discoveries are made, innovations and life-changing technologies are created. They influence all spheres of public life and have a powerful infrastructure.
Universities of Applied Sciences train professionals oriented towards industry and all applied professions. Universities of this type also have a significant impact on culture and society, but they do not conduct fundamental research, do not participate in international rankings, and therefore are often less known to applicants.
City and campus. Most European universities are urban; their teaching facilities, laboratories and libraries are dispersed throughout the city. The offer of student housing at such universities is limited, and students are forced to select options on their own.
Campus universities in Europe are usually located in small towns or rural areas. They are equipped with everything necessary for study, leisure, sports and permanent residence, although they are inferior in scope to American campuses.
colleges or faculties. Collegiate universities function within the framework of self-governing colleges - special types of student communities. Here, students of different courses and specialties live side by side, communicate closely and support each other. Examples of collegiate universities are Oxford, Cambridge, York in England, the universities of St. Andrews and Glasgow in Scotland, Trinity College in Ireland.
There are significantly more universities organized by faculties or departments in Europe than collegiate ones. How this type of university works is well known to French, Dutch, German, Czech, Russian and many British students. Examples - Paris, Amsterdam, Charles, Liverpool, Manchester universities.
Universities of Western Europe, known and unknown
One of the university success criteria familiar to students is positions in international rankings. Everyone knows the names of universities that are in the top from year to year. Oxford and Cambridge are top of the list, but that doesn't mean the others aren't worth your attention.
Moreover, not all universities in Western Europe participate in the rankings. There may be several reasons for this:
- the university does not conduct fundamental research;
- the university conducts research, but publishes little of their results in English;
- the university does not teach at all educational levels or offers a limited set of programs at one of the levels.
It is important to remember that the absence in international rankings is not a reason to abandon an educational institution. An illustrative example is the universities of applied sciences in Holland. Their graduates are in demand by employers, while the names are almost unknown to foreign applicants.
Universities in Europe teaching in English
English is the language of international communication and is studied by most international students, which is why many universities in Europe outside the UK offer a wide range of English-language programs.
The list of universities in Europe with programs in English is presented on the pages of our search engine - just set the filter and start studying. On the pages of universities, you can not only get acquainted with important information about the university, but also directly contact its representative to clarify all your questions.
The Times Higher Education ranking includes 150 world universities, including Moscow State University (125th place) and St. Petersburg State University (145th place). “The list was formed on the basis of a survey of recruiters and leaders of large companies. In addition, the researchers took into account many factors that make graduates attractive to employers, including professional experience, knowledge of at least two foreign languages, and participation in social events,” explains Business Insider contributor Thomas Colson.
19. University College London, UK
Graduate Demand Index: 301.
University College London specializes in training specialists in the natural sciences. “The educational institution employs 850 professors and more than six thousand teachers who teach 36 thousand students. 52% of students are pursuing master's and graduate programs,” writes Colson.
18. London School of Economics and Political Science, UK
Graduate Demand Index: 307.
The school specializes in the social sciences, including economics, political science, sociology, anthropology, and law, Colson writes: “The school has over 10,000 students and over 3,000 faculty members. Alumni include 16 Nobel Prize winners, as well as philosopher Bertrand Russell and Rolling Stones vocalist Mick Jagger."
17. Paris Polytechnic School, France
Graduate Demand Index: 311.
The school was founded by French mathematicians Gaspard Monge and Lazare Carnot in 1794 during the French Revolution. Among the graduates of the educational institution are three Nobel Prize winners.
16. Research Technical Institute CentraleSupélec, Paris, France
Graduate Demand Index: 312.
The Institute CentraleSupélec was founded in 2015 as a result of the merger of two major technical universities in France. "CentraleSupélec trains executives and managers for the manufacturing industry," writes Colson.
15. Mining School of Paris, France
Graduate Demand Index: 336.
The school was founded in 1783 at the French Mint, when King Louis XVI introduced the position of head of metallurgy and mineralogy. The school is considered one of the three main higher technical educational institutions in France.
14. Federal Polytechnic School of Lausanne, Switzerland
Graduate Demand Index: 339.
“It is the leading Swiss institution of higher education, with over 3,000 masters and 670 teaching staff,” writes Colson.
13. High Normal School, Paris, France
Graduate Demand Index: 366.
The institution known as ENS was founded during the French Revolution by proponents of the philosophy of the Enlightenment, Colson writes: "Now the institute trains personnel for the government and the scientific research community."
12. Edinburgh University, UK
Graduate Demand Index: 367.
Founded in 1583, the University of Edinburgh is one of the six oldest educational institutions in Europe. “The university has three colleges, where more than 35 thousand students, masters and postgraduates study. Biologist Charles Darwin, telephone inventor Alexander Bell and Sherlock Holmes author Arthur Conan Doyle studied here at various times.
11. Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich, Germany
Graduate Demand Index: 368.
The Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich is also considered one of the oldest universities in Europe. Established in 1472, it is considered one of the best research universities in Germany with over 50,000 students.
10. ETH Zurich, Switzerland
Graduate Demand Index: 403.
The educational institution is better known as ETH Zurich and is the most prestigious university in Switzerland. The school prepares specialists in the field of natural sciences, technology and mathematics.
9. EMLYON Business School, Lyon, France
Graduate Demand Index: 415.
“EMLYON is a leading French business school with branches in other countries such as China and Morocco. The school's management training standards are among the highest in Europe,” writes Business Insider.
8. IE University, Spain
Graduate Demand Index: 417.
A private Spanish university specializing in the preparation of masters in management and jurisprudence.
7. University of Manchester, UK
Graduate Demand Index: 420.
"It is the largest university in the UK with over 40,000 students," writes Colson. In addition, according to the administration, the educational institution has the largest network of graduates in Europe, consisting of 300,000 people from 190 countries. Among them - 25 Nobel laureates.
6. Kings College, UK
Graduate Demand Index: 431.
The educational institution is known for Europe's largest research center in the field of health. The college owns three teaching hospitals with over 27,000 students, including 10,500 masters, internships, writes Business Insider.
5. HEC Paris Business School, France
Graduate Demand Index: 465.
“This prestigious business school is very selective about students. Its leadership training program produces some of the most competitive leaders in Europe,” says Colson.
4. Imperial College London, UK
Graduate Demand Index: 517.
"Fourteen Nobel Prize winners have graduated from this institution, including Alexander Fleming, the inventor of penicillin," writes Colson. The college was founded in 1907. It specializes in training specialists in four areas: natural sciences, engineering, medicine and business.
3. Technical University of Munich, Germany
Alumni Demand Index: 744.
The Technical University of Munich (or TMU) is one of Germany's leading educational institutions and a member of TU9, an association of the country's oldest and most prestigious universities. Among the graduates of the university - 13 Nobel laureates.
2. Oxford University, UK
Graduate Demand Index: 773.
“As you know, this is the oldest university in Europe. You can talk about his strengths for a long time, but he is famous, first of all, due to the high level of training of specialists in the natural sciences and research activities, ”says the author of Business Insider.
1. Cambridge University, UK
Graduate Demand Index: 836.
Among the 18,000 students at Cambridge University, 4,000 come from other countries. "The university has the most 'quality' alumni network - 92 current students and faculty are Nobel Prize winners," writes Colson.
The development of medieval cities, as well as other changes that took place in the life of society, was always accompanied by changes in education. If during the early Middle Ages it was received mainly in monasteries, then later schools began to open in which law, philosophy, medicine were studied, students read the works of many Arabic, Greek authors, etc.
History of occurrence
The word "university" in translation from Latin means "set", or "association". I must say that today, as in the old days, it has not lost its significance. Medieval universities and schools were communities of teachers and students. They were organized for one purpose: to give and receive education. Medieval universities lived by certain rules. Only they could award academic degrees, gave graduates the right to teach. This was the case throughout Christian Europe. Medieval universities received a similar right from those who founded them - popes, emperors or kings, that is, those who at that time had the highest power. The foundation of such educational institutions is attributed to the most famous monarchs. It is believed, for example, that Alfred the Great founded, and Paris - Charlemagne.
The head was usually the rector. His position was elective. Just as in our time, medieval universities were divided into faculties. Each was headed by a dean. After listening to a certain number of courses, students became bachelors, and then masters and received the right to teach. At the same time, they could continue their education, but already at one of the faculties considered “highest” in the specialties of medicine, law or theology.
The way the medieval university was organized is practically no different from the modern way of getting an education. They were open to everyone. And although children from rich families predominated among the students, there were also many people from the poor class. True, many years passed from the moment of admission to medieval universities to the receipt of the highest degree of doctor, and therefore very few went this way to the end, but the academic degree provided the lucky ones with both honor and opportunities for a quick career.
students
Many young people in search of the best teachers moved from one city to another and even left for a neighboring European country. I must say that ignorance of languages did not bother them at all. European medieval universities taught in Latin, which was considered the language of science and the church. Many students sometimes led the life of a wanderer, and therefore received the nickname "vaganta" - "wandering". Among them were excellent poets, whose works still arouse great interest among contemporaries.
The students' daily routine was simple: lectures in the mornings, and repetition of the studied material in the evenings. Along with the constant training of memory in the universities of the Middle Ages, great attention was paid to the ability to argue. This skill was practiced during daily debates.
student life
However, the life of those who had the good fortune to enroll in medieval universities was formed not only from classes. There was time for both solemn ceremonies and noisy feasts. The then students were very fond of their educational institutions, here they spent the best years of their lives, gaining knowledge and finding protection from outsiders. They called them "alma mater".
Students usually gathered in small groups according to nations or communities, bringing together students from a wide variety of regions. Together they could rent an apartment, although many lived in colleges - colleges. The latter, too, as a rule, were formed according to nationalities: representatives from one community gathered in each.
University Science in Europe
Scholasticism began its formation in the eleventh century. Its most important feature was considered to be boundless belief in the power of reason in the knowledge of the world. However, over time in the Middle Ages, university science became a dogma, the provisions of which were considered final and infallible. In the 14-15 centuries. scholasticism, which used only logic and completely denied any experiment, began to turn into an obvious brake on the development of natural scientific thought in Western Europe. Almost completely the formation of medieval universities was then in the hands of the Dominican orders. The educational system of that time had a rather strong influence on the evolution of the formation of Western European civilization.
Only centuries later, the medieval universities of Western Europe began to contribute to the growth of public self-awareness, the progress of scientific thought and the freedom of the individual.
legality
To qualify as an educational institution, an institution had to have a papal bull approving its establishment. By such a decree, the pontiff removed the institution from the control of secular or local church authorities, legitimizing the existence of this university. The rights of the educational institution were also confirmed by the privileges received. These were special documents signed either by popes or by royalty. Privileges secured the autonomy of this educational institution - a form of government, permission to have its own court, as well as the right to grant academic degrees and exempt students from military service. Thus, medieval universities became a completely independent organization. Professors, students and employees of the educational institution, in a word, all, were no longer subordinate to the city authorities, but exclusively to the elected rector and deans. And if the students committed some misconduct, then the leadership of this locality could only ask them to condemn or punish the guilty.
Graduates
Medieval universities made it possible to get a good education. Many well-known figures studied there. The graduates of these educational institutions were Duns Scott, Peter Lombard and William of Ockham, Thomas Aquinas and many others.
As a rule, a great career awaited those who graduated from such an institution. After all, on the one hand, medieval schools and universities were in active contact with the church, and on the other hand, along with the expansion of the administrative apparatus of various cities, the need for educated and literate people also increased. Many yesterday's students worked as notaries, prosecutors, scribes, judges or lawyers.
Structural subdivision
There was no separation of higher and secondary education, so the structure of the medieval university included both senior and junior faculties. After 15-16-year-old young people were deeply taught Latin in elementary school, they were transferred to the preparatory level. Here they studied the "seven liberal arts" in two cycles. These were the "trivium" (grammar, as well as rhetoric and dialectics) and the "quadrium" (arithmetic, music, astronomy and geometry). But only after studying the course of philosophy, the student had the right to enter the senior faculty in law, medicine or theology.
Learning principle
Even today, modern universities use the traditions of medieval universities. The curricula that have survived to this day were drawn up for a year, which in those days was divided not into two semesters, but into two unequal parts. The large ordinary period lasted from October to Easter, and the small one - until the end of June. The division of the academic year into semesters appeared only towards the end of the Middle Ages in some German universities.
There were three main forms of teaching. The lectio, or lectures, were the complete and systematic exposition, at fixed hours, of a particular academic subject according to a predetermined statute or charter of a given university. They were divided into ordinary, or compulsory, courses and extraordinary, or additional. Teachers were classified according to the same principle.
For example, obligatory lectures were usually scheduled for the morning hours - from dawn until nine in the morning. This time was considered more convenient and designed for the fresh forces of students. In turn, extraordinary lectures were read to the audience in the afternoon hours. They started at 6pm and ended at 10pm. The lesson lasted one or two hours.
Traditions of medieval universities
The main task of teachers of medieval universities was to compare different versions of texts and give the necessary explanations along the way. The statutes forbade students from demanding repetition of material or even slow reading. They had to come to lectures with books, which were very expensive in those days, so the students rented them.
Already since the eighteenth century, universities began to accumulate manuscripts, copying them and creating their own sample texts. Audiences did not exist for a long time. The first medieval university, in which professors began to arrange school premises - Bologna - already from the fourteenth century began to create rooms for lectures to accommodate it.
And before that, students were grouped in one place. For example, in Paris it was the Avenue Foir, or Straw Street, called by this name because the listeners sat on the floor, on the straw at the feet of their teacher. Later, semblances of desks began to appear - long tables at which up to twenty people could fit. Chairs began to arrange on a hill.
Grading
After completing their studies at a medieval university, students passed the examination, which was taken by several masters from each nation. The dean supervised the examiners. The student had to prove that he had read all the recommended books and managed to participate in the amount of disputes required by the statutes. The commission was also interested in the behavior of the graduate. After the successful passage of these stages, the student was admitted to a public debate, in which he had to answer all the questions. As a result, he was awarded the first bachelor's degree. He had to assist a master for two academic years in order to qualify to teach. And six months later, he was also awarded a master's degree. The graduate was supposed to give a lecture, take an oath and arrange a feast.
The history of the oldest universities dates back to the twelfth century. It was then that such educational institutions as Bologna in Italy and Paris in France were born. In the thirteenth century there are in England, Montpellier in Toulouse, and already in the fourteenth the first universities appeared in the Czech Republic and Germany, Austria and Poland. Each educational institution had its own traditions and privileges. By the end of the fifteenth century, there were about a hundred universities in Europe, which were structured into three types, depending on where the teachers received their salaries from. The first was in Bologna. Here, students themselves hired and paid for teachers. The second type of university was in Paris, where teachers were funded by the church. Oxford and Cambridge were supported by both the crown and the state. It must be said that it was this fact that helped them survive the dissolution of the monasteries in 1538 and the subsequent removal of the main English Catholic institutions.
All three types of structures had their own characteristics. For example, in Bologna, for example, students controlled almost everything, and this fact often gave teachers great inconvenience. In Paris it was the opposite. Precisely because the teachers were paid by the church, the main subject at this university was theology. But in Bologna, students chose more secular studies. Here the main subject was the law.
Centuries-old traditions, the reputation of European education for foreign applicants (especially from the countries of the former socialist bloc) are superimposed on the desire to see the world, master several languages, and possibly stay to work in a European country.
The choice of university is directly dependent on the foreign language studied at school, since it is unrealistic to master a second, third language in a short time. Education in European universities is conducted in the main language of the country, so English is not a priority.
Education in European universities
Great Britain - leader
The highest world rankings among universities in Europe belong to the UK. In the world ten, as a rule, Oxford and Cambridge fall. Classical universities are focused on fundamental disciplines, scientific research.
Students, graduates of the oldest English universities form a certain caste, therefore it is extremely difficult to enter and graduate from them . Belonging to this caste opens up broad prospects in England, the USA, not to mention useful acquaintances during study.
The quality of British education is considered exemplary, diplomas and certificates are prestigious everywhere. For many Russian applicants, education in England is a priority in terms of the language studied at school. Great Britain willingly accepts foreign students, their number in the country reaches three hundred thousand. A foreigner can get higher education in 70 higher colleges, 89 universities.
In terms of prospects for obtaining a highly paid job, practical specialties, ordinary universities are more interesting, an example of which can be the University of Greenwich. It does not have a classical education scheme, a specialty is obtained at the architectural, environmental, financial, construction, food, medical, and tourism faculties. There are also faculties of mass media and design.
What is in other countries
In every country in Europe there are dozens of prestigious universities, among which the oldest universities enjoy special authority. The first university in Europe in 1088 was the University of Bologna. Today it is a typical example of Italian education. At the University of Bologna, you can get a first level degree (“Laurea”) in 128 specialties (after three years of study). The next two years of successful study bring the specialized degree "Laurea specialistica".
Other oldest universities are the universities of Salamanca (the oldest operating in Spain), Heidelberg, and the University of Madrid. They have preserved the classical faculties and teaching traditions to varying degrees.
For technical specialties, the Technical University of Munich (the only one in Bavaria) is interesting. In three large areas, there are such traditional departments as the faculties of mechanical engineering, computer science, mathematics, physics, electrical engineering, and chemistry. We are not accustomed to the faculties of medicine, economic sciences, architecture, construction and geodesy, the sports department in a polytechnic university.
Austria is attractive for teaching creative specialties, where about half of the 88,000 foreigners (20% of the total number of students) study fine arts. In general, European universities cover the entire range of existing specialties and areas of scientific research.
Entrance exams, studies
Admission to European educational institutions is always individual. The necessary documents, tests, tuition fees - you need to find out in advance. In some countries (universities in Austria, Italy, Germany), even such a norm as the primary submission of documents is practiced, after which entrance exams can be taken during the year, studying in the first year. In Spain, the Czech Republic, Finland - entrance exams are required for public universities. Most countries enroll applicants on the basis of a certificate, a certificate of language proficiency.
Tuition fees also vary. For example, students at the Technical University of Munich pay 592 euros per semester, in Austria the fee is 720 euros (per year). Many state universities in Germany, Austria, Greece, Italy, Spain, Norway, France - train students (including foreigners) for free.
This, of course, does not apply to payments for accommodation, meals, which students bear on their own. The vast majority of European countries allow students to work, with some restrictions. So, in England it is allowed to work 24 hours a week, during the holidays - full-time. When passing programs for the title of bachelor, master's degree - work is also allowed (short working hours).
The training programs are different. In general, after choosing a specialization, the number of theoretical disciplines and the total number of subjects decrease. Classes are focused on obtaining practical knowledge. Obtaining a degree diploma (an intermediate certificate giving the right to choose a specialty) reduces the number of subjects to 5-6 mandatory, 10-12 chosen independently (but related to the specialty). Passing exams, tests, term papers, theses - is determined by the university.
In some universities, the time of study is not limited at all - students are practically not expelled from English educational institutions. Refusals to issue a student visa are rare in all countries (most often due to incorrect filling out of documents, lack of funds specified by the rules).
Job prospects
Graduates of many universities receive a national diploma "HND", a bachelor's degree. Graduates of European universities can count on work in the same country (in Europe there is a shortage of specialists, therefore state programs work), a contract in England, the USA, European countries. Salary after training reaches 30,000 euros per year. A contract in third world countries can be even more profitable.
When returning home, a European diploma gives an undeniable advantage to job seekers in all foreign representative offices of the world's leading companies, although Russian enterprises do not always adequately assess the advantages of a European education.
