The Philipps University of Marburg () is a public research university located in Marburg, Germany. It was founded in 1527 by Philip I, Landgrave of Hesse, which makes it one of Germany's oldest universities and the oldest still operating Protestant university in the world. It is now a public university of the state of Hesse, without religious affiliation.
The University of Marburg has about 23,500 students and 7,500 employees and is located in Marburg, a town of 76,000 inhabitants, with university buildings dotted in or around the town centre. About 14% of the students are international, the highest percentage in Hesse. It offers an International summer university programme and offers student exchanges through the Erasmus programme.
History
In 1609, the University of Marburg established the world's first professorship in chemistry. In 2012 it opened the first German interactive chemistry museum, called . Its experimental course programme is aimed at encouraging young people to pursue careers in science. The university was among the first in Germany to offer courses in gender studies.
Nazi period
20 professors were expelled in 1933, among them economist who emigrated and linguist who committed suicide.
After 1945
Since the 1970s, the Department of Social Sciences has been regarded as a leftist stronghold, with being a major influence within the field of political science in post-war Germany.
Academics
Research
The university is significant for its life-sciences research but is also home to one of the few centers that conduct research on the Middle East, the CNMS (Center for Near and Middle Eastern Studies). The departments of psychology and geography reached Excellence Group status in the Europe-wide CHE Excellence Ranking 2009.
Its research is illustrated by its participation in several SFBs (). These collaborative research centres are financed by the German Science Foundation . They encourage researchers to cross the boundaries of disciplines, institutes, departments and faculties within the participating university. The current SFB at Philipps-University Marburg are: SFB/TR17 – Ras-dependent Pathways in Human Cancer (started 2004; with ) SFB/TR22 – Allergic response of the lung (started 2005, with Research Center Borstel and LMU Munich) SFB/TR81 – Chromatin Changes in Differentiation and Malignancies (started 2010, with ) SFB-TRR 84 – Innate Immunity of the Lung (started 2010, with , , , , , ) SFB-TRR 135 – Cardinal mechanisms of perception (started 2014, with ) SFB 593 – Mechanisms of cellular compartmentalisation and the relevance for disease (started 2003) SFB 987 – Microbial Diversity in Environmental Signal Response (started 2012, with Max Planck Institute for Terrestrial Microbiology, Marburg) SFB 1083 – Structure and Dynamics of Internal Interfaces (started 2013, with Donostia International Physics Center San Sebastián, Spain) SFB 1021 – RNA viruses: RNA metabolism, host response and pathogenesis (started 2013, with )
Collections of the university
, the university's old botanical garden
, the university's current botanical garden
(Collection of photographs taken from medieval charters) (German national picture archive of arts) (Collection of religious objects) (Linguistic Atlas of Germany) (Museum of Mineralogy) (Museum of Arts) (Museum of Anatomy and Medical History)
Rankings
As per the QS World University Rankings of 2024, the institution is situated within the 761–770 range globally, and it holds the 40–41 position nationally. According to the THE World University Rankings of 2024, it ranks within the 401–500 bracket globally, while its national standing falls between 37 and 41. In the ARWU World Rankings of 2023, the university is listed in the 401–500 range worldwide, and it takes a national position between 25 and 31.