University of Münster

The University of Münster is a public research university in the city of Münster in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, and with more than 41,000 students, 120 degree programmes and fifteen faculties it is one of the largest universities in the country.明斯特大学是德国北莱茵—威斯特法伦州明斯特市的一所公立研究型大学，拥有 41,000 余名学生、120 个学位项目与 15 个学院，是德国规模最大的大学之一。

It traces its roots to a Jesuit college founded in 1588 and a convent founded in 1040, was formally founded on 16 April 1780 with four faculties, was named Westphalian Wilhelm University in 1907, and was renamed the University of Münster in 2023.该校的渊源可追溯至 1588 年创办的耶稣会学院与 1040 年建立的修女院，1780 年 4 月 16 日正式建校并设立四个学院，1907 年获名威斯特法伦—威廉大学，2023 年更名为明斯特大学。

In the 2027 QS World University Rankings it is placed 370th, it stands joint 194th in the 2027 Times Higher Education World University Rankings, it is 218th in the 2026-2027 U.S. News Best Global Universities, and it falls in the 151-200 band of the 2026 Academic Ranking of World Universities.在 2027 年 QS 世界大学排名中位列第 370；在 2027 年泰晤士高等教育世界大学排名中并列第 194；在 2026 至 2027 年度 US News 全球最佳大学排名中位列第 218；在 2026 年世界大学学术排名中处于 151 至 200 区间。

History

• The university's history reaches back to the convent of lay sisters Liebfrauen-Überwasser, founded in 1040, from which the university took its seal.该校的历史可追溯至 1040 年建立的平信徒修女院（Liebfrauen-Überwasser），大学的印章即取自该修女院。

• The Jesuit College of Münster was founded in 1588, and for centuries the college and the convent formed the nucleus of higher learning in the city.明斯特耶稣会学院创办于 1588 年；此后数百年间，这所学院与修女院共同构成该市高等教育的核心。

• In 1631 Pope Urban VIII and Emperor Ferdinand II issued privileges allowing the establishment of a university in Münster, but a lack of funding meant that they were only put to use in 1780.1631 年，教宗乌尔班八世与皇帝斐迪南二世颁授特许，允许在明斯特设立大学，但因经费匮乏，这项特许直到 1780 年才付诸实行。

• The convent was dissolved in 1773 so that its funds could be used to found the University of Münster, and the university dates its formal foundation to 16 April 1780.该修女院于 1773 年解散，以便将其资产用于创办明斯特大学；大学把正式建校日定在 1780 年 4 月 16 日。

• The University of Münster was founded on 16 April 1780 with four faculties, namely Law, Medicine, Philosophy and Theology, and it began admitting students soon afterwards.明斯特大学于 1780 年 4 月 16 日成立，初设法学、医学、哲学与神学四个学院，其后不久便开始招收学生。

• The ceremony of constitution was performed by Franz Freiherr von Fürstenberg, who is counted among the institution's founding figures.建校宪章仪式由弗朗茨·冯·菲尔斯滕贝格男爵（Franz Freiherr von Fürstenberg）主持，他被列为该校的创办人物之一。

• In the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries the academy taught philosophy and theology, and by 1774 it had established a faculty of law and had begun medical courses.在 18 世纪后期与 19 世纪早期，该校以讲授哲学与神学为主；到 1774 年已设立法学系并开始开设医学课程。

• In 1843 it was renamed the Royal Theological and Philosophical Academy, known informally as the Münster Academy, reflecting its focus on theology and the humanities.1843 年，该校更名为皇家神学与哲学学院，俗称明斯特学院，这一名称反映出其以神学与人文学科为主的重心。

• In 1902, on the urging of Otto II, Prince of Salm-Horstmar, the Prussian parliament decided to establish a new faculty of law in Münster.1902 年，在萨尔姆—霍尔斯特马尔亲王奥托二世的推动下，普鲁士议会决定在明斯特新设一所法学院。

• In the same year, 1902, Emperor Wilhelm II raised the academy to the status of a full university, allowing it to grant doctorates and to expand its teaching.同年即 1902 年，皇帝威廉二世将该校升格为正式大学，使其得以授予博士学位并扩展教学。

• On 22 August 1907 Emperor Wilhelm II granted the institution the name Westphalian Wilhelm University, a title it carried for more than a century.1907 年 8 月 22 日，皇帝威廉二世授予该校威斯特法伦—威廉大学的名称，这一校名沿用了一个多世纪。

• In 2023 the university was renamed the University of Münster, and its computing centre, founded in 1964, was renamed the Center for Information Technology.2023 年，该校更名为明斯特大学；其创建于 1964 年的计算中心也一并更名为信息技术中心。

• The Bologna Process began in 1999, and the Münster School of Business Administration and Economics was the first faculty to introduce bachelor's and master's degrees.博洛尼亚进程于 1999 年启动，明斯特工商管理与经济学院是该校最先引入学士与硕士学位的院系。

• In the winter semester of 2006-2007 nearly all study programmes were converted to the bachelor's and master's system, with exceptions for the state examinations in medicine, dentistry, pharmacy and law.在 2006 至 2007 年冬季学期，几乎所有专业都转为学士与硕士学制，唯有医学、牙医学、药学与法学的国家考试仍属例外。

• The university has been successful in the German government's Excellence Initiative with clusters such as "Religion and Politics" and "Mathematics Münster".该校在德国政府的卓越计划中屡有斩获，获资助的集群包括「宗教与政治」以及「明斯特数学」等。

• In 2024 nine Leibniz Prize winners were working at the university, and it held thirteen ongoing research grants from the European Research Council.2024 年，有九位莱布尼茨奖得主在该校任职，学校还持有十三项欧洲研究理事会资助的在研项目。

• The university is the coordinating institution for eight Collaborative Research Centres funded by the German Research Foundation, a role that anchors its research profile.该校是八项由德国研究联合会资助的协作研究中心的协调机构，这一角色奠定了其科研布局。

• Münster is a member of German U15, a coalition of fifteen major research-intensive German universities with a full disciplinary spectrum.明斯特大学是德国 U15 大学联盟成员，该联盟由十五所学科门类齐全、研究密集的德国主要大学组成。

• In the winter semester of 2025-2026 the university enrolled 41,217 students, of whom 8,559 were in their first semester, and about nine per cent came from abroad.在 2025 至 2026 年冬季学期，该校注册学生 41,217 名，其中 8,559 名为第一学期新生，约百分之九的学生来自国外。

• In 2024 the university's budget amounted to 853.8 million euros, funding teaching, research and the university hospital.2024 年，该校预算达 8.538 亿欧元，用于教学、科研以及大学医院的运营。

• In 2025 the university hosted 3,470 international students from 126 countries, and about 1,400 local students went abroad to study.2025 年，该校接纳了来自 126 个国家的 3,470 名国际学生，同时约有 1,400 名本地学生出国留学。

• For more than a century, from 1907 until 2023, the institution carried the name Westphalian Wilhelm University, recalling both Westphalia and Emperor Wilhelm II.从 1907 年到 2023 年，该校在一个多世纪里一直沿用威斯特法伦—威廉大学的名称，以纪念威斯特法伦地区与皇帝威廉二世。

• In 2012 the cluster "Cells in Motion" was funded as a Cluster of Excellence, and in 2019 the cluster "Mathematics Münster" was confirmed under the German Excellence Strategy.2012 年，「细胞在运动中」集群获批为卓越集群；2019 年，「明斯特数学」集群在德国卓越战略下获得确认。

Academics

• The university is divided into fifteen faculties spanning Protestant and Catholic theology, law, economics, medicine and dental medicine, educational and social science, psychology and sport science, history and philosophy, philology, mathematics and computer science, physics, chemistry and pharmacy, biology, earth science and music.该校分为十五个学院，涵盖新教神学与天主教神学、法学、经济学、医学与牙医学、教育与社会学、心理学与体育学、历史与哲学、语言学、数学与计算机科学、物理学、化学与药学、生物学、地球科学以及音乐。

• It offers 120 degree programmes, and some thirty research centres form the institutional backbone of the university.该校开设 120 个学位项目，约三十个研究中心构成其机构骨架。

• The Faculty of Health Science brings together medicine and dental medicine, and it works closely with the university hospital in Münster.健康科学学院整合了医学与牙医学，并与明斯特的大学医院密切合作。

• The Münster School of Business Administration and Economics is the university's faculty of economics and is known for its international orientation and its double-degree agreements.明斯特工商管理与经济学院是该校的经济类学院，以国际化取向与双学位协议著称。

• The Faculty of Mathematics and Computer Science hosts several Leibniz Prize winners and has been strengthened by the Excellence Initiative.数学与计算机科学学院拥有多位莱布尼茨奖得主，并借助卓越计划得到强化。

• The Institute of Communication Science covers public relations, journalism and media science, and it belongs to the university's social science cluster.传播学研究所涵盖公共关系、新闻学与媒介科学，隶属于该校的社会科学集群。

• The university employs about 5,000 academics, and its student body of more than 41,000 makes it the seventh largest university in Germany by enrolment.该校拥有约 5,000 名学术人员，在校学生超过 41,000 名，按注册人数计位列德国高校第七。

• Strong faculties include mathematics, chemistry, medicine and business studies, and the Shanghai ranking places Münster fourth in Germany for chemistry.其优势学科包括数学、化学、医学与商学；上海软科排名将明斯特的化学列为德国第四。

• Two Max Planck Prize winners and five Leibniz Prize winners currently teach on the faculty of mathematics, giving it an unusually strong research base.数学学院现有两位马克斯·普朗克奖得主与五位莱布尼茨奖得主任教，研究实力尤为雄厚。

• In 2024 the university held thirteen ongoing European Research Council grants and coordinated eight Collaborative Research Centres of the German Research Foundation.2024 年，该校持有十三项欧洲研究理事会在研资助，并协调八项德国研究联合会协作研究中心。

• The university is a partner of some 800 universities in Germany and abroad, and it offers double-degree agreements in linguistics, political science, law and economics.该校与国内外约 800 所大学建立合作，并在语言学、政治学、法学与经济学领域开设双学位协议。

• PhD programmes and postgraduate courses in geoinformatics, geospatial technologies and information systems are taught partly in English.该校在地理信息学、地理空间技术与信息系统方向的博士项目与研究生课程，部分以英语授课。

• The Centre for Nanotechnology, known as CeNTech, and the European Research Center for Information Systems are among the university's research institutions.该校的研究机构包括简称 CeNTech 的纳米技术中心，以及欧洲信息系统研究中心。

• The Max Planck Institute for Molecular Biomedicine is located in Münster and is closely linked with the university's life sciences.马克斯·普朗克分子生物医学研究所设在明斯特，与该校的生命科学学科联系紧密。

• The university's budget amounted to 853.8 million euros in 2024, and about nine per cent of its students come from outside Germany.该校 2024 年预算为 8.538 亿欧元，学生中约百分之九来自德国以外的国家。

• The Universitäts- und Landesbibliothek Münster serves both the university and the general public as the regional library of Westphalia.明斯特大学暨州立图书馆既是大学图书馆，也作为威斯特法伦地区图书馆向公众开放。

• The Faculty of Medicine works closely with the University Hospital Münster, which provides clinical training and patient care and is one of the largest university hospitals in Germany.医学院与明斯特大学医院密切合作，后者提供临床教学与病患照护，是德国规模最大的大学医院之一。

• The university takes part in the Erasmus programme and maintains exchange agreements with partner institutions across Europe.该校参与伊拉斯谟计划，并与欧洲各地伙伴院校保持交换协议。

Campus

• The university has no single campus and is instead spread across the city of Münster, with its main administrative building housed in the Schloss, the former castle of the prince-bishops.该校没有单一校区，而是散布在明斯特全城；其主行政楼设于昔日主教诸侯的城堡（Schloss）之内。

• The Universitäts- und Landesbibliothek Münster, or ULB, is the central library and also serves as the regional library of Westphalia.明斯特大学暨州立图书馆简称 ULB，是该校的中央图书馆，同时兼作威斯特法伦地区图书馆。

• As of 2011 the library system owned more than 6.2 million volumes, of which 2.68 million were held in the ULB and 3.53 million in 146 faculty and department libraries.截至 2011 年，该图书馆体系藏书超过 620 万册，其中 268 万册存于 ULB，353 万册分藏于 146 个院系图书室。

• The library also held 47,350 electronic articles and newspapers, and its 83 departmental libraries serve the individual faculties across the city.该馆还收藏有 47,350 种电子期刊与报纸，其 83 个院系图书室为散布全城的各学院提供服务。

• The university's historic botanical garden, the Botanischer Garten Münster, is one of the points of interest of the city campus.该校历史悠久的植物园（Botanischer Garten Münster）是城市型校园的看点之一。

• Three public museums belong to the university in the centre of Münster, namely the Bible Museum, the Archaeological Museum and the Geological Museum.明斯特市中心有三座隶属于该校的公共博物馆，即圣经博物馆、考古博物馆与地质博物馆。

• The Center for Information Technology operates the Wissenschaftsnetz Münster, a network linking the University of Applied Sciences, the Art Academy and the Max Planck Institute for Molecular Biomedicine.信息技术中心运营着明斯特科学网络，把应用技术大学、艺术学院与马克斯·普朗克分子生物医学研究所连接起来。

• The university is closely woven into the city, and each faculty building sits within walking or cycling distance of the historic centre and the railway station.该校与城市融为一体，各院系楼宇距历史城区与火车站均在步行或骑行范围之内。

Reputation

• In the 2027 QS World University Rankings the University of Münster is placed 370th, and in the 2027 Times Higher Education World University Rankings it stands joint 194th.在 2027 年 QS 世界大学排名中，明斯特大学位列第 370；在 2027 年泰晤士高等教育世界大学排名中并列第 194。

• In the 2026-2027 U.S. News Best Global Universities it is 218th, and in the 2026 Academic Ranking of World Universities it falls in the 151-200 band.在 2026 至 2027 年度 US News 全球最佳大学排名中，该校位列第 218；在 2026 年世界大学学术排名中处于 151 至 200 区间。

• In the 2024 QS rankings the university was placed 384th globally and 21st nationally, and in the 2023 Times Higher Education rankings it stood 193rd worldwide.在 2024 年 QS 排名中，该校位列全球第 384、本国第 21；在 2023 年泰晤士高等教育排名中位居全球第 193。

• In the 2023 Academic Ranking of World Universities it fell within the 201-300 range, and the Leiden ranking places Münster third among German universities in the size-independent ranking.在 2023 年世界大学学术排名中，该校处于 201 至 300 区间；莱顿排名在规模无关口径下将明斯特列为德国第三。

• According to OpenAlex, the university has produced 148,165 research works, reflecting the breadth of its science and humanities output.据 OpenAlex 统计，该校已产出 148,165 项研究成果，体现出其理科与人文学科产出的广度。

• Professors and former students of Münster have won ten Leibniz Prizes, the best-funded research prize in Germany, as well as one Fields Medal and two Nobel Prizes.明斯特的教授与校友共获得十项莱布尼茨奖——这是德国资助力度最大的研究奖项——以及一枚菲尔兹奖与两项诺贝尔奖。

• The university is a member of German U15, alongside institutions such as Heidelberg University and Humboldt University of Berlin, a coalition of leading research-intensive German universities.该校与海德堡大学、柏林洪堡大学等机构同属德国 U15 大学联盟，该联盟由德国领先的研究密集型大学组成。

• The Shanghai ranking places Münster fourth in Germany for chemistry and 46th in the world for that subject, one of its strongest fields.上海软科排名将明斯特的化学列为德国第四、全球第 46，是该校最强的学科领域之一。

• The university has secured three excellence clusters in the German Excellence Initiative, including "Cells in Motion", "Religion and Politics" and "Mathematics Münster".该校在德国卓越计划中获得三个卓越集群，包括「细胞在运动中」「宗教与政治」以及「明斯特数学」。

Student life

• The university's slogan is "living.knowledge", which reflects its ambition to connect research, teaching and the life of the city.该校的标语是（living.knowledge），寄托着把科研、教学与城市生活相连的追求。

• The university sports club, known as the Hochschulsport, offers more than 100 sport courses, sport tours, further education and international tournaments.该校的体育俱乐部称 Hochschulsport，开设 100 多门体育课程，并组织体育旅行、进修与国际赛事。

• The Zentrum für Informationsverarbeitung, renamed the Center for Information Technology in 2023, provides central IT services and facilities with standard and special software for students.原称数据处理中心的机构于 2023 年更名为信息技术中心，为学生提供配备标准与专用软件的中央信息技术服务与设施。

• Foreign languages can be learned at the university's language centre, which offers traditional courses, tandem partnerships and language certificates such as UNIcert.学生可在校语言中心学习外语，中心提供常规课程、互助结对以及 UNIcert 等语言证书考试。

• The cultural programme includes museums, choirs, ensembles, an orchestra, theatres and cinemas, giving students a wide range of extracurricular activity.校内的文化项目涵盖博物馆、合唱团、乐团、管弦乐队、剧院与影院，为学生提供丰富的课外活动。

• Student organisations such as AIESEC, AEGEE, move and MTP are well represented on campus and attract high membership.AIESEC、AEGEE、「move」与 MTP 等学生组织在校园里十分活跃，成员众多。

• The Hochschulsport programme includes courses in sailing, climbing and martial arts, and it organises sports tours during the semester breaks.该校的体育课程涵盖帆船、攀岩与武术等项目，并在学期假期组织体育旅行。

• The city of Münster itself has a very active night life with more than 1,000 bars and clubs, and its compact centre is easy to reach by bicycle.明斯特市本身夜生活活跃，拥有 1,000 多家酒吧与夜店，紧凑的市中心骑行即可抵达。

• As the city where the Peace of Westphalia was signed in 1648, Münster offers students a rich cultural life alongside the university's own events.明斯特是 1648 年《威斯特伐利亚和约》的签署地，学生在参与校内活动之余，也能享受这座城市丰富的文化生活。

Notable people

• Franz Freiherr von Fürstenberg performed the ceremony of constitution at the founding of the university in 1780 and is counted among its founding figures.弗朗茨·冯·菲尔斯滕贝格男爵在 1780 年建校时主持宪章仪式，被列为该校的创办人物之一。

• Karl Weierstrass, the mathematician who gave a rigorous definition of the limit of a function and is called the father of modern analysis, is associated with Münster.为函数极限建立严格定义、被誉为现代分析之父的数学家卡尔·魏尔施特拉斯与明斯特有关联。

• Wilhelm Ackermann, a mathematician known for the Ackermann function, studied and taught in the city.以阿克曼函数闻名的数学家威廉·阿克曼曾在明斯特求学与任教。

• Gerhard Domagk, a pathologist and bacteriologist who lectured in experimental pathology at Münster from 1924 to 1927, won the 1939 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for his work on prontosil.1924 至 1927 年在明斯特讲授实验病理学的病理学家与细菌学家格哈德·多马克，因研究百浪多息而获得 1939 年诺贝尔生理学或医学奖。

• Johannes Bednorz, a physicist associated with the university, shared the 1987 Nobel Prize in Physics for the discovery of high-temperature superconductivity in ceramic materials.与该校有关的物理学家约翰内斯·贝德诺尔茨，因发现陶瓷材料的高温超导特性而分享 1987 年诺贝尔物理学奖。

• Friedrich Hirzebruch, a mathematician and Fellow of the Royal Society, founded the Max Planck Institute for Mathematics and served as its first director from 1980 to 1995.数学家、英国皇家学会院士弗里德里希·希策布鲁赫创办了马克斯·普朗克数学研究所，并于 1980 至 1995 年出任首任所长。

• Gerd Faltings, who won the 1986 Fields Medal, later directed the Max Planck Institute for Mathematics and has been a professor of mathematics at Münster.1986 年菲尔兹奖得主格尔德·法尔廷斯后来出任马克斯·普朗克数学研究所所长，并曾在明斯特担任数学教授。

• Pope Benedict XVI, who led the Roman Catholic Church from 2005 to 2013, was a professor of theology at Münster from 1963 to 1966.2005 至 2013 年领导罗马天主教会的教宗本笃十六世，于 1963 至 1966 年任明斯特大学神学教授。

• Karl Barth, the Swiss Protestant theologian, was a professor of theology at Münster from 1925 to 1930.瑞士新教神学家卡尔·巴特于 1925 至 1930 年任明斯特大学神学教授。

• Ursula von der Leyen, the President of the European Commission, studied economics at the University of Münster.现任欧盟委员会主席乌尔苏拉·冯德莱恩曾在明斯特大学攻读经济学。

• Gustav Heinemann, who was President of the Federal Republic of Germany from 1969 to 1974, studied at Münster, as did the future federal minister Wolfgang Clement.1969 至 1974 年任德意志联邦共和国总统的古斯塔夫·海涅曼曾在明斯特就读，后来的联邦部长沃尔夫冈·克莱门特亦然。

• Jens Lehmann, the international football goalkeeper who played for Germany at three World Cups, is also counted among the university's alumni.曾三次随德国队出战世界杯的国际足球门将延斯·莱曼，也被列为该校校友之一。