The Hochschule Bonn-Rhein-Sieg University of Applied Sciences is a German University of Applied Sciences with more than 9,500 students and 150 professors. Its campus comprises three distinct locations, situated in Sankt Augustin, Rheinbach and Hennef / Sieg (all in the vicinity of Cologne and Bonn).
History
General Information
The Hochschule Bonn-Rhein-Sieg was founded on 1 January 1995 by the German Federal State of North Rhine-Westphalia. Its formal establishment was part of an agreement that compensated Bonn for its loss of status as capital of the Federal Republic of Germany. Until the end of 2004, the University of Applied Sciences was funded by the Federal Government of Germany. From 2005 it became an establishment of the German Federal State of North Rhine-Westphalia; since 1 January 2007 it has been an autonomous body of public law as defined by the German Higher Education Autonomy Act (Hochschulfreiheitsgesetz, HfG).The University of Applied Sciences was renamed “Hochschule Bonn-Rhein-Sieg” on 1 January 2009, with the abbreviation being “H-BRS”. In October 2011, Hochschule Bonn-Rhein-Sieg joined the European University Association (EUA).
Locations
The University comprises three locations, including five departments. The Departments of Computer Science as well as Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering and Technical Journalism (EMT)are located at Sankt Augustin, the Department of Natural Sciences can be found at Rheinbach and the Department of Management Sciences is located at both campuses. The Hennef site houses the Department of Social Security Studies. Bonn-Rhein-Sieg University's administrative buildings are located at the Sankt Augustin site. In Bonn the University of Applied Sciences runs the Bonn-Aachen International Center for Information Technology (B-IT) in collaboration with Aachen Technical University (Rheinisch-Westfälische Technische Hochschule) and the University of Bonn (Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität).
Departments and degree programmes
The degree programmes offered by H-BRS are recognised throughout the European Union within the framework of the European Credit Transfer System (ECTS), meaning that ECTS credits obtained at H-BRS can be recognised towards asimilar degree at any other European university. The university currently offers 36 degree programmes in five departments, divided into Bachelor's and Master's programmes. In addition, there are further education and certificate study programmes. The university has the following departments:
The Department of Management Sciences
The Department of Computer Science
The Department of Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering and Technical Journalism (EMT) The Department of Natural Sciences The Department of Social Security Studies
Central facilities and research institutes
Central facilities
The Language Centre
The Language Centre works in close cooperation with all the departments, offering tailor-made courses to suit their individual requirements. At present the Language Centre offers general and subject-specific courses in 14 languages, which are, for the most part, held by native speakers. The range of courses is extended according to the students' individual requirements and needs. Furthermore, the Language Centre provides international students with the opportunity to sit internationally recognised language tests in English and German as a foreign language, such as the German Language Proficiency Test for the Admission of International Students to German Universities (DSH), which is mandatory for study at H-BRS. In addition to offering foreign-language courses and testing, the Language Centre conducts seminars in Intercultural Communication.
The University and District Library
The buildings of the University and District Library, which also serves as district library for the Rhein-Sieg District, are located at Sankt Augustin and Rheinbach. The Library provides its customers with a versatile collection of books, periodicals, digital media and databases, which can in part be accessed from home. In addition, it offers regular art exhibitions, book readings and manifold information services as well as e-learning facilities. The Language Centre's Computer-Assisted Language Learning Laboratory (CALL) and a self-access centre are integrated into the Library.