The äskyläUniversity of Jyväskylä () is a research university in Jyväskylä, Finland. It has its origins in the first Finnish-speaking Teacher Training College (the so-called Teacher Seminary), founded in 1863. Around 14,000 students are currently enrolled in the degree programs of the university.
History
Founded in 1863, the university has its origins in the first Finnish-speaking teacher training college, the so-called Teacher Seminary. Uno Cygnaeus was enthusiastic to educate the people and created a programme for organising primary school education in Finland. Cygnaeus' plan was realised in 1863, when a teacher seminary was established in Jyväskylä, on the current university campus. Based on the town's central location, the first Finnish-medium secondary schools for boys and girls were also established in Jyväskylä. The foundation of the world-famous school system was created at the University of Jyväskylä. The teacher seminary evolved into the College of Education in 1937, at which time it was given the authority to grant doctorate degrees. In the 1960s, the college started teaching and researching in the sciences and in 1967 was renamed the University of Jyväskylä.
Today the University of Jyväskylä is a nationally and internationally significant research university with expertise in education and a focus on human and natural sciences. The university is Finland's leading expert in teacher training and adult education, as well as a major exporter of education. The Faculty of Sport and Health Sciences is the only one of its kind in the country.
The university offers a wide range of study programmes for master's degree conducted in English, many of which are unique in Finland. Natural Sciences, Human Sciences, Sports and Health Sciences as well as Teacher education are the university's areas of special expertise.
Size
The university has 14,000 students in addition to its adult education students, representing nearly 40,000 students in total. Each year around 2,800 new students are admitted and generally only a seventh of applicants are accepted; this makes University of Jyväskylä one of the most popular and selective universities in Finland. Measured according to the number of master's degrees conferred, the University of Jyväskylä is ranked as the second largest university in Finland.
Organisation
The university offers undergraduate and postgraduate degrees, teacher training programmes and over 120 subject area disciplines.
The university is currently divided into six faculties: Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences Faculty of Information Technology Faculty of Education and Psychology Faculty of Sport and Health Sciences Faculty of Mathematics and Science Jyväskylä University School of Business and Economics
Independent institutes in addition to faculties: Centre for Multilingual Academic Communication, Movi Finnish Institute for Educational Research Kokkola University Consortium Chydenius Open University Open Science Centre | University Library | University Museum
Excellence in Research
Centres of Excellence in Research nominated by the Academy of Finland:
2022-2029
Center of Excellence in Quark Matter, Physics
Centre of Excellence in Learning Dynamics and Intervention Research, Psychology and Educational Sciences Centre of Excellence in Music, Mind, Body and Brain, Music Finnish Centre of excellence in Randomness and Structures, Mathematics, coordinated by University of Helsinki
2018-2025
Research on Ageing and Care (Coordinated by Jyväskylä) Inverse Modelling and Imaging (Coordinated by Helsinki) Game Culture Studies (Coordinated by Tampere)
University of Jyväskylä in global rankings
In the global rankings, research activity at the JYU is among the top two to three percent of all universities.
Research funding
The university has succeeded well in acquiring competitive research funding - European Research Council funding as an example.
Also Academy Professorships are internationally leading-edge researchers and recognised experts in their field. They are expected to have great scientific impact in the scientific community and in society at large.