What is Universities: Definition and 269 Discussions

A university (Latin: universitas, 'a whole') is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs.
The word university is derived from the Latin universitas magistrorum et scholarium, which roughly means "community of teachers and scholars".The first universities were created in Europe by Catholic Church monks. The University of Bologna (Università di Bologna), founded in 1088, is the first university in the sense of:

being a high degree-awarding institute;
having independence from the ecclesiastic schools, although conducted by both clergy and non-clergy;
using the word universitas (which was coined at its foundation);
issuing secular and non-secular degrees: grammar, rhetoric, logic, theology, canon law, notarial law.

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  1. O

    Schools Which are the best American universities for astronomy?

    Hello. I'm a French student and I'm planning to go to the United States for a graduate program in astronomy. When I will arrive in the U.S. I will begin by the first year of graduate. Then I will pursue with a Ph.D. and some postdoctoral research. I would like to know which are the best...
  2. S

    News U.S Universities Top Science Innovation List, Asia Closing

    https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/us-universities-still-at-top-in-scientific-innovation-but-asia-is-catching-up/2015/09/21/cc09a2d8-5d56-11e5-b38e-06883aacba64_story.html The United States is still occupies the top spots for scientific innovation in universities, but Asia...
  3. J0ules

    Schools How Can I Change How Universities Perceive My Application?

    I made Dean's List my senior year of undergrad, I double majored and double minored, I volunteered often and I communicate in both the social and scientific realms well. So why am I still getting turned down or "wait listed" from graduate programs? One theory; three semester near the middle of...
  4. X

    Schools Is ranking universities by scientific journals accurate?

    I am going to be a senior this year and I am considering on studying physics. I want to know what universities to apply to. I found a web page that shows universities ranked by scientific journals. A couple response would be nice. Link to web page-...
  5. J

    Universities in Canada, I can't decide

    I have been trying to decide between these two universities for the longest time, and I have to make a decision quick. I know I like physics and I love learning about it, it's just something I've always wanted to do. But after talking to many people, everyone is telling me to give engineering a...
  6. N

    Schools Universities offering PhD. in Midwifery in the US?

    Hello, My friend is looking for universities offering Phd. in Midwifery. Can you people share some universities if you guys know? Thank you!
  7. X

    Schools Dilemma regarding decision between two top universities

    Hello everyone :) For a while now I have been a lurker on this website. I absolutely love the amount answers one can find to their questions. However, at the moment I am facing a great difficulty in deciding which university I should go to. I have been accepted by several top universities...
  8. D

    Schools Thoughts on religious versus non religious universities?

    My sister is going to college next year and is considering a non religious university (UC Merced) or Seattle U, a Catholic University. She is not religious and wants to go Seattle U because my aunt is in Seattle. My question is, do religious universities have the same or even better quality...
  9. N

    Schools Low cost tuition universities for international students in the US?

    Hi, I am an international student and currently studying at community college. The tuition and living cost is pretty low here. One credit hour costs me $179 (international student), and one month living (meal+housing) costs $350. However, four year universities are pretty much expensive. I just...
  10. M

    Energy project for Universities implementation

    Hello all, this is my first time posting here so please excuse if this maybe isn't the appropriate thread to post this in but I figured it may be the most relevant. I am working on writing a proposal (small, just 450 words), that aims to address the energy efficiency of a university, ie...
  11. B

    Schools Need help choosing universities (UK)

    I have offers from Durham, Imperial, UCL and Manchester but I am struggling to see which one to firm and insurance since they all have their good and bad sides. Manchester (A*A*A): -strong history in physics, with Nobel Prize winners in their staff -in a city so there's lots to do -national...
  12. krishnaCon

    Schools Please provide me top universities for MS in USA?

    Hello friends , I pass out in year 2013 as an Electrical Engineer. Now I want to continue my ms from USA. Please suggest me best Universities for MS Programs in USA so that I can apply for it.
  13. icecubebeast

    Schools Elite Universities (Stanford, MIT, Harvard, etc.) downloads?

    Hello, I am interested in the free downloads that are publicly available on the main websites of elite universities. By "free downloads" I mean textbooks that are publicly available on the websites of the universities (in pdf or docx). That also includes public research documents from those...
  14. Luis MG

    Schools Canada Universities - Nonlinear Optics -

    Dear forum colleagues, I'm looking for universities which have a good research lab in the field of nonlinear optics, located in Canada. Can you please give me some hints or contacts? PS: If anyone need information about Brazil and Portugal, please don't hesitate and just ask! ;) Luis
  15. S

    Schools Graduate school asking for a list of universities I apply to

    Hi, I am filling up graduate school applications, but I am asked to list the universities I am applying for. Any ideas about the reasons they ask us? Should I tell them? I am afraid this information will affect the admission in a bad way.
  16. S

    Schools Which US universities do I stand a chance to pursue a PhD?

    Hi I am originally from India and finished my BEng (Hons) Electronic Systems Engineering at Lancaster University, United Kingdom. My degree average was 60% , 2:1 (Upper second). My final year project was on mm-wave waveguides. Currently, I am on way to finish my MSc Engineering (by research)...
  17. J

    Schools Good undergraduate universities for physics?

    I'm currently a sixth form student in Jamaica currently interested in becoming a medical physicist. However I know that before you do medical physics in a graduate program you need to do physics first. I have been doing some research about some good physics schools in North America. Some of...
  18. B

    Schools Senior Year Student -- What US universities are good for physics?

    Hello, I've been wondering about universities in the US. So what are relatively good universities in physics with a low tuition and good financial aid for international students? (Good universities in physics as in those that come in second or third after the "famous and prestigious"...
  19. S

    Schools Top universities in Europe for Nuclear Science?

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  20. V

    Guidance required in choosing Universities for an MSc degree

    Hello! I have a BSc degree with a triple-major in physics, mathematics and chemistry. I would like to know about universities which have a really good Master's program in physics offering a specialization in Astrophysics (preferably not in the USA). Thanks for your time!:)
  21. C

    Schools How to get funding for masters in US universities?

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  22. C

    Schools Which universities I should apply to without a Physics GRE?

    Hi fellas, I am in senior year of my undergrad and will be graduating next May. If I want to apply for the fall-2015 session, which universities will best fit me with my academic record? I have a cgpa of 3.87 out of 4.00 . I have not given general GRE yet but wish to give within December...
  23. K

    PhD Universities like Singapore University of Technology and Design

    Hi, I just went through the PhD programs offered by this university. They have 4 pillars...as they call it..one of which is Engineering Product Development (EPD), which I am interested to pursue. From what's given in their brochure.. "EPD pillar’s mission is to prepare graduate-level leaders...
  24. rakeru

    Schools French Universities For Physics

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  25. Entanglement

    Schools Are the top universities just names?

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  26. Entanglement

    Schools Questions about American universities

    Hello there, First of all I'd like you to know that I'm a permanent resident (Green Card holder), I'm going to graduate from high school in Egypt next year, I'm looking forward to applying for a college in the states, but I've been wondering how will they calculate my GPA, will my GPA be...
  27. S

    What are some universities that have affiliation to national labs/Indu

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  28. 3

    Calculus books used at top universities

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  29. A

    Schools Whoever helps me choose between these universities gets Ice-Cream 8D

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  30. M

    Schools PhD in Germany (Names of Universities)

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  31. Q

    Schools Where Can I Study Oil Mechanics for My Master's Degree in Europe?

    Hey Folk! I need your help! I am going to study abroad for my master degree, but I cannot find relevant university for my qualification. My qualification is Oil Mechanics (Mechanican engineering of OIL and gas, Oil machinery) and I want to study my master in the European countries, particulary...
  32. rakibullah

    Schools Good universities that offer PhD programme on space-time physics

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  33. Vahsek

    Schools Best universities in Ontario,Canada for undergraduate Mathematics

    Hello, I am from Ontario, Canada. I will be graduating from high school soon, and right now, I have to take care of my university application. First of all, I am interested in pure mathematics because I really like rigor, proofs etc. Thus, my choices so far are the mathematics programs from...
  34. B

    Schools Canadian Universities Suggestion

    Dear all, Here is my situation. I'm a bachelors in Electrical engg with more than 2 years of experience in control systems,circuit design and vlsi.I took the IELTS exam and got a score of 6.5 and have a gpa of 8.3/10. I also took the GRE in physics and got an unexpected worst score of 570.I...
  35. T

    Schools Any french universities for math?

    I 'm looking for universities for undergraduate studies in math/physics ,in which if I work hard enough will let me pursue a good career and enjoy and understand what I'm doing...I'm Algerian,so the only universtities I can go to are french ,because of the cost and because they don't do a whole...
  36. B

    Schools Which German Universities Should I Apply to for a Master's in Applied Physics?

    Hi all, May be this topic has been discussed many times in forums. I am a design engineer(experience of 2+ years in control systems, embedded) from India wishing to pursue my masters in applied physics(optics or solid state physics or photonics). I took the ielts exam and got overall...
  37. O

    Are research papers published by universities in china available to us

    or vice versa? does the language barrier impede the exchange of knowledge?
  38. Mohamad&Issa

    Schools Find the Best Engineering University in France

    Hello... I was searching the web for universities in France, but I could'nt decide which is the best for studying engineering. Any help?
  39. N

    Schools Best Universities for Superconductivity Research

    please let me know the best universities for everything about low temperature superconductivity research
  40. M

    Schools Good universities Theoretical Computer Science Europe

    Im looking for a good university in Europe do to a MSc in Computer Science. I'm especially interested in Theoretical Computer Science, algorithms & data structures and machine learning. Any recommentations?
  41. DiracPool

    Applying to Universities: Dealing with GRE Anxiety

    I'm applying to two different universities, each of which has a top-notch department doing the type of research I'm interested in, neural network modeling. One is a DARPA funded program in an applied math department, and the other is a program in an electrical and computer engineering...
  42. D

    Schools Best EU universities for undergraduate

    Would you recommend me some good universities in Europe where I can study Physics/Theoretical Physics? I'm a student in Sofia at the moment but under some circumstances I'd like to continue my study abroad. It would be perfect if the courses are in English but German goes, too :) Thank you in...
  43. StevieTNZ

    News Chinese cheats rort NZ universities with fakes

    "Chinese cheats rort NZ universities with fakes" http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/education/8662224/Chinese-cheats-rort-NZ-universities-with-fakes Interesting that the request B or B- essay was graded as B+.
  44. S

    Schools Choosing between three universities for Physics

    Hello, I have never posted on here before but I have spent a bit of time reading these forums over the past year or so. Anyways, I am finishing up at my local community college in the next two weeks and I just began to receive my first few acceptance and rejection letters for universities and am...
  45. PeteyCoco

    Schools North American Universities for Summer Transfer

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  46. U

    Schools Which U.S. Universities Excel in Science and Engineering Fields?

    Hello. I have a challenge, which is, I have 5 career paths I am considering. I'd love to hear ideas of colleges in the U.S. (I live there) that could prepare me for success in any of these areas: 1. Theoretical Computer Scientist 2. Applied Physicist (ex. holograms, lasers, spacecraft...
  47. A

    Schools Do you need to take the GRE test for UK universities?

    So I'm thinking that after I get my B.Sc in physics from an American university, I will do my Master's degree in the UK (or maybe Australia), I heard they don't require GRE? Is it easier to get admitted there?
  48. B

    Schools Low-ranking universities - worth it?

    I can only get into low-ranking universities with my academic record (too many retakes, poor grades, took too long to finish them). I want to study physics, but is it worth it? Not only are the student fees the same (9k a year), would I be able to get onto a graduate course coming from such a...
  49. R

    Should third world universities be considered worker's factories?

    Right now, in my country (Costa Rica), there are many people who consider universities as a worker factory, where you'll get a title and be able to work. They also consider studying other things besides law, engineering, education, and medicine are useless and suicidal decisions. Besides, in...
  50. S

    Schools Looking for universities in germany

    Hi, I am new to physics forums and after reading various posts in this section, decided to ask this question; Any suggestions for good universities in germany for physics or engineering (in general) for undergrad studies. I have heard about tuhh, but still uncertain...
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