Environment Campus Birkenfeld
Encyclopedia
The Environment Campus Birkenfeld (Umwelt-Campus Birkenfeld) is a branch of the largest University of Applied Sciences
(Fachhochschule Trier) in the state Rhineland-Palatinate
, Germany
. It is close to the small town of Birkenfeld
in Rhineland-Palatinate, close to the border of Saarland
, Luxembourg
, Belgium
and France
. There are 2,200 students enrolled in two departments. There are a total of 50 professors teaching in both departments ( Environmental Planning / Environmental Technology (Umweltplanung und -technik) and Environment Business / Environment Law (Umweltwirtschaft und -recht)).
There are still Diplom
students enrolled at ECB, but as part of the Bologna process
, the course curriculum and degrees offered have been modified. Since the beginning of the academic year in October 2005, only bachelor and master students are being accepted.
ECB is structured as a residential campus. It offers education, housing and employment all in one location (this is very rare in Germany). There are 6 residential structures that provide housing for 600 students. As is characteristic of a university of applied sciences, the campus is structured so that the students have the opportunity to receive an early introduction to the sciences. Students are encouraged to take part in any of the research projects underway on campus. Some programs are even designed solely for student participation.
One such specialized project is the traveling university. Students have the opportunity to travel to one of a selection of foreign countries to work on a project for a period of two weeks. Typical projects involve renewable energy sources and have been conducted in places as diverse as Opplen (Poland
) and Kunming
(China
). Similar future projects will be located in Brazil
.
Incidentally, ECB is the only University in Germany that uses Renewable Energy Sources to generate heat.
ECB has a very short history compared with other universities across the globe, however it is just as intriguing. The campus area was originally a US Army hospital
that was built as a contingency in the event of a 3rd world war
. Fortunately, it was never needed.
Near this location (Baumholder
) was the 98th General Hospital, established in Neubrücke (a small town near Birkenfeld). The hospital had an area of 440,000 square metres when it opened in 1952. It had 1,000 beds as well as various medical specialty sections: Surgery, dental medicine, orthopedics, radiology, rehabilitation, eye medicine and others. The hospital was open through the 1970s and was closed in 1984 due to operational expenses.
In 1994 the US Army finally gave up on the hospital and by 1996 the complex was empty.
In 1996 the ECB campus was born. The first step was undertaken by the Landrat (county commissioner) of the Landkreis Birkenfeld (Birkenfeld County) Dr. Ernst Theilen. The academic founders were three professors; Prof. Dr. Michael Eulenstein, Prof. Dr.-Ing. Hanns Köhler and Prof. Dr. Marott Bronder. They offered the first courses taught at ECB.
At first, there was a lot of construction underway on campus. The final phase of construction (Central new building) was completed in 2000.
degrees offered
(6 terms)
(7 terms).
The course of study for these degrees differ slightly from those offered in the United States, however, the German accreditation agency AQUAS will accept either.
(4 terms)
(3 terms)
Although the environmental campus has only existed since 1996, it has already launched a set of institutes and competency centers built around the scientific curriculum.
Some of these are already internationally recognized.
Fachhochschule
A Fachhochschule or University of Applied Sciences is a German type of tertiary education institution, sometimes specialized in certain topical areas . Fachhochschulen were founded in Germany and later adopted by Austria, Liechtenstein, Switzerland and Greece...
(Fachhochschule Trier) in the state Rhineland-Palatinate
Rhineland-Palatinate
Rhineland-Palatinate is one of the 16 states of the Federal Republic of Germany. It has an area of and about four million inhabitants. The capital is Mainz. English speakers also commonly refer to the state by its German name, Rheinland-Pfalz ....
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
. It is close to the small town of Birkenfeld
Birkenfeld
Birkenfeld is a town and the district seat of the Birkenfeld district in southwest Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is also the seat of the like-named Verbandsgemeinde.-Location:...
in Rhineland-Palatinate, close to the border of Saarland
Saarland
Saarland is one of the sixteen states of Germany. The capital is Saarbrücken. It has an area of 2570 km² and 1,045,000 inhabitants. In both area and population, it is the smallest state in Germany other than the city-states...
, Luxembourg
Luxembourg
Luxembourg , officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg , is a landlocked country in western Europe, bordered by Belgium, France, and Germany. It has two principal regions: the Oesling in the North as part of the Ardennes massif, and the Gutland in the south...
, Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
and France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. There are 2,200 students enrolled in two departments. There are a total of 50 professors teaching in both departments ( Environmental Planning / Environmental Technology (Umweltplanung und -technik) and Environment Business / Environment Law (Umweltwirtschaft und -recht)).
There are still Diplom
Diplom
A Diplom is an academic degree in the German-speaking countries Germany, Austria, and Switzerland and a similarly named degree in some other European countries including Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Estonia, Finland , Greece, Hungary, Russia, Serbia, Macedonia, Slovenia, and Ukraine...
students enrolled at ECB, but as part of the Bologna process
Bologna process
The purpose of the Bologna Process is the creation of the European Higher Education Area by making academic degree standards and quality assurance standards more comparable and compatible throughout Europe, in particular under the Lisbon Recognition Convention...
, the course curriculum and degrees offered have been modified. Since the beginning of the academic year in October 2005, only bachelor and master students are being accepted.
ECB is structured as a residential campus. It offers education, housing and employment all in one location (this is very rare in Germany). There are 6 residential structures that provide housing for 600 students. As is characteristic of a university of applied sciences, the campus is structured so that the students have the opportunity to receive an early introduction to the sciences. Students are encouraged to take part in any of the research projects underway on campus. Some programs are even designed solely for student participation.
One such specialized project is the traveling university. Students have the opportunity to travel to one of a selection of foreign countries to work on a project for a period of two weeks. Typical projects involve renewable energy sources and have been conducted in places as diverse as Opplen (Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
) and Kunming
Kunming
' is the capital and largest city of Yunnan Province in Southwest China. It was known as Yunnan-Fou until the 1920s. A prefecture-level city, it is the political, economic, communications and cultural centre of Yunnan, and is the seat of the provincial government...
(China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
). Similar future projects will be located in Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
.
Incidentally, ECB is the only University in Germany that uses Renewable Energy Sources to generate heat.
History
Hospital
A hospital is a health care institution providing patient treatment by specialized staff and equipment. Hospitals often, but not always, provide for inpatient care or longer-term patient stays....
that was built as a contingency in the event of a 3rd world war
World war
A world war is a war affecting the majority of the world's most powerful and populous nations. World wars span multiple countries on multiple continents, with battles fought in multiple theaters....
. Fortunately, it was never needed.
Near this location (Baumholder
Baumholder
Baumholder is a town in the Birkenfeld district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany, in the Westrich, an historic region that encompasses areas in both Germany and France...
) was the 98th General Hospital, established in Neubrücke (a small town near Birkenfeld). The hospital had an area of 440,000 square metres when it opened in 1952. It had 1,000 beds as well as various medical specialty sections: Surgery, dental medicine, orthopedics, radiology, rehabilitation, eye medicine and others. The hospital was open through the 1970s and was closed in 1984 due to operational expenses.
In 1994 the US Army finally gave up on the hospital and by 1996 the complex was empty.
Environment campus
At first, there was a lot of construction underway on campus. The final phase of construction (Central new building) was completed in 2000.
Study
The attractive features of ECB are the modern methods of teaching, the small class sizes and the international contacts. There are now 2,000 students enrolled from beginning of winter semester 2005. There are 8 Bachelor and 7 Master degree programs offered. An additional masters program will also be offered and is currently in the development phase.Bachelor
- mechanical engineering/product development and technology management (Bachelor of engineering)
- bio -, environmental and process engineering (Bachelor of engineering)
- physics engineering (Bachelor of engineering)
- industrial engineer natural/environmental planning (Bachelor of Science)
- applied computer science (Bachelor of Science)
- media and computer science (Bachelor of Science)
- environmental marketing and management (Bachelor of Arts)
(6 terms)
- economics and environment law (Bachelor of Laws)
(7 terms).
The course of study for these degrees differ slightly from those offered in the United States, however, the German accreditation agency AQUAS will accept either.
Masters
degrees offered- mechanical engineering/digital product development
- Business administration and engineering
- sustainable process technology
- energy and environmental technology
- applied computer science
- international masters of material flow management, together with Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific UniversityRitsumeikan Asia Pacific University, or APU, is a private institution inaugurated April 2000 in Beppu, Ōita, Japan. APU was made possible through the collaboration of three parties from the public and private sectors: Ōita Prefecture, Beppu City and the Ritsumeikan Academy. APU has an enrollment of over 6,000 students...
in (Beppu, JapanJapanJapan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
). This degree opens the door to a dual degree (one from UCB, one from Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University) and is headed by Mr. Sigmar GabrielSigmar GabrielSigmar Gabriel is a German politician currently chairing the Social Democratic Party of Germany .On 15 December 1999, after the resignation of Gerhard Glogowski, who had succeeded Gerhard Schröder in office, Gabriel became Minister-President of Lower Saxony and served until 4 March 2003...
. - Environmental and marketing and management
(4 terms)
- European commercial law (planned starting from winter 2006/2007)
(3 terms)
Research
Some of these are already internationally recognized.
Institutes
- IfaS Institut für angewandtes Stoffstrommanagement Institute for applied material flow managementMaterial flow managementMaterial flow management is a method of efficiently managing materials.Material flow management is the goal oriented, efficient use of materials, material streams and energy. The goals are given by ecological and economical areas and by observing social aspects...
- IBT Institut für Betriebs- und Technologiemanagement Institute for operational and technology management
- ISS Institute for software systems
- IMiP Institute for micro process engineeringEngineeringEngineering is the discipline, art, skill and profession of acquiring and applying scientific, mathematical, economic, social, and practical knowledge, in order to design and build structures, machines, devices, systems, materials and processes that safely realize improvements to the lives of...
and particle technologyParticle technologyParticle technology is that branch of science and engineering dealing with the production, handling, modification, and use of a wide variety of particulate materials, both wet or dry, in sizes ranging from nanometers to centimeters; its scope spans a range of industries to include chemical,... - ZBF Zentrum für Bodenschutz and Flächenhaushaltspolitik Center for soil protection and area planning
- BAQI Birkenfelder Institut für Ausbildung und Qualitätssicherung im Insolvenzwesen Birkenfelder institute for education and quality assuranceQuality AssuranceQuality assurance, or QA for short, is the systematic monitoring and evaluation of the various aspects of a project, service or facility to maximize the probability that minimum standards of quality are being attained by the production process...
for insolvency management
Competence Centers
- Fuel CellFuel cellA fuel cell is a device that converts the chemical energy from a fuel into electricity through a chemical reaction with oxygen or another oxidizing agent. Hydrogen is the most common fuel, but hydrocarbons such as natural gas and alcohols like methanol are sometimes used...
Centre Rhineland-Palatinate - competence center for local environmental lawEnvironmental lawEnvironmental law is a complex and interlocking body of treaties, conventions, statutes, regulations, and common law that operates to regulate the interaction of humanity and the natural environment, toward the purpose of reducing the impacts of human activity...
(KKU) - center for media-based teaching and communicationCommunicationCommunication is the activity of conveying meaningful information. Communication requires a sender, a message, and an intended recipient, although the receiver need not be present or aware of the sender's intent to communicate at the time of communication; thus communication can occur across vast...
(ZmLK) - center for aviation management (ZfL)
Partner Universities
- China: Kunming UniversityKunming UniversityKunming University 昆明大学, founded in 1984, is Yunnan's only comprehensive professional university approved by the Ministry of Education of the People's Republic of China....
, Sichuan UniversitySichuan UniversitySichuan University is one of the oldest national universities in China. It is ranked No. 8 among the Chinese universities according to the 2010 Academic Ranking of World Universities.... - US: Midwestern State UniversityMidwestern State UniversityMidwestern State University is a public liberal arts college in Wichita Falls, Texas, and a member of the Council of Public Liberal Arts Colleges...
, Lander UniversityLander UniversityLander University is a public university located in Greenwood, South Carolina. It is the state's smallest publicly-funded baccalaureate institution.-History:...
, Clemson UniversityClemson UniversityClemson University is an American public, coeducational, land-grant, sea-grant, research university located in Clemson, South Carolina, United States....
, Warren-Wilson College, Washington University
External links