Constructor University


Constructor University, formerly Jacobs University Bremen, is an international, private, residential research university located in Vegesack, Bremen, Germany. It offers study programs in engineering, humanities, natural and social sciences, in which students can acquire bachelor's, master's or doctorate degrees.
Most of the instruction at the university is in English. Constructor University's students come from more than 110 countries, with about 80% foreign students and approximately 33% international faculty members.

History

Constructor University was founded in 1999 with the support of the University of Bremen, Rice University in Houston, Texas, and the Free Hanseatic City of Bremen, with study programs beginning in 2001. The Jacobs Foundation invested €200 million in the institution in November 2006, thus taking over a two-thirds majority of the partnership share. At the beginning of 2007, the university changed its name to Jacobs University Bremen. In November 2022 it changed its name to Constructor University.
The campus is located on the site of the former Roland Barracks in Bremen-Grohn. The site was erected in 1938 during the National Socialist period. After the Second World War, it was transformed into a displaced-persons camp by the International Refugee Organization under the management of the American forces base known as Camp Grohn. Shortly after the formation of the Bundeswehr, Camp Grohn was passed into the responsibility of the German government in 1955 and renamed Roland Kaserne. Roland Kaserne housed a Bundeswehr logistics school during the Cold War. In 1999, the military base was inactivated, making way for the university.
The approximately 34-hectare site of the campus university is home to four residential colleges, buildings for administration, lecturing and research, an Information Resource Center with a library and digital resources, sport, leisure and park facilities.

Financing

The financing of Constructor University has been the subject of controversy, especially in Bremen. For a long time, the university generated income from various sources such as tuition fees, donations, third-party funding and grants from the Jacobs Foundation. Funding from the state of Bremen, amounting to three million euros annually, expired in 2017.
In June 2018, the Jacobs Foundation decided to support the private university with a maximum of another 100 million Swiss francs until 2027. Also in June 2018, the city of Bremen decided that it would take over a loan from the university's founding phase.
In the summer of 2020, the Jacobs Foundation announced its withdrawal from funding. The foundation's majority shares were transferred to the Verein zur Förderung der wissenschaftlichen Forschung in Bremen e.V.
In September 2021, the Bremen Senate approved the sale of Bremen's shares to the Schaffhausen Institute of Technology. The new majority owner plans to invest 50 million euros in Jacobs University, half of which by the end of 2024.
In November 2022 SIT changed its name to Constructor Group.

Organization

The university is managed by a not-for-profit company Constructor University Bremen gGmbH. In line with the statutes, it is composed of four organs: the councilors, the board of trustees, the board of governors and the executive board, which comprises the managing director and the president. The board of governors is the central decision-making committee for all the fundamental questions of the university's development, including the appointment of the president and the professors. Christian Jacobs, the eldest son of the entrepreneur and patron Klaus J. Jacobs, is a member of the board of trustees of the Jacobs Foundation.

University leadership

  • Stanislav Protasov, President
  • Fabio Pammolli, President
  • Andrea Herzig-Erler and Thomas Auf der Heyde
  • Antonio Loprieno, President 2019 – 2020
  • Michael Hülsmann, President 2018 – 2019
  • Katja Windt, President 2014 – 2018
  • Heinz-Otto Peitgen President 2013 – 2014
  • Joachim Treusch, President 2006 – 2012
  • Fritz Schaumann, President 1999 – 2006

    Board of Governors

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Constructor Group, previously known as the Schaffhausen Institute of Technology, abbreviated SIT, is a private non-profit institute in Switzerland founded in 2019 by entrepreneur Serg Bell. The institute focuses on computer science, physics and digital transformation. Its partners are Carnegie Mellon University and the School of Computing at the National University of Singapore.
The development of the institute was funded by the Canton of Schaffhausen with 3 million Swiss francs.
The academic focus is led by 2010 Nobel Prize winner in physics Konstantin Novoselov.

Study programs

Constructor University offers bachelor's, master's, and doctoral programs, as well as a preparatory program. From the first semester, students are involved in their professors' research projects. The university sees itself as a melting pot of cultures, ideas, and perspectives and aims to create a safe and attractive learning environment. From counseling and intercultural services, job and career services, German courses, and club activities, to campus life offerings, students have access to numerous resources.
At Constructor University, both teaching and research are organized into three thematic areas of focus, comparable to faculties at other German universities.
1. Mobility: Understanding the global movement of people, goods, and information.
2. Health: developing solutions for a healthier world.
3. Diversity: Deciphering a modern, global world.
Both undergraduate and graduate programs are offered in these Focus Areas. In addition, the university offers a college preparatory program. Its purpose is to help students decide on their future study path and meet international admission criteria. The language of instruction is English. The degree programs are practice-oriented. Students are involved in the research work of their professors from the first semester onwards, and in the fifth semester,there is the possibility of a stay abroad.
The program can be completed with the academic degrees Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Science, Master of Arts, Master of Science, Executive Master / Master of Business Administration and Doctor of Philosophy. Tuition fees for a bachelor's or master's degree program are around €20,000 per academic year. Additional costs are incurred for room and board. A system of scholarships and loans is designed to ensure that all admitted applicants to bachelor's programs can begin their studies. Following the motto "Study now, pay later," Constructor University offers a financing model for tuition fees together with the Brain Capital education fund.

Bachelor's degree programs

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  • Data Science for Society and Business
  • Data Engineering
  • Supply Chain Management
  • Psychology
  • International Relations
There are two different approaches to earning a PhD degree at Constructor University:
  • Individual, research-oriented degrees and structured PhD programs such as the Bremen International School of Social Sciences, which is offered in cooperation with the University of Bremen.
  • In addition, Constructor University is affiliated with the Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology and the Alfred Wegener Institute through the graduate program Marine Microbiology.

    Preparation Program: Foundation Year

The academic preparation program, the International Foundation Year, provides tailored academic and personal support for individual development and prepares participants for the challenges of university-level study. In addition to building your academic knowledge and skills, the program builds self-confidence and teaches important lifelong social, professional and personal skills.