Mainz University has done particularly well in criteria indicative of teaching commitment and study management
08.05.2015
Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (JGU) has received mainly good and some very good ratings in the current version of the CHE University Ranking. Mainz University is high up the rankings for learning and teaching in the disciplines of Political Science, Physics, Mathematics, and Geosciences. Mainz University has also done particularly well with regard to indicators of teaching commitment and study management. When it comes to the criterion "Graduations in appropriate time," eight of the ten evaluated subjects were placed in the top group, namely Physics, Geosciences, Medicine, Political Science, Mathematics, Geography, Dentistry, and Sports. In terms of the criterion "Study entry phase," five of the ten subjects are among the leading group, i.e., Geosciences, Computer Science, Medicine, Political Science, and Dentistry.
The President of Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Professor Georg Krausch, considers JGU's great performance in the current CHE University Ranking to be confirmation of the effectiveness of the university’s teaching concept. This is in part attributable to the project "Teaching – Organizing – Counseling. Success factors attributable to the Bologna process" that is being supported under the German Quality Pact for Teaching. "In order to further improve our teaching and learning processes, we have launched a series of sustained measures over past years that are designed to enhance human resource and organizational development. This investment in our core advisory services that cover the full student life cycle, in decentralized faculty advisory services, and in study management is paying dividends in the form of the in some instances excellent evaluations in the CHE University Rankings." Over the past ten years, Mainz University has been subjecting its level of teaching commitment to close scrutiny in order to create a uniform teaching strategy. The establishment of the Gutenberg Teaching Council (GTC) was another important phase in this process. In addition to acting as a strategic advisor to the University Administration, the GTC also initiates appropriate measures designed to promote the continued development of teaching, the improvement of existing academic teaching skills, and of study course structures at JGU. Particular emphasis is given to conscious evaluation of teaching and learning processes at all levels of the university.
Political Science at JGU is ranked among the best with regard to the criteria "International orientation of Master's degree programs," "Practical orientation," "Study entry phase," "Graduation in appropriate time," "IT infrastructure," and "Rooms." Physics is also among the leading group in terms of "International orientation of Master's degree programs," "Graduation in appropriate time," "Library," and "Contact with students." Mathematics scored well in the criteria "Graduation in appropriate time," "Contact with students," "Library," and "IT infrastructure." The discipline of Geosciences was successful in the criteria "Practical orientation," "Graduation in appropriate time," and "Study entry phase."
In terms of research, to which relatively little weight was given in the current CHE University Ranking system, Geosciences and Pharmaceutical Sciences at Mainz University were among the best with regard to "Publications" and "Citations." Dentistry and Geography did well in the "Doctorates per professor" criteria, achieving a ranking that places them in the corresponding leading groups.
The CHE University Ranking is one of the most extensive and detailed rankings employed in the German-speaking world. More than 300 universities and universities of applied sciences were assessed by the Center for Higher Education (CHE) to put together the latest rankings. In addition to learning, teaching, and research, the ranking also takes into account evaluations by students of the learning conditions at their university. Assessed for the purposes of the current rankings were the subjects Computer Science, Physics, Mathematics, Geosciences, Geography, Pharmaceutical Sciences, Medicine and Dentistry, Sport/Sports Science, and Political Science at institutions of higher education in Germany.