Jacobs Philosophy

"Our goal is to prepare the leaders of tomorrow to responsibly meet global challenges"

Jacobs University is a highly selective, international, independent, residential university. Excellence and transdisciplinarity, diversity and community, and leadership and values are the pillars of a Jacobs education.

We are committed to:

• academic excellence and the creation of knowledge
• transdisciplinary research and teaching
• ethnic, socio-economic and gender diversity
• intercultural respect and global citizenship
• environmental responsibility and sustainable campus practices
• promoting an entrepreneurial spirit
• paving the way for careers in the private sector, public service and academia
• creating a worldwide community of lifelong learners

Excellence and Transdisciplinarity

We promote excellence in academia. Our students are selected in a highly competitive process, and the university attracts exceptional faculty and staff from inside and outside Germany.

For Jacobs University, excellence in teaching means strong professor-student interaction, and challenging curricula. Students are encouraged and expected to interact with their instructors and fellow students, discussing material and deepening their understanding of the field while working both independently and in groups. This enables them to push the cutting edge of scientific knowledge.

Students are involved in research from the undergraduate level on to find solutions for today’s global challenges. Together with our partners in academia, public service and the private sector, Jacobs University focuses on the concrete and practical necessities of operating in a rapidly changing world. Our research actively addresses global challenges such as:

• Energy and Environment
• Food, Water and Health
• "Bildung", Information and Communication
• Peace and Conflict Management

We acknowledge that these challenges are frequently interconnected and require approaches from multiple scientific disciplines. Therefore, the university combines excellence in the fields with a strong emphasis on transdisciplinarity. Through the structure of curricula and interdisciplinary courses, students are challenged to look beyond the confines of their chosen major and to work together in research groups that cut across academic fields.

Diversity and Community

Jacobs University is one of the most diverse universities worldwide. More than 75% of our students come from outside of Germany. This plurality allows our community to break down cultural barriers and create a community where no one group constitutes a majority. Instead, students from all over the world live and study together on our lush 100-acre campus.

Understanding the importance of role models who are as diverse as our student body, Jacobs University is committed to the development of a diverse international faculty and staff. Jacobs University does not discriminate on the basis of national or ethnic origin, color, religion, age, gender, sexual orientation, or disability.

The university community encourages students to show pride in their cultures and provides venues for sharing their heritage with the Jacobs community, their host families, and the local neighborhood. At the same time, the Jacobs University culture emphasizes a strong sense of community and connectedness among its students, alumni, faculty and staff.

An important part of community spirit at Jacobs University is student life in our residential colleges. Students of different cultures live together in shared apartments and become active members of a multi-national college community that enables them to identify with one another and with the distinct character of their college. Members of the Jacobs community come together to celebrate university traditions and participate in athletic, social and cultural activities.

Leadership and Values

An excellent academic education is not enough to address present and future global concerns. Initiative, creativity, responsible leadership, social awareness and a passion for lifelong learning are essential traits that Jacobs University seeks to nurture.

Jacobs University’s values guide each decision of the governing bodies of the university and are affirmed in the Code of Community, our blueprint for living in community:

The core of the Jacobs spirit is the importance of mutual respect and understanding of the many cultures that come together on our campus. All members of our community are engaged in creating an atmosphere that promotes pride in our diversity and honors our differences.

Every person in our community has the ability and responsibility to instigate positive change by being pro-active. Self-initiative and courage are essential for creating the lives we aspire to live.

Social entrepreneurs are important agents of change in a globalized society. Jacobs University encourages students to recognize problems and use entrepreneurial principles to organize, create, and manage ventures that bring about change, and to measure success in terms of impact.

Members of the Jacobs University community have a strong commitment to environmental responsibility as an important institutional value. Environmental stewardship and the promotion of sustainable practices are threaded through all facets of campus life.

Research and education at the university go hand in hand with a thorough instruction in ethics and values. Honesty and integrity guide our academic, social, and interpersonal endeavors.