The nvironment '''C'''ampus '''B'''irkenfeld ('''U'''mwelt-'''C'''ampus '''B'''irkenfeld) 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-Paladine, close to the border of
Saarland ,
Luxemburg ,
Belgium and
France . There are 2,000 students enrolled in two departments. There are a total of 50 professors teaching in both departments ( ''Environmental Planning / Environmental Technic (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 of 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 halls that provide rooms 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 Source s to generate heat.
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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.
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.
degrees offered
- 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.
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 University in ( Kyoto , Japan ). This degree opens the door to a dual degree (one from UCB, one from Ritsumeikan) and is headed by Mr. Sigmar Gabriel .
- Environmental and marketing and management
(4 terms)
- European commercial law (planned starting from winter 2006/2007)
(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.
