University

University of Göttingen

University
#15
Global Influence
University in the city of Göttingen, Germany

University of Göttingen Featured Rankings

About University of Göttingen

By James Barham, PhD

The University of Göttingen was established under the auspices of Georg August, Elector of Hanover, who was at the same time King George II of Great Britain and Ireland. Born in Hanover in 1683, Georg August acceded to both the Electorship and the British throne upon his father George I’s death in 1727.

The last of the British monarchs to be born outside of the UK, Georg August’s ties to his native region of Lower Saxony remained strong. As that Land (state or province) did not possess a university at the time of Georg August’s accession to his twin titles, the new Elector and King made it a priority to bring one into being there—in the small town of Göttingen, which lies about 76 miles due south of the provincial capital, Hanover.

The new University of Göttingen was explicitly tasked by Georg August with fostering the goals of the Aufklärung (Enlightenment), which accounts for the school’s heavy emphasis right from the beginning on mathematics and the natural sciences. For a relatively small institution (some 31,000 students), Göttingen’s roster of Nobel laureates and other famous names is simply astonishing.

Among the more than 40 Nobel Prize–winners in total who have been connected to Göttingen, we may mention:

  • Robert Koch and Thomas Südhof—physiology or medicine
  • Irving Langmuir, Walther Nernst, and Peter Debye—chemistry
  • Max Planck, Max Born, Werner Heisenberg, Enrico Fermi, Wolfgang Pauli, Paul Dirac, and Max von Laue—physics

It is interesting to note the presence of quite a few foreigners on this list—the American Irving Langmuir, the Dutchman Peter Debye, the Englishman Paul Dirac, and the Italian Enrico Fermi—which eloquently testifies to the stellar international reputation the Göttingen enjoyed in math and science.

The university is especially renowned for the quality of the mathematicians who have studied or taught there, among whom are some of the foremost contributors to mathematics of the past three centuries, including Carl Friedrich Gauss, Bernhard Riemann, Richard Dedekind, Georg Cantor, Richard Courant, Emmy Noether, Hermann Weyl, and Constantin Carathéodory.

As for the many other famous intellectuals who have been associated with Göttingen, the following lists are but a small sampling. Beginning with the eighteenth century, we have:

  • Famous aphorist, Georg Christoph Lichtenberg
  • Folklorist brothers, Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm
  • Philologist and linguist, Wilhelm von Humboldt
  • Naturalist and explorer, Alexander von Humboldt
  • Biologist, Johann Friedrich Blumenbach

In the nineteenth century we find in Göttingen such luminaries as:

  • Matthias Schleiden, co-discoverer (with Theodor Schwann and Rudolf Virchow) of the cellular nature of life
  • Evolutionary biologist, August Weismann
  • Physicist, Wilhelm Weber
  • Novelist, Jeremias Gotthelf
  • Cherished poet, Heinrich Heine
  • Philosophers, Arthur Schopenhauer & Rudolf Eucken
  • Biblical scholar, Julius Wellhausen
  • Banker and financier, J.P. Morgan
  • Towering German statesman, Otto von Bismarck

Among twentieth-century notables (apart from the Nobel Prize laureates already listed), we may mention the philosophers

  • Johann Friedrich Herbart
  • Hermann Lotze
  • Edmund Husserl
  • Edith Stein
  • Roman Ingarden
  • Adolf Reinach
  • Dietrich von Hildebrand
  • Jürgen Habermas
  • Psychoanalyst, Karen Horney
  • Sociologist, Max Weber
  • Chemist and evolutionary theorist, Manfred Eigen
  • Physicists, Emmy Noether (who gets double billing thanks to her pathbreaking, foundational work both in pure mathematics and in theoretical physics), J. Robert Oppenheimer, & C.F. von Weizsäcker

All in all, it is an amazing roster for such a small university—which just goes to show that in the intellectual world, size isn’t everything.

According to Wikipedia, The University of Göttingen, officially the Georg August University of Göttingen, is a public research university in the city of Göttingen, Germany. Founded in 1734 by George II, King of Great Britain and Elector of Hanover, and starting classes in 1737, the Georgia Augusta was conceived to promote the ideals of the Enlightenment. It is the oldest university in the state of Lower Saxony and the largest in student enrollment, which stands at around 31,600.

University of Göttingen's Online Degrees

What Is University of Göttingen Known For?

University of Göttingen is known for it's academic work in the following disciplines:

University of Göttingen's Top Areas of Influence With Degrees Offered

Mathematics
#2
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#1
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Geometry
#1
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#1
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Algebra
#1
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#1
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Number Theory
#1
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#1
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math Degrees
Physics
#3
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#1
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Astronomy
#6
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#1
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Nuclear Physics
#1
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#1
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Astrophysics
#12
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#10
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physics Degrees
Philosophy
#12
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#9
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Logic
#4
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#3
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Mathematical Logic
#1
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#2
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Ethics
#25
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#29
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philosophy Degrees
Biology
#14
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#11
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Physiology
#6
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#8
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Botany
#5
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#5
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Anatomy
#3
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#7
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biology Degrees
Chemistry
#3
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#1
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Organic Chemistry
#2
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#2
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Physical Chemistry
#1
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#2
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Inorganic Chemistry
#1
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#1
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chemistry Degrees
Literature
#15
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#9
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Philology
#1
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#1
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Writing
#24
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#20
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Mythology
#4
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#5
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literature Degrees
Communications
#15
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#12
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Linguistics
#21
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#15
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Grammar
#6
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#6
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Journalism
#188
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#144
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communications Degrees
Religious Studies
#6
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#7
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Theology
#6
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#6
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Ministry
#29
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#29
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Christian Theology
#2
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#2
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religious-studies-hub Degrees
Law
#14
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#12
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Jurisprudence
#6
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#6
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International Law
#18
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#16
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Civil Law
#6
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#6
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History
#13
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#12
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Ancient History
#3
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#4
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Modern History
#8
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#8
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Ecclesiastical History
#4
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#4
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history Degrees
Medical
#26
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#26
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Surgery
#19
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#16
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Hygiene
#5
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#5
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Obstetrics
#2
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#2
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medicine Degrees
Education
#30
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#29
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Higher Education
#83
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#83
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Pedagogy
#18
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#15
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Secondary Education
#81
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#81
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education Degrees
Psychology
#43
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#25
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Experimental Psychology
#9
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#8
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Psychophysics
#1
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#1
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Social Psychology
#47
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#51
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psychology Degrees
Engineering
#77
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#47
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Architecture
#185
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#129
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Cybernetics
#17
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#2
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Electrical Engineering
#64
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#64
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engineering Degrees
Political Science
#54
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#45
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Government
#31
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#31
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Political Economy
#37
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#29
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Human Rights
#183
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#184
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political-science Degrees
Earth Sciences
#2
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#2
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Mineralogy
#1
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#1
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Geography
#16
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#6
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Geophysics
#1
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#1
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earth-science Degrees
Computer Science
#66
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#53
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Database
#37
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#37
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Artificial Intelligence
#131
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#84
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Data Science
#4
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#4
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computer-science Degrees
Business
#129
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#130
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Management
#107
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#107
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Finance
#111
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#111
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Sales
#69
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#69
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business Degrees
Economics
#73
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#69
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Taxation
#48
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#48
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Mathematical Economics
#23
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#24
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Public Finance
#47
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#47
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economics Degrees
Anthropology
#23
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#22
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Ethnography
#7
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#7
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Cultural Anthropology
#11
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#14
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Archeology
#34
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#34
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anthropology Degrees
Sociology
#28
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#30
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Sexology
#34
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#41
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Conflict Theory
#28
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#28
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Sociobiology
#38
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#38
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sociology Degrees
Nursing
#72
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#73
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nursing Degrees
Criminal Justice
#308
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#314
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Law Enforcement
#344
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#344
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Criminology
#315
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#320
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Policing
#548
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#548
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criminal-justice Degrees
Social Work
#176
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#177
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Gerontology
#24
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#24
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Empowerment
#1341
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#1341
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Substance Abuse
#942
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#942
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social-work Degrees

Who Are University of Göttingen's Most Influential Alumni?

University of Göttingen's most influential alumni include professors and professionals in the fields of Mathematics, Physics, and Chemistry. Here are some of University of Göttingen's most famous alumni:

Max Weber
Max Weber
A German sociologist, philosopher, and political economist .
Jürgen Habermas
Jürgen Habermas
A German sociologist and philosopher .
John von Neumann
John von Neumann
A Hungarian-American mathematician and polymath .
Carl Friedrich Gauss
Carl Friedrich Gauss
A German mathematician and physicist .
Max Born
Max Born
A German-Jewish physicist and mathematician.
Arthur Schopenhauer
Arthur Schopenhauer
A German philosopher .
Gottlob Frege
Gottlob Frege
A German philosopher, logician, and mathematician .
Norbert Wiener
Norbert Wiener
An American mathematician, scientist in cybernetics and artificial intelligence.
Edward Teller
Edward Teller
A Hungarian-American nuclear physicist.
Hermann Weyl
Hermann Weyl
A German mathematician.
Bernhard Riemann
Bernhard Riemann
A German mathematician.
Otto von Bismarck
Otto von Bismarck
A German statesman and Chancellor .

Who Are University of Göttingen's Most Influential Faculty?

University of Göttingen's most influential faculty include professors in the fields of Mathematics, Physics, and Chemistry. Here are some of University of Göttingen's most famous alumni:

Harald Helfgott
Harald Helfgott
A Peruvian mathematician.
Joybrato Mukherjee
Joybrato Mukherjee
A German university teacher.
Bee Scherer
A German historian of religion.
Christian Reiher
Christian Reiher
A German mathematician.
Nils Ole Oermann
A German theologian.
Axel Dreher
A German economist.
Andreas Urs Sommer
Andreas Urs Sommer
A German philosopher.
Viola Priesemann
A German physicist.
Carola-Bibiane Schönlieb
Carola-Bibiane Schönlieb
An Austrian mathematician, (1979 - ), Vienna, Austria.
Jörg Philipp Terhechte
A German jurist.
Katrin Wendland
Katrin Wendland
A German mathematician.
Melina Schuh
A German molecular biologist.