The main focus in research and teaching at the TU Berlin is in technical and natural science fields. The university is the academic institution in Berlin with the widest offering in engineering. Beyond this, we offer degree programs in the planning sciences, social sciences, humanities and economics. The different disciplines work together in order to find solutions in the following research fields: energy, arrangement of living spaces, health and nutrition, information and communication, mobility and traffic, water, and knowledge management.
The wide spectrum of subjects belongs to the trademark of the university since its re-founding after World War II in April 1946. Its roots however reach back to the 17th century. Back then, its oldest predecessors, like the Building Academy, came into being.
Teaching and research are influenced today by a collaboration of the university with independent research institutions and the business world. The TU Berlin is a part of a nationwide unique research scene. A number of TU professors lead an independent research institute or a research division. Reputable businesses engage the university: for example the Deutsche Telekom AG with the telecommunications laboratories on the TU campus and the Siemens AG with the Center for Knowledge Interchange. Numerous independent small businesses ventures by academics as well as graduates stem from the university. The students also profit from these connections: among other things through teachings with a stronger practical focus as well as the arrangement of thesis papers, final theses and internships.
There are currently about 30,000 students registered in more than 30 subjects. 37 % of them are women. With this, the TU Berlin counts among the largest technical universities in Germany. About 6,500 people work at the university. The TU finances about one fifth of the positions through third-party funds. These are monies that the university receives from public and private institutions in addition to the funds from the state of Berlin.
