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Universitat de València | |
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| Type | Public |
|---|---|
| Established | 30 April 1499; 526 years ago (1499-04-30) |
Academic affiliations | Vives Network |
| Rector | Maria Vicenta Mestre Escrivà |
Academic staff | 3,300 |
| Students | 65,789 (Total) |
| Undergraduates | 45,000 |
| Postgraduates | 8,000 |
| Location | ,, Spain 39°28′45″N0°21′33″W / 39.47905110°N 0.35908730°W /39.47905110; -0.35908730[1] |
| Campus | Urban |
| Website | www |
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TheUniversity of Valencia (Valencian:Universitat de València[univeɾsiˈtaddevaˈlensi.a]), shortened toUV, is apublicresearch university inValencia, Spain. It is one of theoldest universities in Spain, and the oldest in theValencian Community. It is regarded as one of Spain's leading academic institutions.
The university was founded in 1499, and currently has around 55,000 students.[2] Most of the courses are taught inSpanish, however their plan is to increase the number of courses available inValencian and English as well.
It is located in the Mediterranean Spanish baseline, in the city ofValencia which is the capital and most populous city of theautonomous community of Valencia and the third largest city in Spain, with a population of 829,705 in 2014. One of its campuses is located in the metropolitan area of Valencia, in the municipalities ofBurjassot andPaterna.
The current chancellor is María Vicenta Mestre Escrivá.
At the request ofJames I the Conqueror,Pope Innocent IV in 1246 authorized (by aBull) the establishment ofestudis generals in Valencia. The University Statutes were passed by the municipal magistrates of Valencia on 30 April 1499; this is considered to be the 'founding' of the university. In 1501, PopeAlexander VI signed the bill of approval and one year laterFerdinand II the Catholic proclaimed the Royal Mandatory Concession.[citation needed]
Its foundation was due to the zeal ofVincent Ferrer (later canonised) and to the donation of a building by Mosen Pedro Vilaragut.[citation needed] Only very meagre accounts have been preserved of the practical workings of the university. From the time of its foundation the courses includedLatin,Greek,Hebrew,Arabic,philosophy,mathematics, andphysics,theology,Canon law, andmedicine.[citation needed]
The closing years of the seventeenth, and the whole of the eighteenth century, witnessed the most prosperous era of the university, Greek, Latin, mathematics, and medicine being specially cultivated.[3] Among the names of illustrious students that ofTosca,Evangelista Torricelli's friend, noted physicist and author of important mathematical works, stands out prominently. Escolano says that it was the leading university in mathematics, the humanities, philosophy, and medicine. Large anatomical drawings were made by the students. Valencia was the first university of Spain to found a course for the study of herbs. Many of the Valencian graduates of medicine became famous.Pedro Ximeno discovered the third small bone of the ear. He was professor atAlcalá and had for a pupil the celebratedVallés. Luis Collado, professor of botany, made some valuable discoveries and carried on exhaustive studies of the plants of the Levant; Vicente Alfonso Lorente wrote works on botany; and the famous botanistCavanilles was also a student of this university.[citation needed]
In the seventeenth century, the university divided into two factions, theThomists and the anti-Thomists. The discussions were heated and aroused partisan feelings throughout the entire Kingdom of Valencia. The university possessed a library of 27,000 volumes which was destroyed by the soldiers under the command of General Suchet. Among the most noted professors of the university was D.Francisco Pérez Bayer, a man of wide culture and great influence in the reign ofCharles III of Spain. Around the university several colleges for poor students sprang up: the first was founded by St.Thomas of Villanova in 1561 and then followed those founded by Doña Angela Alonsar, and Mosen Pedro Martín. The most famous, called Corpus Christi, was founded by BlessedJuan de Ribera;Philip II founded that of San Jorge; andMelchor de Villena founded the last in 1643. During theSpanish Civil War, in 1938, a fire badly damaged the library.[4]
The University of Valencia has three main urban campuses located inValencia city and in Burjassot-Paterna, and some other buildings and facilities in the hearth of Valencia town, such as the Historic Building,Botanical Garden, Cerveró Palace, the Rectorate and others, and theastronomical observatory, located in the town ofAras de los Olmos.
The University of Valencia has 18 Schools and Faculties located in its three main campuses. Each one allocates different academic departments and offers undergraduate, official masters and PhD programs.
The University of Valencia offers degrees in almost all of the academic fields: Arts and Humanities, Engineering, Health sciences, Science, and Social sciences.
The exchange programs with foreign universities, as well as other programs of International Cooperation and Development Aid, allow students to study in other academic institutions from Europe, North America, Latin America, and Asia. Regarding student mobility through Erasmus program, it is among the top ten universities in Europe. The university has partnered with International Studies Abroad, astudy abroad provider based inAustin, Texas, to bring inbound students from the United States and Canada.[5]
Research is conducted through several ways. The Academic Departments within each School, the Research Institutes, the Science Park and some others.
The Research Institutes are conceived as multi-disciplinary research structures beyond the framework of the departments; they aim to meet the demand of the economic and social context in the research and transfer fields.
| University rankings | |
|---|---|
| Global – Overall | |
| ARWU World[6] | 201–300 (2024) |
| QS World[7] | =430 (2026) |
| THE World[8] | 501–600 (2024) |
| USNWR Global[9] | 212 (2023) |
(in English)| International | |
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