The University
The first step towards creating a formal university was taken with the establishmentof the Academy of Law in 1763. Later, in 1889, through the effective stewardship of a local, visionary political leader, Georges Python, the authorities of the canton of Fribourg agreed to found what would become the first university of a Catholic canton in Switzerland.
An International Institution
The University of Fribourg is Switzerlandas only bilingual institution for tertiary education. The impressive growth of the number of students in the last 30 years is a true indication of the Universityas dynamism; during the past 15 years, its student body has more than doubled. Compared to other universities in Switzerland, the proportion of students in the University of Fribourg from outside the canton is particularly high a a clear indication that its reputation transcends regional boundaries.
Approximately 50% of the student population has German as their mother tongue, 29% has French, and 8% Italian. The variety of nationalities among students and professors generates an intellectually stimulating atmosphere. The University of Fribourg is a truly international institution; as much as 20% of the student body and almost one third of its teaching staff hail from abroad.

Capturing the Spirit of Fribourg
The University continues to enjoy a friendly, family-like atmosphere despite its recent impressive growth. Bilingual Fribourg, with the ambience typical of a university town, fosters enjoyable interpersonal contact and encourages stimulating encounters with scholars and students of all ages

A Modern, Sober and Elegant Campus
The new campus of PArolles 2 is one of the Universityas most recent responses to the steady growth of the student body over the past 15 years. The brainchild of the architectural firm of B. Braissant-Hiltbrunner-Schmid, it embodies an astonishing blend
of function, elegance and comfort. It is a veritable work of art, whose beauty has been captured by Anne Blanchet of Geneva in her chef daoeuvre aThe Bridge of Lights.a
PArolles 2 is a major step towards the expansion of the University. It provides workspaces for an additional 2,200 people, thereby considerably improving the quality of life at the University. PArolles 2 has turned the plateau on which the campus is situated into a marvellous ensemble for education, research and innovation. Several of the Universityas Faculties a including, for instance, the Faculty of Economics and Social Sciences, the Faculty of Sciences, and the International Management Institute a are now only a 10 minute walk from the centre of the University.
The Avant-Garde Architecture of MisAricorde The main building of the University, MisAricorde, constitutes another major centre of learning and research. The work of Denis Honegger, one of Le Corbusieras students, MisAricorde stands out for its purity of form, harmonious integration with natural and human environments, choice of building material, and revolutionary design (reinforced concrete, devoid of both plaster and paint). Its significance in 20th century Swiss architecture has given MisAricorde official status as a protected historical monument.
Inaugurated in 1941 as the Universityas main building, MisAricorde boasts auditoriums, work rooms, libraries and offices for the Faculties of Arts, Theology, and Law, as well as the magnificent 800-seat aula magna.
Bilingualism: A Tradition and a Competitive Advantage Walking through the corridors of the University, one will commonly hear conversations in Chinese, English, Italian, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, and other languages in addition to the official languages of French and German.
Unique among Swiss institutions of higher learning, the University of Fribourg is the bilingual university par excellence. French and German are equally encouraged and one can study in either language, or in both, thus benefiting from the intercultural insights of two distinct languages. Many who choose to study in Fribourg go there precisely to polish their skills in a second language, as well as to graduate with a bilingual diploma, which represents a significant competitive advantage in todayas global job market.
Improve Your Knowledge of Languages Step by Step Bilingualism is not, however, a prerequisite for acceptance to the University. One may study in the language of oneas choice. The Universityas Centre for Language Learning and Research (CERLE/LeFoZeF) offers both traditional language courses and programmes for students who wish to improve their languages for specific purposes. The CERLE/LeFoZeF also has a media centre and library with a substantial and sophisticated array of resources for self-directed learning of a number of modern languages.
Language Tandems
The CERLE/LeFoZeF organizes language tandems at the University for pairs of students, each of whom has a different mother tongue. The aim of this popular system is for students to improve their skills in the non-native language, but they also gain
cross-cultural understanding in the multi-lingual context. Each partner in turn takes on the role of teacher or student. Together they set the pace and rhythm of their learning, agreeing together on the frequency, location, objectives and themes of their
meetings.Bilingualism: An Option, Not an Obligation While the University curriculum is available in both French and German, and students can choose to study in either, students who wish to can graduate with the special mention abilinguala on their diploma, provided they complete at least 40% of their study programme in the second language.
The option to pursue bilingual studies varies according to the Faculty and subject of study. The Faculties of Theology, Law, and Economics and Social Sciences offer full bilingual curricula in French and German. The Faculty of Arts offers this possibility for
certain subjects, e.g. Languages and Literature courses are offered in either French or German. In the Faculty of Sciences, the courses are taught partly in French and partly in German.
`Bilingue plus`: Advanced Bilingual Studies
In autumn 2004, the Faculty of Law introduced a highly specialized and competitive programme called abilingue plus.a aBilingue plusa offers students the chance to acquire higher-level language skills required in bilingual environments. For instance, alongside their regular bilingual law studies, small groups of students of the Faculty take intensive language courses relating to specific subjects. The abilingue plusa programme includes studies in history, political culture and other subjects. This programme allows students to meet prominent and influential leaders from the cultural, economic or political milieux in Switzerland and abroad.
English: The Language of Scientific and Scholarly Exchange
In addition to the national languages, special attention is given to English. Experience has clearly shown that using English in addition to French and German constitutes a decisive advantage for Fribourg graduates.Culture sans Borders An institution that emphasizes the propagation of knowledge without borders, the University of Fribourg cooperates with universities worldwide in the areas of teaching and research. Both students and teachers have a wide choice in studying abroad and/or working on international projects. The University has committed to about 40 conventions with foreign institutions and signed 150 Erasmus/Socrates projects. It also has numerous cooperation agreements with universities in Central and Eastern Europe.
Bologna-Compliant Programmes
The University of Fribourg was one of the first in Switzerland to implement the Bologna Declaration, whose aim is to harmonize Europeas various university programmes. The European Credit Transfer System (ECTS), which is a system of transferable academic credits for programmes under the Bologna Declaration, maintains the quality and number of students choosing to be mobile under the Declaration. The curricula, which are modular and allow specializations, are spread over three years for a bacheloras degree, with an additional one and a half years thereafter for a masteras degree.
In accordance with the expectations of the Bologna reforms, the University of Fribourg has implemented new instruments and tools to measure the quality of its programmes.
The University Network in Central Switzerland: BeNeFri
The University strongly encourages cooperation, both at the international level and regionally within Switzerland. Together with the Universities of Bern and NeuchAtel, the University of Fribourg has formed the BeNeFri network in central Switzerland. This
network forms a third centre of competence. (The other two are those of Zurich and Geneva-Lausanne.) In 1993, these three university centres of competence, including their 25,000 students, formalized a tripartite collaboration by signing a convention
whose objective was to coordinate teaching and research. This allows students of these universities to benefit from a wider range of programmes, affording increased mobility and interaction with their BeNeFri partners. As a result of the conventions
signed to date, a student can attend courses or seminars or take exams in any partner university for subjects not taught at oneas base university.



THE FACULT Y OF THEOLOGY
The University of Fribourgas Faculty of Theology is Switzerlandas largest; together with that of Lucerne, it is one of only two Roman Catholic Theology Faculties that form part of a state university. The Dominican Order (Ordo Praedicatorum) has special responsibilities within the Faculty and constitutes one third of the professors in the Faculty. Theology is a very wide field today; many of its specializations call for an interdisciplinary approach. It interacts with many subjects in other disciplines and offers numerous non-ecclesiastical career opportunities.
The Faculty, with five departments and five interdisciplinary institutes, has three competence centres within the theme, aCatholic Theology faced with Science, Religion and Culture.a These are: aDocuments and Monuments of the Bible,a aThe Theology of Ecumenism,a and aTheology in the Dominican Tradition.a
The Facultyas international reputation in advanced research draws a large number of PhD students. Its teaching staff and students have given the Faculty a leading position in addressing todayas ecclesiastic and social challenges as well as prominence in the ecumenical approach.

THE FACULT Y OF LAW
The University of Fribourgas Faculty of Law is one of the most renowned in Switzerland and, with 1,900 students, the countryas second largest law school. It is the only Faculty in Switzerland which offers students the opportunity to complete their studies
in French and German. Some 25% of the students choose this bilingual option, while a number of even more ambitious students choose the intensive, advanced abilingue plusa programme in the non-native language and culture.
In addition to the traditional offerings in national law, including constitutional law, administrative law, private law, penal law and procedures, the Faculty also covers international law, including International Public Law and European Law. Other general subjects such as Roman Law, The History of Law, The Philosophy of Law, and Political Economy, are taught in the general education programmes. Special mentions can be obtained at the masteras level, particularly in European law
and Religious law.
The programmes place an emphasis on practice, which is achieved through exercises in the bachelorsa programmes and intensive interactive courses in the mastersa programmes.

THE FACULT Y OF ECONOMIC S AND SOCIAL SCIENCES
The Faculty of Economics and Social Sciences at the University of Fribourg is divided into a number of subsections: Economics is made up of Political Economics, Management, and Information Systems, while Social Sciences is composed of Media and
Communication Sciences. The Faculty, with its 2,300 students, is multilingual and has a strongly international atmosphere. Within the Faculty, studentsa academic progress is closely monitored. To prepare students for their later professional roles in multilingual environments, language courses are offered (English, French, and German). The Faculty enjoys the benefits of a reliable network of contacts in partner universities throughout the world. Students can choose from five programmes at the bachelor level, and five at the master level.

To allow professional managers to learn and train while working, the Faculty offers international executive management programmes for graduate students, primarily MBA programmes in Executive Technology Management and in the Management of Non-Profit Organizations.

THE FACULT Y OF ART S
With over 4,000 students, the Faculty of Arts is the largest in the University. Linguistically pluralistic and strongly humanistic in nature, the Faculty explores relationships between past and present cultures. The Facultyas offerings are wide-ranging: from human sciences, philosophy, historical sciences, languages and literature, to pedagogy, psychology and certain aspects of social sciences.

The Faculty of Arts offers bacheloras or masteras degrees in numerous programmes; one may study in either French or German. Language and literature are taught in their respective languages (Italian, Spanish, English or Russian). Graduates in bilingual programmes obtain diplomas with the special mention aBilingual.a The Faculty is extremely well connected to other universities throughout the world and participates in numerous European exchange programmes. Language students in these programmes are strongly encouraged to study a minimum of six months to a year at another European university.

THE FACULTY OF SCIENCE
Since its creation in 1896 the Faculty of Science has contributed significantly to the economic and industrial development of the canton and town of Fribourg. The Faculty is composed of seven departments, and offers nine programmes: biochemistry,
biology, biomedicine and chemistry, earth science, geography, computer science, mathematics and physics. Well-integrated with international research networks, the Facultyas significant proportion of PhD candidates indicates the high quality of its research. The Faculty of Science also participates in numerous publications jointly with foreign universities.

Its 1,200 students enjoy excellent support from their professors, who share a close relationship with their students. In addition to theory, practical work is a priority, and the students are provided with first-class materials and equipment.
Each department is known for its strengths in specific domains. For the Biology Department, it is the genetics of development, in the Chemistry Department, intelligent and functional materials, in Geology, global environmental changes, in Computer Science, the relationship between man and machine, in Mathematics, analysis and application, in Medicine, neuronal and cerebral control of behaviour, and in Physics, the physics of condensed materials.

Main Address :
University of Fribourg
MisAricorde - Avenue de l`Europe 20
CHa1700 Fribourg
T +41(0)26 300 71 11
F +41(0)26 300 97 00
www.unifr.ch

Useful Addresses :
Rectorat
Misericorde - Avenue de laEurope 20
CHa1700 Fribourg
T +41 (0)26 300 70 02
rectorat@unifr.ch
www.unifr.ch/rectorat/

Communication & Marketing
MisAricorde - Avenue de laEurope 20
CHa1700 Fribourg
T +41 (0)26 300 70 34
marcom@unifr.ch
www.unifr.ch/scm/

Admissions and Registration
MisAricorde a Avenue de laEurope 20
CHa1700 Fribourg
T +41 (0)26 300 70 20
admission@unifr.ch
www.unifr.ch/admission

International Relations
MisAricorde - Avenue de laEurope 20
CHa1700 Fribourg
T +41 (0)26 300 70 47
international@unifr.ch
www.unifr.ch/international