History of the Faculty

A fact that few people are aware of is that the University of Duisburg-Essen enjoys a long tradition. As early as 1566, Duisburg was granted papal approval and the emperor’s seal for the founding of a university. It was not until 90 years later that the Klevesche State University was officially opened with the four classical faculties, theology, jurisprudence, medicine and philosophy.

In 1818, the university was dissolved and its tradition continued by the University of Bonn. In 1972, the new university, the comprehensive university Duisburg, opened its doors with full academic status, including doctorates and habilitation. From the very outset, engineering science has been an important part of teaching and research. At the beginning of 2003, the University of Duisburg and the University of Essen merged to become the University of Duisburg-Essen, giving the faculty two campuses instead of one.

Important dates of the recent history

1972: Foundation of two comprehensive universities in Duisburg and Essen.

1980: Change of names to “Universität-Gesamthochschule Duisburg“ and „Universität-Gesamthochschule Essen“.

1994: Renaming of the “Universität – Gesamthochschule Duisburg“ in „Gerhard-Mercator-Universität Duisburg“.

2001: Merging the departments Electrical Engineering, Computer Science, Mechanical Engineering and Material Technology to form the new Faculty of Engineering.

2003: Merging of the “Gerhard-Mercator-Universität Duisburg” and the “Universität-Gesamthochschule Essen” to the new University of Duisburg-Essen.

2004: Integration of the Mechanical Engineering department of the former Universität-Gesamthochschule Essen into the Faculty of Engineering.

2006: Integration of the department Civil Engineering into the Faculty of Engineering.

2007: Integration of the department Cognitive Science into the Faculty of Engineering.

2008: Foundation of the department of Industrial Engineering at the Faculty of Engineering.

2018: Foundation of the interdepartmental institute "Center for Automotive Research" (CAR).

2020: Renaming of the institute „Center for Automotive Research” in „MObility TransformatION“ (MOTION).

2023: Founding of an independent Faculty of Computer Science