Historical development of the Fachhochschule Osnabrueck

Some of the faculties of Fachhochschule Osnabrueck have a long tradition. For example, the Faculty of Agricultural Sciences and Landscape Architecture was founded in 1936 as the ”Advanced Cultivation School Quakenbrueck” (Höhere Landbauschule Quakenbrueck). In 1952, it moved to the buildings in Osnabrueck-Haste, which are still used by the Faculty today. This institution was renamed ”School for Land Cultivation” (Ingenieurschule fuer Landbau) in 1964.

Under the sponsorship of the City of Osnabrueck, the ”Advanced Horticulture School Osnabrueck” (Höhere Gartenbauschule Osnabrueck) was founded in Haste in 1949. The renaming as ”School of Engineering and Test Operation for Horticulture” (Ingenieurschule und Versuchsanstalt fuer Gartenbau) in 1960 emphasised the growing importance of the pilot operation. In 1970, the ” School of Engineering and Test Operation for Horticulture” and the ”School for Land Cultivation” were incorporated into the ”State Engineering Academy for Landscape Planning, Horticulture and Cultivation” (Staatliche Ingenieurakademie fuer Gartengestaltung, Garten- und Landbau).

At the foundation of the Fachhochschule in Osnabrueck, the three new ”green departments”, called ”Horticulture” (Gartenbau), ”Agriculture” (Landespflege and Landwirtschaft) evolved from this constellation.  The department of ”Landespflege” has been named ”Landscape Architecture” (Landschaftsarchitektur) since 1995 because of its newly orientated teaching and research content. In 1996, the departments ”Horticulture” (Gartenbau) and ”Agriculture” (Landwirtschaft) were joined together to form the new department ”Agricultural Sciences” (Agrarwissenschaften).

The ”State School of Engineering Osnabrueck” (Staatliche Ingenieurschule Osnabrueck) was founded in 1962 and consists of the departments of ”Electrical Engineering” (Elektrotechnik) and ”Mechanical Engineering” (Maschinenbau). In 1966 the department ”Metallurgy” (Huettentechnik) was added to this group – and was renamed the ”State Academy of Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering and Metallurgy” (Staatliche Ingenieurakademie fuer Maschinenbau, Elektrotechnik und Huettentechnik). Today’s departments ”Electrical Engineering” (Elektrotechnik), ”Mechanical Engineering” (Maschinenbau) and ”Materials Science” (Werkstofftechnik) emanated from this institution. Since 1996 onwards the programme Materials Science and Process Engineering has been offered in the department ”Materials Science and Processes” (Werkstoffe und Verfahren). The department ”Electrical Engineering” (Elektrotechnik) broadened its name to ”Department of Electrical Engineering and Informatics” because of its newly oriented teaching and research content.

The Department of Business Management was established together with the foundation of the Fachhochschule in 1971. The Department of Management and Technology and the Department of Communication and Society, founded in 2006, were set up at the location in Lingen (Ems). At the beginning of the academic year 1996/97, the State Academy for Music was integrated into today’s ”Institute for Music Education - Municipal Academy of Music” of Fachhochschule Osnabrueck.

In the autumn of 1999 the Fachhochschule Osnabrueck, together with the City of Osnabrueck, became sponsors of the Municipal Academy of Music in Osnabrueck.

Since 1 January 2003, the Fachhochschule Osnabrueck has been under the sponsorship of the Foundation Fachhochschule Osnabrueck, a foundation under public law. With this in mind, the Fachhochschule entered a totally unknown area. As a result of the implementation of the new Higher Education Act for Lower Saxony (”NHG”) and the structures of a foundation, Fachhochschule Osnabrueck has been divided into four faculties since May 2003. The former departments Agricultural Sciences and Landscape Architecture were combined into one faculty. The Department of Business Management, the Institute for Public Management and the Institute for Health Care Professions were merged into the Faculty of Business Management and Social Sciences. The Faculty of Engineering and Informatics contains the former departments Mechanical Engineering, Materials Science and Processes as well as the Department of Electrical Engineering and Informatics.

A lot of reorganisation procedures have been implemented at Fachhochschule Osnabrueck in the last time, so that now the Foundation Board and the University Directorate make up the central elements of Fachhochschule Osnabrueck.