History

The Johannes Kepler University dates back to the year 1492 (the year of the discovery of the Americas), when the Linz Humanist Circle was established at the court of the emperor Frederick III. Since then, Linz remained a center for learning though its institutions for learning changed over the years. In 1674, emperor Leopold I authorized the school in Linz to award the degree of "Baccalaureus" and "Magister" in addition to the title of a "Licentiatus ex philosophia". The modern University of Linz was founded in 1966 and was renamed "Johannes Kepler University" in 1975. It merged institutions of learning that had existed before. The university's original emphasis on economy, social sciences and law was complemented with a strong emphasis on engineering and natural sciences.

Today, the Johannes Kepler University Linz is a young and dynamic institution of higher education and research. It is not only famous for its high level of teaching and research, but has also earned a reputation as an attractive partner for businesses and various social and governmental institutions. The Johannes Kepler University is the largest scientific institution in Upper Austria and one of the largest in Austria. At present, some 20,000 students are enrolled in the four faculties: the Faculty of Social and Economic Sciences, the Faculty of Engineering and Natural Sciences, the Faculty of Law, and the Faculty of Medicine. Unlike many other universities, where the individual faculties are spread out throughout the town, all faculties of the University of Linz are situated on a single campus covering some 350,000 square meters.

The Johannes Kepler University was the first Austrian university to offer a program in Computer Science (1969). Today, the Computer Science Department offers 2 Bachelor's and 2 Master's degrees (Computer Science, Artificial Intelligence). The Master's programs are delivered in English and we encourage applications. The department is made up out of 14 institutes and the faculty comprises of 35 tenured professors and additional teaching faculty.

See also a more detailed history of computer science at JKU (in German).