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 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 was complemented with a strong emphasis on the technical 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 three faculties: the Faculty of Social and Economic Sciences, the Faculty of Technical and Natural Sciences, and the Faculty of Law. 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 and the Technical University of Vienna were the first universities to offer degrees in computer science in Austria (1969). Today, the Computer Science Department offers 6 different Master's degrees. The department is made up out of 12 institutes and the faculty comprises of 28 tenured professors and additional teaching faculties. Many courses are now offered in English (particularly in the Master's program) and we encourage applications.

The department is currently distributed in various places on campus but will find a joint home in the newly built Science Park (Building 3) which is scheduled to be completed in August 2012.

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