University of Montpellier

University of Montpellier

Université de Montpellier
Seal of the University of Montpellier
Latin:Universitas Montempestellarium
Type	Public
Established	1220(1220)
President	Philippe Augé
Academic staff	1,900
Students	41,000
Doctoral students	1,700
Location	Montpellier , France
Campus	Urban/College town
Affiliations	Coimbra Group
Website	umontpellier.fr

TheUniversity of Montpellier(French:Université de Montpellier) is apublicresearch universitylocated inMontpellier,in south-east ofFrance.Established in 1220, the University of Montpellier is one of theoldest universitiesin the world.

The university was split into three universities (theUniversity of Montpellier 1,theUniversity of Montpellier 2and thePaul Valéry University Montpellier 3) for 45 years from 1970 until 2015 when it was subsequently reunified by the merger of the two former,with the latter, now namedPaul Valéry University, Montpellier IIIremaining a separate entity.

History

TheQuia Sapientiabull in 1289 PopeNicolas IV

University of Montpellier, Faculty of Medicine, the world's oldest medical school still in operation.

The university is considerably older than its formal founding date, associated with a papal bull issued byPope Nicholas IVin 1289, combining all the centuries-old schools into a university,but the first statutes were given byConrad of Urachin 1220.

It is not known exactly when the schools of liberal arts were founded that developed into the Montpellier faculty of arts; it may be that they were a direct continuation of theGallo-Romanschools that gathered around masters of rhetoric. The school of law was founded byPlacentinus,from the school of law atBologna,who came to Montpellier in 1160, taught there during two different periods, and died there in 1192. The faculty of law has had a long career. Professors from Montpellier were prominent in the drafting of theNapoleonic Code,the civil code by which France is still guided and a foundation for modern law codes wherever Napoleonic influence extended. The faculty of law was reorganized in 1998.

The school of medicine was founded perhaps by people trained in the Muslim Spanish medical schools as Muslim rule from the Spain did not end until 1492 (no reference is available for this); it is certain that, as early as 1137, there were excellent physicians at Montpellier. It is the world's oldest medical school still in operation. The school of medicine benefited from a policy of the Guilhemlords of Montpellier,by which any licensed physician might lecture there: with no fixed limit to the number of teachers, lectures multiplied, thus providing a great choice of teachers coming from all around the Mediterranean region (Guilhem VIII act of January 1181).The statutes given in 1220 by CardinalConrad von Urach,legate ofPope Honorius III,which were confirmed and extended in 1240, placed this school under the direction of theBishop of Maguelonne,but the school enjoyed a great deal ofde factoautonomy.

The school was famous for arguing in the fourteenth century that theBlack Deathwas caused by a miasma entering the opening of the body's pores, citing theories developed byGalen.Doctors educated at Montpellier advocated against bathing because they claimed bathing opened the body's pores, making one more susceptible to thebubonic plague.

In 1529, after some years as an apothecary,Nostradamusentered the University of Montpellier to study for a doctorate in medicine. He was expelled shortly afterwards when it was discovered that he had been an apothecary, a "manual trade" expressly banned by the university statutes. The expulsion document (BIU Montpellier, Register S 2 folio 87) still exists in the faculty library.Rabelaistook his medical degree at Montpellier, and his portrait hangs among the gallery of professors.

TheJardin des plantes de Montpellier,founded in 1593, is the oldestbotanical gardenin France. It was in this school that the biological theory ofvitalism,elaborated byBarthez(1734–1806), had its origin. TheFrench Revolutiondid not interrupt the existence of the faculty of medicine. TheBenedictinemonastery that had been converted into the bishop's palace, was given to house the medical school in 1795. A gallery devoted to the portraits of professors since 1239 contains one of Rabelais.

The school of theology had its origins in lectures in the convents: St.Anthony of Padua,Raymundus Lullus,and the DominicanBernard of Triliaall lectured. Two letters ofKing John IIprove that a faculty of theology existed at Montpellier independently of the convents, in January 1350. By a Bull of 17 December 1421,Pope Martin Vgrantedcanonical institutionto this faculty and united it closely with the faculty of law.

In the 16th century the local triumph of Calvinism interrupted the somewhat somnolent Catholic school of theology, which was reinstated in 1622; but the rivalries of Dominicans andJesuitsinterfered seriously with the prosperity of the faculty, which disappeared at the Revolution. In better days, among Montpellier's illustrious pupils of law werePetrarch,who spent four years at Montpellier, and among its lecturers wereWilliam of Nogaret,chancellor toPhilip IV,Guillaume de Grimoard, afterwardsPope Urban V,and Pedro de Luna, afterwards antipopeBenedict XIII.

Like all other provincial universities of France, that of Montpellier was suppressed at the outbreak of theFrench Revolutionin 1793. The faculties of science and of letters were re-established in 1810; that of law in 1880. The University of Montpellier was officially re-organised in 1969, on the aftermath of May 1968 and the students' revolt all over the country. It was split into its successor institutions theUniversity of Montpellier 1(comprising the former faculties of medicine, law, and economy),University of Montpellier 2(science and technology) andUniversity of Montpellier 3(social sciences, humanities and liberal arts).

On 1 January 2015, theUniversity of Montpellier 1and theUniversity of Montpellier 2merged to form the newly recreated University of Montpellier.Meanwhile, thePaul Valéry University Montpellier 3,now only Paul Valéry, remains a separate institution.

Campuses

The university is located on several sites in the city ofMontpellier,line 1 of the tramwayconnects almost all of the different sites:

• to the south of the city, theRichtercampus served by thePort-MarianneandRives du Lezstations, houses the Faculty of Economics, Montpellier management, the Institute for the Preparation for General Administration of Montpellier (IPAG) and the Student House "Aimé-Schonenig";
• in thecity center,served by theLouis BlancandPlace Albert 1er - Cathédralestations, are located: the Faculty of Law & Political Science, the historic building of the Faculty of Medicine, thebotanical garden,the Institute of Biology housing medical and administrative services of the university, the administrative buildings located on Henri IV avenue and the presidency of the university located on Auguste-Broussonnet street in the former Institute of Botany;
• theStade Philippidèsstation serves the Faculty of Education located on Marcel-Godechot square as well as the Stade Philippidès owned by the university;
• further north, in the district ofBoutonnet,is located the Faculty of Pharmacy on a 4-hectare campus at the crossroads of theVoie Domitienneand the Charles-Flahault avenue, the site is served by the Boutonnet stop;
• further north, the largeTrioletcampus with an area of 30 hectares and served by theUniversités des Sciences et des Lettresstation, houses the Faculty of Sciences, the IAE, the ENSCM and Polytech Montpellier;
• to thenorth of the city,in the hospital district, theOccitaniestation serves theIUTof Montpellier located in a 9-hectare campus (Occitanie avenue), the Medical Pedagogical Unit (UPM) and the new campus of the Faculty of Medicine near the Arnaud de Villeneuve hospital, the UFR STAPSlocated in the Veyrassi area (Pic-Saint-Loup avenue), as well as numerous buildings housing research laboratories (University Institute for Clinical Research, Institute of Functional Genomics, Institute of Human Genetics, etc.);
• theSaint-Priest campus(Saint-Priest street, Ada street, Galéra street), served by theChâteau d'Ôtramway station, houses many scientific research laboratories of the Faculty of Sciences (Institute of Electronics and Systems,Laboratory of Computer science, Robotics and Microelectronics of Montpellier,Laboratory of Mechanics and Civil Engineering, etc.);
• in the very north of Montpellier in theEuromédecinedistrict, theHauts de Massanestation serves the Faculty of Odontology (Docteur-Jean-Louis-Viala avenue).

The university also has many antennas/branches in the rest of the region:

• inNîmes:the IUT of Nîmes (Saint-Césaire district), a branch of the Faculty of Medicine (Carémeau district) and a branch of the Faculty of Education;
• inBéziers:the IUT of Béziers;
• inSète:a branch of the Montpellier IUT;
• inPerpignan:a branch of the Faculty of Education;
• inCarcassonne:a branch of the Faculty of Education;
• inMende:a branch of the Faculty of Education;
• inAlbaret-Sainte-Marie(Lozère): an ISEM branch.

Organisation and governance

The University of Montpellier has 17 components:

• 8 faculties (Training and Research Units),
• 7 institutes,
• 2 schools,

and 1 establishment-component (ENSCM).

The university is administered by:

• the Board of Directors;
• the Academic Council, composed of 80 elected members divided into 2 commissions of 40 members each (the research commission and the education and university life commission);
• the Technical Committee;
• the Joint School Committee;
• the Health, Safety and Working Conditions Committee.

Academic profile

Admissions

In 2019, the University of Montpellier received 50069 candidatures for an admission in one of the 6961 available places in its bachelor's programmes, which accounts for 7,19 candidates per place.

Rankings and reputation

University rankings
Global – Overall
ARWUWorld	151–200 (2023)
CWTSWorld	225 (2023)
QSWorld	382 (2024)
ReutersWorld	44 (2019)
THEWorld	301–350 (2024)
USNWRGlobal	194 (2023)
URAPWorld	98 (2021-2022)

Overall Ranking

The University of Montpellier secured 55th and 16th places in the world and Europe, respectively, inReuters - The World's Most Innovative Universities2018. It is also ranked among the top 200 universities in theAcademic Ranking of World Universities2019.In the Times Higher Education Impact Rankings 2022 it was ranked in the top 200 universities, coming first in France.Furthermore, it was ranked 98th best university in the world and best French university outside Paris according to the less knownUniversity Ranking by Academic Performance2021–2022.Finally, according to thePerformance Ranking of Scientific Papers for World Universities,or NTU Ranking, it is placed 137th in the world for the year 2022.

Law

University of Montpellier undergraduate law program is ranked 6th of France byEduniversal,with 3 stars (2016/17).

Ecology

University of Montpellier was ranked 1st in the world in Ecology in the subject rankings ofAcademic Ranking of World Universities2018.

Affiliations and memberships

The University of Montpellier is a member ofCoimbra Groupand of theMediterranean Universities Union.It is also a founding member of the European University alliance CHARM-EU.

On 19 June 2024, the University of Montpellier has been accepted as a member ofUdice.

Students life

Students life within the University of Montpellier is coordinated by:

• the Student Life Office (SLO),a body run by students for students;
• two student centres (MdE) and the (S)pace, located on the Richter and Triolet campuses;
• around 140 associations active in humanitarian commitment, sports, culture, etc.

Notable people

Academics

• Jean-Antoine Chaptal,chair of mathematics chair from 1789
• Jean Astruc,chair of anatomy from 1706
• François Boissier de Sauvages de Lacroix,chair of botany from 1740
• Antoine Gouan,chair of botany from 1765
• Pierre Magnol,professor of botany and director of the Royal Botanic Garden from 1694
• Alexander Grothendieck,Fields Medal1966, professor of mathematics from 1973 to 1988

Alumni

• Auguste Comte,French philosopher
• Francesco Petrarca,Italianscholar andpoetinRenaissance Italy,widely considered to be the founder ofHumanism
• Amalricus Augerii,14th-century church-historian
• François Rabelais,humanist writer
• Alexander Grothendieck,20th-century mathematician,Fields Medalwinner
• Enver Hoxha,communist dictator ofAlbaniafrom 1944 until his death in 1985
• Taha Hussein,was one of the most influential 20th-centuryEgyptianwriters
• Ali Abu el-Fotoh,was one of the most influential 19th-century Egyptian economists
• Albert Zafy,president of Madagascar 1993–96
• Khieu Samphan,head of state of Cambodia underPol Pot'sKhmer Rougeregime
• Nostradamus,a Frenchapothecaryand reputedseer,who is best known for his bookLes Propheties
• Raja Rao,one of three primary Indian Writers in English, awarded theNeustadt Prizein 1988
• Adamantios Korais,a Greek scholar and a major figure in the Greek Enlightenment
• Sahle-Work Zewde,is an Ethiopian politician and diplomat who is the current president of Ethiopia, the first woman to hold the office
• Mohed Altrad,a Syrian-born French billionaire businessman, rugby chairman and writer
• Andreas Vesalius,Wrote the "Corporis Fabrica Libri Septem", the first Medical Anatomy book based on human anatomy rather than animal anatomy.
• Edward Adam,a 19th-century chemist who invented methods to improve thedistillation of liquor.
• Li Jieren,noted 20th-century Chinese author and translator, studied literature at Montpellier, 1922–1924.
• Shi Zhengli,virologist and director of the Center for Emerging Infectious Diseases,Wuhan Institute of Virology,Chinese Academy of Sciences.
• Zhou Taixuan, Chinese biologist and poet

See also

• Medieval university
• List of medieval universities
• List of oldest universities in continuous operation
• List of public universities in France by academy
• List of split up universities

External links

• Université de Montpellier(in French)
• Université Paul-Valéry Montpellier(in French)