Bielefeld University was founded in 1969 with an explicit research assignment and a mission to provide high-quality research-oriented teaching. With far-reaching aims to reform nearly every area of higher education, the University has made valuable contributions to educational reform in Germany and upholds its interdisciplinary, innovative and reform-oriented character to this day. The University encompasses 13 faculties covering a broad spectrum of disciplines in the humanities, natural sciences, social sciences, and technology. With more than 24,000 students in 115 degree courses and around 2,750 staff members (including 269 professors and lecturers as well as 1,390 academic staff) it is one of Germany's medium-sized universities.