Leuphana University Lüneburg is a public university in Lüneburg, Lower Saxony, Germany. Leuphana was founded in 1946 as a college of education (German: Pädagogische Hochschule), later expanding to become a university designated as a "foundation under public law." The name Leuphana is derived from an ancient settlement on the Elbe that was mentioned in a 2nd-century geographical world atlas by Ptolemy.
Leuphana has five schools of research, which focus on the fields of education, culture and society, management and technology, sustainability, and public affairs. With nearly 10,000 students, approximately 12% of which are international students.
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History
Leuphana was founded in May 1946 as one of eight colleges of education (pädagogische Hochschule' in Lower Saxony, and was renamed in May 1989 from Pädagogische Hochschule Niedersachsen, Abteilung Lüneburg to Lüneburg University.
In 2009, the campus in Suderburg was transferred to the Fachhochschule Braunschweig/Wolfenbüttel (Eastphalian University of Applied Studies).
In 2008, a graduate college was opened that integrates master's degree and doctorate programmes. In addition are a pan-departmental research centre and a professional school for advanced study courses, like business co-operation.
The university opened its Central Building (Zentralgebäude) on March 11, 2017. The building was designed by Daniel Libeskind and cost nearly €100 million to build.
Institutions
Leuphana has five research schools, each of which are made up of several institutes and professorships.
School of Education
Source:
Institute of Educational Sciences
Institute of the German Language and Literature and Its Didactics
Institute of English Studies
Institute of Ethics and Theology
Institute of Social Work and Social Pedagogy
Institute of Art, Music and Mediation
Institute of Mathematics and Its Didactics
Institute of Exercise, Sports and Health
Institute of Psychology in Education
Institute of Social Science Education
School of Culture and Society
Institute of Culture and Aesthetics of Digital Media
Institute of Urban and Cultural Area Research
Institute of History and Literature Cultures
Institute of Philosophy and Art History
Institute of Sociology and Cultural Organization
School of Management and Technology
Institute for Auditing and Tax
Institute for New Venture Management
Institute of Experimental Industrial Psychology
Institute of Information Systems
Institute of Knowledge and Information Management
Institute of Management, Accounting & Finance
Institute of Marketing
Institute of Management and Organization
Institute of Performance Management
Institute for Production Technology and Systems
School of Sustainability
Centre for Sustainability Management
Institute of Sustainable Chemistry
Institute of Ecology
Social-Ecological Systems Institute
Institute for Ethics and Transdisciplinary Sustainability Research
Institute of Sustainability Material Flows and Circularity
Institute of Sustainability Governance
Institute of Sustainable Psychology
Sustainability Education and Transdisciplinary Research Institute
School of Public Affairs
Institute of Political Science
Leuphana Law School
Civial Law
Public Law
Criminal Law
Institute of Economics
Notable staff and alumni
Daniel Libeskind, visiting professor
Britt Reinecke, television talk show host
Thomas Schomerus, professor of public law
Jörg Philipp Terhechte, professor and dean
Tine Wittler, writer, TV presenter and actress
Rankings
In the Times Higher Education World University Rankings of 2025, the university is placed at 401–500th globally and 38th within the country.
Leuphana ranks 7th among the most successful, mid-sized universities for start-ups, according to the Gründungsradar 2025 of the Stifterverband für die Deutsche Wissenschaft.