Montpellier 2 University (Université Montpellier 2) was a French university in the ''

académie An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of secondary or tertiary higher learning (and generally also research or honorary membership). The name traces back to Plato's school of philosophy, f ...

'' of Montpellier. It was one of the three universities formed in 1970 from the original University of Montpellier. Its main campus neighbors the Montpellier 3 University's main campus, and for this reason the nearest tramway station is named "Universities of Sciences and Literature" rather than "University of Sciences". In January 2015, Montpellier 1 University and Montpellier 2 University merged into the Montpellier University (Université de Montpellier).

History

The creation of the imperial University by

Napoleon I Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader wh ...

in 1808 stimulated the formation of a number of faculties of Humanities and of Science in the main cities of the French Empire. At that time,

Montpellier Montpellier (, , ; oc, Montpelhièr ) is a city in southern France near the Mediterranean Sea. One of the largest urban centres in the region of Occitania, Montpellier is the prefecture of the department of Hérault. In 2018, 290,053 people l ...

had already a long-established medical college and a school of Pharmacy, but also a respected Royal Society of Sciences created in 1706. In 1810, a Faculty of Science started with initially seven chairs:

mathematics Mathematics is an area of knowledge that includes the topics of numbers, formulas and related structures, shapes and the spaces in which they are contained, and quantities and their changes. These topics are represented in modern mathematics ...

astronomy Astronomy () is a natural science that studies celestial objects and phenomena. It uses mathematics, physics, and chemistry in order to explain their origin and evolution. Objects of interest include planets, moons, stars, nebulae, g ...

physics Physics is the natural science that studies matter, its fundamental constituents, its motion and behavior through space and time, and the related entities of energy and force. "Physical science is that department of knowledge which ...

chemistry Chemistry is the scientific study of the properties and behavior of matter. It is a natural science that covers the elements that make up matter to the compounds made of atoms, molecules and ions: their composition, structure, proper ...

, zoology, botany, and mineralogy. In 1879, the faculty created a research station of marine biology in Sète, and, twelve years later, and Institute of

Botany Botany, also called , plant biology or phytology, is the science of plant life and a branch of biology. A botanist, plant scientist or phytologist is a scientist who specialises in this field. The term "botany" comes from the Ancient Greek w ...

(which is still part of University Montpellier 2). The Institute of Chemistry, created in the same period, became the Ecole Nationale Supérieure of Chemistry of Montpellier in 1941. In 1964, the faculty left the centre of Montpellier to settle in a 30 hectare campus to the north of the city on which 146 000 m² of buildings for teaching and research were built.

Heritage

The University Montpellier 2 retains the Institute of Botany of Montpellier (created in 1889 by Professor Charles Flahault), which is close to the botanical garden of University Montpellier 1. Partly demolished after World War II, most of the buildings date from 1956. The building houses a prestigious

herbarium A herbarium (plural: herbaria) is a collection of preserved plant specimens and associated data used for scientific study. The specimens may be whole plants or plant parts; these will usually be in dried form mounted on a sheet of paper (calle ...

, the largest in France after the

national museum of natural history The National Museum of Natural History is a natural history museum administered by the Smithsonian Institution, located on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., United States. It has free admission and is open 364 days a year. In 2021, with 7. ...

, with approximately 4 million samples and an important collection of botany

vellum Vellum is prepared animal skin or membrane, typically used as writing material. Parchment is another term for this material, from which vellum is sometimes distinguished, when it is made from calfskin, as opposed to that made from other anim ...

s, and research laboratories in the fields of

ecology Ecology () is the study of the relationships between living organisms, including humans, and their physical environment. Ecology considers organisms at the individual, population, community, ecosystem, and biosphere level. Ecology overl ...

and

parasitology Parasitology is the study of parasites, their host (biology), hosts, and the relationship between them. As a List of biology disciplines, biological discipline, the scope of parasitology is not determined by the organism or environment in questio ...

. The station of marine biology in Sète has been part of the university since 1879. In addition to these collections, the university's media library brings together its old collections of printed works, manuscripts, and iconography (including, for example, the library of the work of Felix Dunal, bequeathed to the Faculty of Science in 1856). These collections are publicly accessible given a reasonable request. The university is also the seat of the ''Pôle universitaire de Montpellier'' which collectively represents the higher education establishments in the Languedoc-Roussillon region.

Overview of University Montpellier 2

Université Montpellier 2 is a research-intensive university where education and research cover most of the Scientific and Technological fields: *

Biodiversity Biodiversity or biological diversity is the variety and variability of life on Earth. Biodiversity is a measure of variation at the genetic ('' genetic variability''), species ('' species diversity''), and ecosystem ('' ecosystem diversity'') ...

Ecology Ecology () is the study of the relationships between living organisms, including humans, and their physical environment. Ecology considers organisms at the individual, population, community, ecosystem, and biosphere level. Ecology overl ...

Evolution Evolution is change in the heritable characteristics of biological populations over successive generations. These characteristics are the expressions of genes, which are passed on from parent to offspring during reproduction. Variation ...

Environment Environment most often refers to: __NOTOC__ * Natural environment, all living and non-living things occurring naturally * Biophysical environment, the physical and biological factors along with their chemical interactions that affect an organism or ...

Biology Biology is the scientific study of life. It is a natural science with a broad scope but has several unifying themes that tie it together as a single, coherent field. For instance, all organisms are made up of cells that process hereditary ...

, Agronomy *

and

Health Health, according to the World Health Organization, is "a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease and infirmity".World Health Organization. (2006)''Constitution of the World Health Organ ...

Chemistry Chemistry is the scientific study of the properties and behavior of matter. It is a natural science that covers the elements that make up matter to the compounds made of atoms, molecules and ions: their composition, structure, proper ...

Education Education is a purposeful activity directed at achieving certain aims, such as transmitting knowledge or fostering skills and character traits. These aims may include the development of understanding, rationality, kindness, and honesty ...

Management Management (or managing) is the administration of an organization, whether it is a business, a nonprofit organization, or a government body. It is the art and science of managing resources of the business. Management includes the activitie ...

Mathematics Mathematics is an area of knowledge that includes the topics of numbers, formulas and related structures, shapes and the spaces in which they are contained, and quantities and their changes. These topics are represented in modern mathematics ...

, Informatics,

Physics Physics is the natural science that studies matter, its fundamental constituents, its motion and behavior through space and time, and the related entities of energy and force. "Physical science is that department of knowledge which ...

and Systems * Universe, Earth, Water It is partnered with 40 joint research units, 1 observatory and divided into 7 specialised faculties.

Education

The university curriculum follows the LMD system, which divides higher education into 3 diplomas: Licence (Bachelor's degree, 3 years of Higher Education) Master (Master's degree, 2 years after bachelor's degree) Doctorat (PhD, 3 years after master's degree) The university is divided into 7 specialised faculties: *
The Faculty of Science
* The

École polytechnique universitaire de Montpellier École polytechnique universitaire de Montpellier (Polytech Montpellier, formerly ''Institut des sciences de l'ingénieur de Montpellier'') is a French engineering College created in 1969. The school trains engineers in eight majors : * Compute ...

* 3 University Institutes of Technology (IUT) **
IUT Montpellier-Sète
**
IUT Nîmes
**
IUT Béziers
*
The Montpellier School of Management (IAE)
(belongs to a Institut d'Administration des Entreprises IAEs network of 31 IAEs throughout France) *
The Faculty of Education
And 6 doctoral schools.

Research

Université Montpellier 2 is composed of about forty research departments in:8 thematic departments *

, Agronomy *

and

, Informatics,

and Systems * Universe, Earth, Water The whole research activity is carried out collaboratively with the leading national research organisations ( CNRS, Inserm INSERM, Institut national de la recherche agronomique INRA, Cirad CIRAD, Ird IRD, Brgm, CEA, CNES,

Ifremer IFREMER (Institut Français de Recherche pour l'Exploitation de la Mer; ) is an oceanographic institution in Brest, France. Scope of works Ifremer focuses its research activities in the following areas: * Monitoring, use and enhancement of co ...

, Inria,

Irstea The Institut national de recherche en sciences et technologies pour l'environnement et l'agriculture (IRSTEA), formerly known as Cemagref, was a public research institute in France focusing on land management issues, such as water resources and ag ...

Rankings

* 2014 QS world university rankings ** 51 – 100th for the Earth and Marine Sciences field ** 101 – 150th for the Agriculture & Forestry field **385th worldwide * 2013 Academic Ranking of World Universities: 201 – 300th worldwide * Times Higher Education under 50 universities: 32nd worldwide * National Taiwan university: 294th worldwide

Notes

{{authority control University of Montpellier Educational institutions established in 1970 1970 establishments in France Universities and colleges in Montpellier Educational institutions disestablished in 2015 2015 disestablishments in France