# Bern University of Applied Sciences

The Bern University of Applied Sciences (BUAS, German: Berner Fachhochschule BFH, French: Haute école spécialisée bernoise HESB) is a public vocational university with a strong national and international profile. It comprises six departments and also incorporates the Higher Technical School of Wood, which is affiliated to the Department of Architecture, Wood and Civil Engineering.

## Locations

BFH is currently spread across 26 locations in Bern, Biel, Burgdorf, Magglingen and Zollikofen. In 2012, the Grand Council of the Canton of Bern decided to bring together the Department of Architecture, Wood and Civil Engineering and the Department of Engineering and Information Technology onto a single campus in Biel. The launch of the Biel/Bienne campus is scheduled for autumn 2023. The Health Professions, Social Work and Business departments and Bern University of the Arts will likely move to a shared campus in Bern in autumn 2026.

## Departments

The Departments of the Bern University of Applied Sciences include:
* Architecture, Wood and Civil Engineering
* Health Professions
* Business
* School of Agricultural, Forest and Food Sciences HAFL
* Bern University of the Arts
* Social Work
* Engineering and Information Technology
* Swiss Federal Institute of Sport Magglingen SFISM
As well as Bachelor and master's degree programmes, BFH offers continuing education, applied research and development and other services.
The sports, agriculture, forest science, automotive engineering, nutrition and dietetics, literary writing and medical informatics degree programmes are unique in German-speaking Switzerland or throughout the whole of Switzerland.

## Persons

* 1898–1938: Johann Friedrich Jungen (1873–1952), drawing teacher
* 1953–1993: Marc-André Houmard (1928–2014), Director of the wood technical school in Biel
* 2005–2017: Maurus Schifferli (* 1973), Lecturer for Urban Open Spaces
* Jonas Ulmer (* 1983), Architecture student
* 2006: Raphael Zuber (* 1973), Guest Lecturer in Architecture

## Growth

The following table shows how student numbers at the Bern University of Applied Sciences have grown since the university was founded in 1997.
| Year$^1$ | Bachelor studies | Master studies | Diploma programmes$^2$ | Continuing education$^3$ | Total |
| 1997 | | | | | 800 |
| 2000 | | | | | 4190 |
| 2005 | | | 3893 | 940 | 4831 |
| 2006 | | | 4255 | 868 | 5123 |
| 2007 | 3454 | 62 | 256 | 557 | 4952 |
| 2008 | 3944 | 372 | 20 | 479 | 4935 |
| 2009 | 4835 | 663 | 32 | 593 | 5673 |
| 2010 | 4734 | 883 | 5 | 715 | 6337 |
| 2011 | 4938 | 975 | 0 | 506 | 6419 |
| 2012 | 5127 | 1100 | 0 | 497 | 6724 |
| 2013 | 5284 | 1090 | 0 | 401 | 6775 |
| 2014 | 5477 | 1121 | 0 | 559 | 7157 |
| 2015 | 5528 | 1136 | 0 | 151 | 6851 |
| 2016 | 5609 | 1255 | 0 | 179 | 7043 |
| 2017 | 5642 | 1249 | 0 | 203 | 7094 |
| 2018 | 5'689 | 1'281 | 0 | 220 | 7'190 |
| 2019 | 5'603 | 1'376 | 0 | 209 | 7'188 |
$^1$ Figures as of 31 December $^2$ Degree programmes prior to the Bologna Reform (which introduced Bachelor/Master's degree programmes) $^3$ Only MAS/EMBA students (not including CAS/DAS students). From 2014 onwards, non-matriculated MAS/EMBA students are also included in the statistics for BFH's areas of activity.