Miguel Hernandez University
The Miguel Hernández University (UMH), officially Miguel Hernández University of Elche, is a multi-campus Spanish public university in the province of Alicante whose headquarters are in Elche.
History
The Generalitat Valenciana created this University by means of a law approved on December 27, 1996 (Law for the Creation of the Miguel Hernández University), which provided for the segregation of several centers and teachings both from the University of Alicante (its Faculty of Medicine, Department of Statistics and Institute of Neurosciences) and the Polytechnic University of Valencia (Agronomic Engineering and three specialties of Technical Agricultural Engineering), for its readscription in the recently founded University.
It is named after the Oriolan poet and playwright Miguel Hernández.
| Rectors | Years |
|---|---|
| Jesús Rodríguez Marín, Professor of Social Psychology | 1997 - 2011 |
| Jesus Tadeo Pastor Ciurana, Professor of Statistics and Operational Research | 2011 - 2019 |
| Juan José Ruiz Martínez, Professor of Genetics | 2019 - "dating" |
University Campuses
- Elche: In the Bajo Vinalopó region is the central campus, where the Rectorate Building and the central services of the university are located. It hosts the Faculty of CC. Socio-sanitary, CC. Experimental, CC. Social and legal, as well as the Higher Polytechnic School. It is structured in different buildings, whose names are inspired by the history and geography: Altabix, Galia, Alcudia, Vinalopó, Altamira, El Altet... it also has large green areas, sports facilities and Olympic swimming pool. Its location in the north of the city, in the Candalix landscape, makes it surrounded by gardens of the Palm of Elche.
- Altea: West of this population of the Lower Marina, the UMH has a campus dedicated entirely to artistic disciplines.
- San Juan de Alicante: On the outskirts of this town of the Metropolitan Area of Alicante, in the immediate vicinity of the University Hospital of San Juan de Alicante, is the campus of the UMH dedicated to the health sciences, where the Faculty of Medicine and the Faculty of Pharmacy, 6 departments and 2 research institutes: the Institute of Research of Drogodependencias and the Institute of Neurosciences, with the Higher Scientific Council.
- Orihuela: In this city in the region of Vega Baja del Segura, several degrees are given depending on the Faculty of CC. Social and Legal School and the Orihuela Higher Polytechnic School at the Salesas and Desamparados headquarters, which have a total of 5 university departments.
Each of the campuses has its own library, study rooms 24 hours a day, 365 days a year and its own secretariat (called the Management Center or CEGECA), which gives them the necessary autonomy so that students do not have the obligation to travel to the central campus.
Colleges and schools
- Escuela Politécnica Superior de Elche
- Orihuela Higher Polytechnic School
- Faculty of Fine Arts of Altea
- Faculty of Experimental Sciences
- Elche Faculty of Social and Legal Sciences
- Faculty of Social and Legal Sciences of Orihuela
- Faculty of Socio-sanitary Sciences
- Faculty of Pharmacy
- Faculty of Medicine
Degrees
The Miguel Hernández University has 26 degrees, 2 double degrees, 48 university master's degrees and 13 doctoral programs.
Language Center
The Language Center is the language learning place of the UMH, its purpose is to provide students with resources for learning languages and obtaining official certificates (Cambridge English, Goethe Institut and ACLES, among others).
The center offers classes in English, Valencian, Spanish for foreigners and Italian. In addition, it has a level test for all those who need to prove their language level (English, French, Italian and/or German) to apply for an ERASMUS stay or for access to a master's degree.
In addition, to promote language training among society, the UMH Language Center has developed innovative platforms for learning the Valencian and English languages, Llengua Lab and BeEnglish Lab respectively. These platforms, aimed at complementing the training offer of academies and universities, include self-correcting exercises and content adapted to the different levels, among other characteristics.
IRIS UMH and LLUMH
Likewise, the UMH offers its entire university community free training in Valencian and English, through the LLUMH and IRIS UMH programs. The learning and teaching process of both, managed by the University Language Center, consists of a blended method that combines online training, through the interactive platforms Llengua Lab and BeEnglish Lab, and face-to-face classes, also adaptable to the online format. The final objective of these programs is that all members of the UMH can acquire the necessary knowledge and certify their level in these languages.
UMH Science Park
The UMH also has a Science Park (PCUMH) from which it seeks to promote the transfer of knowledge between the University and the business world, and stimulate the creation of spin-offs, start-ups and innovative companies and of technological basis. Among the objectives of the PCUMH is also to attract and retain professional talent, and to generate wealth and qualified jobs in the environment.
The ecosystem of the UMH Science Park is made up of companies with a high technological and scientific component, which innovate in cutting-edge hubs such as engineering, health, agro-environmental, biotechnological or cultural.
Research
The research activity at the UMH stands out. In fact, a study prepared by the IUNE Observatory on the research productivity of Spanish universities confirms this data, placing the UMH in third place in terms of scientific production per professor and number of six-year research accredited during the period 2002-2010.
The investigations of the UMH stand out, among others, in neuroscience, biotechnology, health sciences, statistics and operational research, engineering, information and communication technologies, industrial technologies and materials, and food technologies.
Research institutes
- Institute of Neurosciences (IN): it is a joint research center of the UMH and the CSIC dedicated to the study of the structure, function and development of the nervous system in normal and pathological conditions.
- Instituto de Bioingeniería (IB): aims to research regenerative cell therapy, genetics of plant development, engineering and cell physiology, biomaterials, biomedical instrumentation, telemedicine, structural and functional genomics, toxicology and chemical safety, neurotoxicity and embryotoxicity, synthesis and design of organic molecules and polymers of biological and optoelectronic application, cell banks, clinical trials and monitoring of drugs.
- Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology (IBMC): addresses the molecular and cellular study around the fields of biotechnology and health.
- Instituto “Centro de Investigación Operativa” (CIO) is created with the aim of supporting the development and practice of research in Statistics, Optimization and Information Technologies.
- Instituto Interuniversitario López Piñero of historical and social studies: centre dedicated to research and dissemination around historical and social studies on medicine, technology, science and the environment.
Honorary doctors
The list of honorary Doctors of the University includes the following personalities:
- 1997: Alfonso Escámez and Manfred Eigen
- 1998: Jaime Carvajal Urquijo, Torsten N. Wiesel, David Hunter Hubel, Pedro Laín Entralgo and Miguel Hernández (on posthumous title)
- 1999: David Cox, Fernando Álvarez de Miranda and José Ángel Sánchez Asiaín
- 2000: Stephanus H. Tijs and Federico Mayor Zaragoza
- 2001: Friedrich Wilhelm Eigler
- 2002: Joan Rodés Teixidor, Egon Balas, Antonio García-Bellido and García de Diego and Luis García Berlanga
- 2003: Margarita de Borbón y Borbón-Dos Sicilias y José Carreras
- 2004: Araceli Maciá Antón, José Antonio Escudero López and Joaquín Fuster
- 2005: Valentín Fuster, Pedro Amat Muñoz and Pedro Ruiz Torres
- 2006: Manuel Valdés
- 2007: Sean Scully
- 2008: George F. Smoot, Gerardo Díaz Ferrán and Rafael Benítez
- 2009: Robert Wayne and Millán Muñoz
- 2010: Knox Lovell, David Álvarez Díez, Joan Manuel Serrat and Rosa María Calaf
- 2011: Luis Gámir
- 2012: María Josefa Yzuel
- 2013: Paul Mockapetris, Enrique Dacosta Vadillo and Francisco Torreblanca García
- 2014: Francisco García Olmedo, Marcus Felson and Antonio Fraguas de Pablo
- 2015: Gordon Amidon
- 2016: Tomás Torres Cebada, Francisco Ivorra Miralles and Jaume Bech Borràs
- 2017: Teresa Perales Fernández
- 2018: Nuria Oliver and Miguel Ríos
- 2019: Antonio García García
- 2020: Ramón Lobo