Humboldt's Unity of Research and Teaching: Influence on the Philosophy and Development of U.S. Higher Education

Abstract

The 19th century German model of higher education, with its emphasis on the unity of teaching and research and graduate education, was the model emulated by several of what were to become the most prestigious universities in the United States. The German model has its origins in the philosophy of the German Wilhelm von Humboldt. This university model played a significant role in the economic ascendance of Germany in the late 1800s and was a precursor to the development of corporate funded large-scale university research. This model of research, combined with the extreme level of faculty independence, also played a role in the rise of German militarism in the 20th century. Finally, the German university, based upon the Humboldtian model, illustrates the difficulty of attempting to both maintain elite research universities while allowing mass access. The influence on higher education in the United States and the lessons to be learned from the German university system are valid reasons for learning more about Wilhelm von Humboldt.