Founded in 1559 by Jean Calvin, the University of Geneva is dedicated to thinking, teaching, dialogue and research. With 16,000 students of more than 140 different nationalities, it is Switzerland's second-largest university and one of Europe's leading universities. It offers more than 280 types of degrees and more than 250 continuing education programmes covering fields including exact sciences, medicine and the humanities. Its domains of excellence in research include life sciences, elementary particle physics and astrophysics.