[2] One of the former schools, Hochschule für Druck und Medien founded in 1903, was based on an earlier technical school for printing founded in 1853 as the Fachschule für Buchdruckgewerbe Stuttgart.

The other university, Hochschule für Bibliotheks-und Informationswesen, was founded in 1942 as Büchereifachschule Stuttgart.

The Institut für Angewandte Forschung (Institute for Applied Research) has bundled research activities since 2005, ranging from printed electronics to information design and operates the university publisher, Verlag Stuttgart.

[5] Since 2011, the university's Start-Up Center supports students who want to start and manage a business.

[6] Further institutes include:[3] Among the notable alumni of the Stuttgart Media University or its predecessors are Arek Gielnik, the producer of Neukölln Unlimited, and Jörn Grosshans, who won a 2013 Hollywood Post Alliance Award for the outstanding visual effects in Game of Thrones (season 3).