During the Weimar Republic, the establishment of the Pedagogical Academy (Pädagogische Akademie) in Oldenburg in 1929 enabled the vocational training of teachers.

Due to the Bologna Process, in 2004 Oldenburg adopted Bachelor and Masters degrees in place of the former Diplom and Magister.

One main focus of the university is teacher training, which was established during the 1970s and remains a strong presence with master's degrees in teaching offered in all faculties.

The PhD program Didactical reconstruction is especially renowned, as is the research in sustainable development, encompassing several academic disciplines.

The campus is split into two locations, the major one being Uhlhornsweg, where the main library, the mensa and the administration along with most of the departments is housed.

A primary theme guiding the university research is Environment and Sustainability, which integrates natural and social sciences as well as sociology to create innovative solutions for responsible and efficient resource use.

Sustainability is another core research area at Oldenburg, emphasizing the societal challenges emerging from changes in human behavior, nature, and technology.

Sustainability research includes coastal areas, climate and society, human-nature-technology interactions, and integrative systems analysis.

Collaborations with external partners like Hörzentrum Oldenburg GmbH and Fraunhofer IDMT enrich the research landscape.

Sensory Neuroscience research investigates the function of neural networks and their relation to perception and cognition.

Supported by cutting-edge technologies, ongoing projects like the "Molecular Basis of Sensory Biology" and "Cryptochrome-based magnetic sensing" contribute to this field.

The group Gegenlicht runs a cinema in the Old Aula and on campus during the summer, while the programme zwergWERK is focused on the presentation of short films.