Fachhochschule Nordwestschweiz (FHNW; Fachhochschule Nordwestschweiz) is a young cantonal university of applied sciences in Switzerland, established on January 1, 2006. The main departments include the School of Applied Psychology, the School of Architecture, Construction and Geoinformation, the School of Art and Design, the School of Life Sciences, the School of Music, the School of Education, the School of Social Work, the School of Engineering, the School of Business, etc. The strengths include audiovisual communication, art, music, optics, etc.