Abstract: Nuclear theories span a broad range of refinement from the liquid drop model to highly involved ab-initio theories. In the middle of that scale lie self-consistent models, also known as nuclear Density Functional Theory (DFT). They constitute presently the best compromise between expense and benefit. The talk will give an overview of thepresent status of this class of models.

Nuclear DFT aims at a universal description of nuclei and nuclear matter.  Its structure is deduced from general considerations.  Its parameters require calibration to a well selected set of empirical data.  The goal is to cover as many observables as possible. Nuclear radii and binding energies are the most prominent observables for which the present DFT models work very well.  More demanding are excitation properties and isotopic radius differences. These observables probe the models and stimulate actual developments. The talk will report on both, successes and still unsolved problems.