Hochschule Bochum

Our core competencies

The size of our university gives it a very personal character. The short distances give us the opportunity to be close to the people who work and study here. We offer a variety of application-oriented study programmes and reputable scientific training in our six faculties: architecture, building engineering, geodesy, mechatronics and mechanical engineering, electrical engineering and informatics, and business and management. With sustainability as their common denominator, our core areas of research focus on mobility, energy, building and sustainability studies.

Compatibility of family, work and studying

As a certified family-friendly university, we support the compatibility of family, work and studying. It is possible to work or study while assuming family responsibilities. Family at the Bochum University of Applied Sciences means parents, grandparents, children and all sorts of partnerships, which create a binding, stable relationship between people who assume responsibility for each other. The concept of family is not limited to those living together; it is oriented to the need for mutual care and assistance.

Diversity

Equality of opportunities, freedom from discriminations and appreciation of diversity are self-evident, but they are under continuous scrutiny by all members of the university community on the lookout for opportunities for improvement and we promote this discourse in different ways, for example, our offer of courses on the topic of diversity. We have expanded our accessibility beyond the required standards and improved access and academic accommodations for students with disabilities in order to be more attractive as an educational institution and employer for people with disabilities or the chronically ill. We employ measures, for example, in student advisory services, designed to support people who are the first of their family to attend a university. The university also addresses the topic of diversity from a scientific perspective.

Equality

We actively support the equality of opportunities for women and men. Creative ideas, initiatives and projects contribute to make gender equality a reality. To develop the university in the right direction, we want to motivate more women to study technical subjects and increase the number of female professors and research assistants.

Internationalisation

Stimulating international competence is the basis of our internationalisation strategy. International competence is made up of three building blocks: cultural sensitivity, foreign language skills and willingness to go abroad, and we promote these competences through suitable programmes. An international orientation is already an important element of our institutional culture: numerous students go abroad, we have a high percentage of international students, we welcome guest lecturers from abroad, we have courses taught in English, and pursue intensive exchanges with our partner universities. Internationalisation is also reflected in our research cooperation with international partners and in our specific offers for international students.

Sustainable development

Sustainable development is a fundamental idea imbued in the whole organisation, be it teaching, research, the infrastructure, our processes or the behaviour of each member of the university community. Sustainable development is thematically embedded into all our programmes and our research and development is geared towards the relevant questions of sustainability. By assuming this perspective, we contribute actively to make the university, and society as a whole, fit for the future. As alma mater, and as employer, we particularly respect the social dimension of sustainable development.

Research and transfer

Science in the Ruhr conurbation is THE driving force behind regional development. Increasing excellence in research, transfer and entrepreneurship is thus understood as a vital task for the university and must be promoted with the right measures. Research and transfer encompass all those activities that address the systematic search for new knowledge and how it can be used in practice. Among them are, especially, applied research and transfer of knowledge. We do research with the public’s interest in mind in order to find sustainable solutions to social, technical, ecological and economic challenges. All members of the university community assume important driving or supporting roles in the successful implementation of research projects and the transfer of their results into teaching, practice and society. By integrating our students in research projects, we bring them closer to the idea of explorative leaning, thinking and acting.

Teaching

Good teaching takes into account the different pre-conditions the students have. We offer interested candidates and students opportunities to discover their capabilities and inclinations as early as possible in order to help them plan an appropriate path through their studies. Teaching and learning are characterised by mutual respect. We give our students access to up-to-date specialised knowledge and methodological skills and instil them with a high sense of responsibility so they are prepared to face the challenges awaiting them in their careers, regionally as well as internationally. General skills and self-sufficiency are integral elements of teaching and student advisory. Teachers and students are constantly seeking ways to qualitatively improve teaching. In our regular surveys on the quality of classes, we take into account the differences in opinion from men and women and we act upon the results. Our study programmes are in continuous development in order to meet the demands of the future.