Mission statement of the Protestant University

Social, diaconal and religious education professions perform socially delegated tasks in democratic societies in order to promote, support and represent human dignity and the human rights based on it. Our education is also committed to this mission. The dialogue between disciplines, worldviews and religions in study, research and teaching, takes place at our university against the background of the Judeo-Christian image of man, which sees justice, solidarity and reconciliation as the basis of relationships between people.

We offer our students an application-oriented education that conveys the current scientific state of research and discusses its relevance for social, religious educational and diaconal professional fields. Practice-relevant research and practice-oriented continuing education are at the center of our commitment. We cooperate with research and educational institutions on a national and international level and promote exchange with universities in Europe. Our degree programs are accessible to students from all cultures and nations; we enable our students to study abroad. We participate in the scientifically reflected, practice-relevant further development of social, pedagogical and diaconal professional fields in numerous cooperations with municipal and independent sponsors, with partners in religious education, with politics, business, administration, church and culture.

We promote the scientific and personal competence of our students within their studies. Through dialogue in partnership, personal guidance, mentoring, and advising, we foster their self-reflective abilities. We place particular emphasis on raising awareness of issues of intercultural, interreligious, ecumenical, aesthetic, and gender diversity. To ensure that our graduates continue to have good professional opportunities in the future, our concepts are geared to the changing requirements in social, diaconal and religious educational professional fields. We promote self-initiative, interdisciplinarity, innovation and the ability to work in a team, and reflect current developments in discourses on professional theory with students and employers.

In teaching and research, we pay special attention to the situation of people with assistance needs. We strive to create barrier-free access and to take into account the needs of students with disabilities in their everyday studies. The integration into the university community and the possibility to clarify questions of faith and meaning are part of the protestant profile of our university of Applied Sciences.

We see ourselves as an educational institution that is supported and enlivened by the diverse talents of students, staff, teachers and leaders. We regard the diversity of faiths and worldviews at our university as an opportunity and an asset and see ourselves as a place where Christian spirituality and ethics are lived and experienced at the same time.

We ensure quality in teaching, research and continuing education through regular evaluation of courses, evaluation of our degree programs and external consulting. We compete with universities on a national and international level. Continuous further development of study programs and continuing education is a central concern for us. We evaluate the career entrys and career opportunities of our students and promote the research and further education opportunities of our academic staff. Through publications and public relations, we make our work transparent and contribute to the public discourse on research, theory building, and practice development. We allow all groups to have a voice in the committees and are attentive and ready to implement change requests. Our quality management includes the review and optimization of organizational processes and ensures transparency and clarity of decisions. Regular personnel development discussions illuminate and concretize the development opportunities of our employees and provide the guarantee for a review of the agreed targets. Through the sustainable use and development of new resources, we ensure the equipment of our university and its adaptation to future developments in the sense of quality development.