Five universities of applied sciences
If you are looking for practice-oriented courses, one of the five universities of applied sciences in Saxony is the right place for you. Here students can obtain a university degree in the fields of Engineering, Economics, Media and Social Sciences as well as in the artistic field. Admission requirements are: general higher education entrance qualification (Abitur), advanced technical college entrance qualification, subject-linked higher education entrance qualification, Master’s examination (subject-related) or a qualification recognised by the respective university as equivalent, a first university degree that qualifies for a profession in case of a Master’s study programme and, depending on the study regulations, subject-specific admission requirements.
Founded 150 years ago as a private educational institution for mechanical engineering, the University of Applied Sciences Mittweida today offers a wide spectrum of courses ranging from Engineering, Natural Sciences and Economics to Media and Social Work. As in its early days, the University of Applied Sciences Mittweida is a cosmopolitan university located at the heart of the city. 6,200 students are enrolled in 65 study programmes in five faculties. Application-oriented and interdisciplinary study programmes are a trademark of Mittweida. Some courses are available only here, such as »General and Digital Forensics« or the cross-media course in »Media Management«.
The University of Applied Sciences Mittweida also excels in knowledge transfer and research. Areas of excellence of the University of Applied Sciences Mittweida are Laser Research and Digital Forensics. The new building of the Laserinstitut Hochschule Mittweida was completed in 2016. It was the first and one of only three excellent new buildings for research at technical colleges in which the federal government has contributed financially. The IT forensics specialists at the University of Applied Sciences Mittweida have been working with the Fraunhofer Institute for Secure Information Technology (SIT) in Darmstadt in the field of research and training since 2017.
The Zentrum für Medien und Soziale Arbeit (Centre for Media and Social Work) is one of the most modern academic training centres in Europe in the media sector. Spread over 5,700 square metres and four floors, it houses lecture halls and seminar rooms, a state-of-the-art television studio, recording studios and the university's own radio station »99drei Radio Mittweida«. It broadcasts not only for the campus, but also 24/7 for the city, making it the only local station in Germany to be operated by students. Many other productions and events make media studies in Mittweida uniquely practical.
As one of the first partner universities for top sports in Germany, the University of Applied Sciences Mittweida offers competitive athletes special study conditions that are adapted to training and competition periods.
The University of Applied Sciences Leipzig (HTWK Leipzig) offers a combination of practically oriented teaching and application-oriented research. Its regional unique selling point is the wide range of engineering programmes. More than 45 courses in Engineering, Economics and Social Sciences, Applied Media and Information Sciences as well as Computer Science and Mathematics facilitate scientifically sound and practice-oriented training.
Long-term and diverse collaborations with companies from the region, Germany and Europe as well as numerous research projects have proven the university’s level of performance. With a third-party funding of 15 million euros, the HTWK Leipzig is one of the most research-intensive universities of applied sciences (HAW) in Germany. Currently almost 80 young scientists at the university are completing their doctorate in cooperative procedures.
The university was newly established in 1992. The lines of tradition of its predecessor institutions in Leipzig - technical college, building academy, teaching facilities for librarians, book traders and museologists - go back in direct line to the year 1838. The areas of Economics and Social Affairs were added after 1992.
The profile of the HTWK Leipzig includes its teaching and research competences in Construction & Energy, Engineering & Economy, Life Science & Engineering and Media & Information. The university is committed to combining teaching and research.
There are about 6,600 students enrolled at the HTWK Leipzig.
Achieve more in practice is the motto of the University of Applied Sciences Dresden (HTW Dresden). Teaching and research at the HTW Dresden are closely linked to each other and very practice-oriented. Students can participate in research projects from an early stage. They benefit from close contacts with industrial partners and have the opportunity to complete their doctorate within the framework of cooperative doctoral procedures.
Research at the HTW Dresden is primarily based on four profile lines: Mobile Systems and Mechatronics, Sustainable Livelihoods, Information Systems and Business Management and Entrepreneurship. Owing to its application-oriented research, the university is an important partner, especially of medium-sized companies in Saxony, and very well-networked with the numerous technology and research centres in the science hub of Dresden.
HTW Dresden’s Gründungsschmiede (founding forge) supports young university-related start-ups in developing innovative business ideas, and puts them in touch with cooperation partners in business and industry.
In addition to excellent study conditions and first-class training, students in Dresden can expect an environment with a high quality of life, art and culture, great recreational facilities and a wonderful landscape.
The degrees acquired at the HTW Dresden are well recognised by companies and research and educational institutions alike. This is demonstrated not only by current studies and university rankings, but above all by the successful placement of graduates in practice.
4,600 students study at the HTW.
The University of Applied Sciences Zwickau (WHZ) dates back to the Ingenieurschule Zwickau (Zwickau School of Engineering) that was founded in 1897 and that had made a name for itself in the field of automotive engineering. Even today, technology continues to play an important role at the university of applied sciences. Courses at the WHZ are based on the additional pillars of business, languages, health and design. Around 2,900 students are currently enrolled in one of the 62 study programmes in eight faculties. Young people from almost 50 countries choose to study at the WHZ every year. In addition to the Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees, the university continues to award diplomas. There are 15 study programmes in which students receive diplomas. These include the fields of Mechanical Engineering, Automotive Engineering and Industrial Engineering.
The technical study programmes are complemented by a creative and inter-cultural range of courses. For example, studying economics is combined with a foreign language, with a choice between French, Spanish/Portuguese or Chinese. Nursing and health management and sign language interpretation expand the range of courses.
In addition to Zwickau, the university also has campuses in the Ore Mountain region of Schneeberg and the Vogtland towns of Reichenbach and Markneukirchen. Students of the study programmes Wood Design, Fashion Design and Textile Art/Textile Design study at the Faculty of Applied Arts in Schneeberg. Aspiring musical instrument makers learn their trade in Markneukirchen and the Reichenbach campus has the Institute for Textile and Leather Technology.
For years, Zwickau students have successfully participated in the international design competition Formula Student, in which they design, build and drive their own racing car.
Studying without borders: there is hardly a better place of study than the cities of Zittau and Görlitz that makes such a motto a reality. The cities are embedded in the border triangle between Germany, the Czech Republic and Poland and offer students many opportunities in practice-oriented training. The university impresses with the intensive support, modern equipment and numerous contacts to regional, national and international companies and institutions that it offers. These are ideal prerequisites for effective education and excellent job prospects. The high placement rate of graduates is proof of this.
The two locations are about 36 kilometres apart. Over 450 employees, including around 120 professors, are responsible for about 2,500 students who are enrolled in 55 study programmes in Engineering, Natural Sciences, Economics and Social Sciences in six faculties. Internationality is one of the pillars of the university. It maintains partnerships with a total of 122 universities in 38 countries.
This also includes the globally unparalleled Neisse University, which is a trinational university network. The English-language Bachelor’s degree course in this network starts in the Czech Republic, moves to Poland in the second year and ends in Germany. An integral part of the course of study is an internship that can be performed in any country in the world. If you want to delve into the diversity of communication and its impacts on individuals and groups, you can study Communication Psychology at the Görlitz campus. This is a Bachelor’s study programme that is unique in Germany. The Social Gerontology study programme is also a rare one. The same holds true for the interdisciplinary study programmes of Housing and Real Estate Management, Ecology and Environmental Protection and Integrated Management Systems.
The unique Master’s study programme in Mechatronics makes it possible to receive two degrees in one course. It leads to a dual degree in cooperation with the Technical University of Liberec. In addition to the diploma, Bachelor’s and Master’s study programmes, the university provides the opportunity of combining a course of study with professional training because it offers cooperative education with integrated training.
