The Career Centre for Professorial Development looks back on the year 2024
We look back on an eventful first year with a full team. Our four doctoral positions have been filled since July 2024 and our project team has also been fully staffed since September 2024: In addition to Lisa Hettler (Project Coordination) and Ilona Kunkel (Diversity-Sensitive Marketing), Dajana Kossack now joins the team for appointment procedures and works closely with all those responsible for the appointment process at the university.
With a view to attracting new professors to our university, we have redesigned the job advertisements for professorships over the past year together with the team around the Appointments Officer Thomas Lehne and the Human Resources Management. We have also developed a flyer that emphasises the advantages of a career at the TH.
We have also developed an attractive programme for professors already appointed in 2024: An additional teaching load reduction process funded by the project, developed in collaboration with both departments, entered the first round of applications. The offer enables professors to apply for a reduction in their teaching load for two semesters in order to develop themselves further in two specific areas, which cover teaching, research, transfer and continuing education as well as the promotion of early career researchers.
Exciting insights into the day-to-day work of professors
The many facets of a professorship at a Technical University of Applied Sciences were also the focus of a testimonial campaign that we realised in spring. Here, four professors at the university gave exciting insights into their everyday working lives, which met with great interest in the social networks of the TH Wildau.
A particular focus of our work in 2024 was on recruiting and promoting young academics. The aim was to fill four doctoral positions at the KpE, which included establishing a steering committee and designing a diversity-sensitive selection process. By July 2024, four committed young researchers were able to start work on their doctoral projects at the TH Wildau:
Burcu Ataseven, Gordon Lutz, Anna Nowak-Meitinger and Annika Schmidt are academically well integrated in their respective research groups in both departments and organisationally ideally embedded in our project team. The KpE and the Research Training Group of the TH Wildau provide them with targeted support in their scientific work through a specially developed support process and further training programmes. We are very much looking forward to the results of their doctoral projects in the coming years!
Events focus on career paths and diversity
In 2024, we also enjoyed working with alumni and students of the university, who were to be inspired to pursue academic careers at a Technical University of Applied Sciences in line with the project objective. This year, KpE was again involved in the alumni working group founded in 2023 to support alumni representative Juliane Bönisch. Together, an alumni newsletter was created to provide alumni with regular news from the university.
In addition, the new event series ‘THtalk alumni x student’ was launched in November 2024: an exchange format between students and alumni of the university that is continued every semester. Four successful alumni from various degree programmes returned to TH Wildau for an evening and shared career tips and insights into professional life after graduation with interested students, who brought many questions with them.
We are also grateful for the many opportunities we had last year to work with colleagues to promote a diversity-sensitive university culture. In February, for example, we joined forces with the Centre for University Communications to put the spotlight on talented female students, employees and professors at our university to mark the International Day of Women and Girls in Science. We were particularly moved by the fact that an estimated 350 people responded to the call for a photo against racism, which we launched with the Centre for University Communications and the Anti-Discrimination Officer! Another highlight was the Queers & Friends barbecue, which we hosted in June together with the Diversity and Inclusion Working Group and the StuRa, and the first-ever raising of a rainbow flag at TH Wildau for German Diversity Day on 28 May 2024.
The memories of the exhibition on inclusion ‘Weil Vielfalt fetzt’ (‘Because diversity rocks’), which was held at the TH Wildau in November and December and was rounded off with several events, are still fresh. The finissage on 12 December 2024 will stay with us for a long time: our great guests - inclusion ambassador Janis McDavid, Paralympic swimmer Verena Schott and radio presenter Susanne Trotzki - spoke about their political, but also very personal perspectives on the topic of inclusion, leaving no one in the audience untouched.
We wish everyone at our university a happy New Year and look forward to many exciting new tasks in cooperation with all colleagues, students and alumni of TH Wildau!
UAS-professorship: Everything about teaching experienceOpen areaClose area
The opportunity to pass on knowledge and the close contact with students - for many professors at technical universities of applied sciences, this is one of the great advantages of the job description. But how much teaching experience must be demonstrated when applying for a professorship and what role does university didactics play in everyday working life? Read the answers to these questions in the latest #careerpaTHnews.
For some, it is the main motivation from the outset; others only discover over time how much they enjoy it: teaching is an essential part of a professorship at a Technical University of Applied Sciences (UAS). At UAS, university teaching is predominantly carried out by the professors - and great importance is attached to the quality of teaching, the use of innovative teaching methods and a consistent practical orientation.
Proof of pedagogical aptitude
In order to ensure the quality of teaching at UAS, applicants for professorships must prove their pedagogical aptitude as one of three essential qualifications - in addition to academic and professional qualifications. However, pedagogical aptitude is not strictly defined and there is no set minimum requirement. This gives applicants a high degree of flexibility when it comes to recognising teaching experience. Teaching activities during a doctorate are recognised, as are deputy or visiting professorships, training activities in a company or part-time teaching assignments at a university. In addition to independently held courses, you will also be recognised for participation in further didactic training courses. Trial lectures that you give as part of appointment procedures also count as valuable teaching experience.
Acquire targeted teaching experience
When applying for a UAS-professorship, it is advisable to list your teaching experience in detail. The date, content and scope of the individual teaching activities should be listed as specifically as possible in order to enable an adequate assessment of your teaching aptitude. If you are unsure whether your previous teaching experience is sufficient to apply for a UAS-professorship, there are a number of counselling services available to you. At the TH Wildau, the Career Centre for Professorial Development will advise you individually on the various options for gaining teaching experience in order to apply for a professorship.
Develop your teaching skills with the "LehrImpulse" programme
A professorship at a technical university of applied sciences offers the unique opportunity to closely support students and optimally prepare them for urgent questions from professional practice. To do this, professors must keep up to date with the latest pedagogical and methodological developments and regularly develop their teaching skills. At the TH Wildau, the Centre for Study and Teaching is a hub for improving study and teaching conditions. Here, professors can find comprehensive support and further training opportunities, for example the current "LehrImpulse" programme for developing and testing innovative teaching concepts. You can still apply for the programme until 29 July 2024.
Professional qualification for a UAS-professorshipOpen areaClose area
A key difference between Technical Universities of Applied Sciences (UAS) and universities is the qualifications that applicants for professorships must have. This is because UAS expect their applicants to have practical professional experience in addition to academic and teaching experience. This necessary triple qualification means that the path to an UAS-professorship is less structured and straightforward. On the other hand, the UAS-professorship is therefore the ideal career option for anyone who does not want to choose between academia and professional practice.
Relevant professional experience outside of academia
But what exactly does professional experience mean in this context? The respective state university laws stipulate that UAS-professors must have a certain amount of professional experience. In Brandenburg, three years of practical professional experience are required, two of which must have been gained outside of academia. " Outside of academia" means that the professional experience must not have been gained at universities, the universities of applied sciences or private universities - however, practical experience at non-university research institutes is generally taken into account.
Part-time work experience
Another piece of good news: part-time employment (from 50 per cent of standard working hours) is also fully recognised. It is important that this is successful and relevant practical work experience, as this is the only way to ensure the high quality of practice-orientated teaching and research at technical universities of applied sciences.
Targeted professional qualification - at every career stage
Those who pursue the UAS-professorship as a career goal can plan the acquisition of professional qualifications in the long term. However, it is also possible to acquire the professional qualification at a later stage. For example, five federal states have already introduced alternative professorship models that allow the appointment of partially qualified individuals. The necessary professional experience is then gained in a structured manner. We will of course report as soon as other federal states follow this procedure.
Do you still have questions about professional qualifications? The Career Centre for Professorial Development will be happy to support and inform you. Simply arrange an individual counselling appointment - we look forward to hearing from you!
You can also find further information on qualification for the UAS-professorship on the pages of the appointment management of the TH Wildau.
Seizing opportunities in the new yearOpen areaClose area
Maybe you know this feeling: you are actually quite satisfied with your current position. You already have a certain amount of experience, many work steps are easy for you and you get along really well with the people in your team. But you still suspect that there could be more waiting for you out there. Maybe it's just a vague feeling, maybe it's a thirst for action and the need for further development, and maybe it's a very specific longing to set off in a certain direction.
You can take feelings like this seriously. At the beginning of every professional development or reorientation there is self-reflection. Think about where your current position may not be completely fulfilling, where your greatest strengths lie and what activities really excite you. Of course, you can do this on your own or seek professional support. There are numerous specific information and advice offers. The Career Centre for Professorial Development at TH Wildau is there for you if you want to pursue a scientific career path at a University of Applied Sciences (UAS).
Here at the Career Centre it doesn't matter how mature your development plans are, because the advice and support is always individual. You can talk to us to find out more about the career profile of a UAS-professor or to discuss your development opportunities together. We would be happy to support you in making a well-founded development decision for yourself. Of course, we are also available to provide you with advice and support if you have already decided to gain further qualifications in order to become a professor at a University of Applied Sciences.
Professional development is possible at any time and is not a question of age. When applying for a UAS-professorship, it is your academic and practical qualifications that count - a wealth of experience is an advantage here. We would be happy to accompany you on your journey - from the first idea to implementation.
The Career Centre for Professorial Development wishes you courage, trust and success in 2024!
