Applied Social Sciences - Why study at Fachhochschule Dortmund?

The Faculty of Applied Social Studies focuses on innovative fields of action and further professional qualifications. Our Master's degree programs are accredited by the Accreditation Agency for Study Programs in Health and Social Sciences (AHPGS e.V.).

Our study programs have a high practical relevance and you will acquire the necessary specialist knowledge through application-oriented projects. A regular and intensive exchange between theory and practice is important to us. We offer events and conferences for this purpose.

In North Rhine-Westphalia and especially in the Ruhr region, which includes Dortmund, there are many conurbations and densely populated cities. This brings with it a number of challenges, such as poverty, unemployment and integration. There is therefore a great deal of practical experience here thanks to numerous different social work providers. A regular exchange of experience between practice and academia is therefore a natural part of the Faculty of Applied Social Studies. Our faculty also cooperates with the planning-related offices of the City of Dortmund, such as the Environmental Agency and the Office for Housing
and Urban Renewal as well as with federal and state ministries.

The Center for Regional Social Work Research (AreSo) was founded to bring together practitioners from the region with students and lecturers from our faculty. Social work organizations, for example, contact the University of Applied Sciences with research inquiries. AreSo coordinates this, resulting in practice-relevant research projects in which the students of our faculty are involved through project tasks, among other things.

Internationalization is also an important topic in the Faculty of Applied Social Studies. We therefore align our faculty accordingly. If you are interested in a stay abroad for study or research purposes, we will be happy to advise and support you.

Our research focuses on interdisciplinary sustainability research, neighborhood-related strategies for shaping demographic change and projects at the interfaces of youth, migration and diversity. Some of this is practical research, which is part of the degree courses and Master's theses.

We use interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary methods and pass these research skills on to our students.

The Career Service at Fachhochschule Dortmund supports you in expanding your skills and knowledge in a wide range of areas. For example, you can take advanced foreign language courses in English or Spanish.

There are opportunities to learn project management or expand your communication skills with courses in open-ended communication, conversation skills or conflict management.

Technical specializations are also possible. You can obtain a European Computer Driving License (ECDL course) or improve your academic writing skills with Citavi and LaTeX courses, for example.