Studies and Study Progress

One focus of quality management in teaching and learning is the quality of the content of the curriculum and ensuring students are appropriately and optimally qualified. This involves all those engaged in teaching pursuing shared objectives:

After studying, the students should

• have a high level of specialised and social skills in order to be able to participate in professional and social life at a level appropriate to their education,
• have gained sufficient academic skills and employability with a Bachelor’s degree to take up their first professional occupation and have gained initial impressions and understanding of their own academic work,
• have mastered independent academic work with a Master’s degree in order where relevant to continue in academia. They should in addition have sufficient skills to be able to participate appropriately in work and professional life,
• should have developed into socially engaged, diversity-aware individuals,
• have strong intercultural and international skills, in order to be able to get on anywhere in the world whatever the situation and without conflict.

In order to achieve these goals, the degree programmes focus on high standards of professionalism, a strong basis in research, an international character, orientation towards the jobs market and society, a practical approach and openness to a wide variety of target groups, especially with regard to diversity. Attention is paid to the students receiving both a broad general overview as well as specialised expertise. Finally, the Centre for Languages and Key Competencies (ZESS) and the faculties offer varied services in relation to key competencies, enabling students to pursue and develop general interests. These Key Competencies contribute to successfully meeting the requirements for studies and at the same time, along with the specialist knowledge, form a crucial cornerstone not only at the start of a career but also for lasting professional success. When developing its degree programmes and designing the curricula, the University of Göttingen takes into account the relevant decisions of the Conference of Ministers of Education and the recommendations of the National Conference of Vice-Chancellors and Principals as well as the quality standards in the area of Student and Academic Services advocated by the Accreditation Council and the appropriate accreditation agencies. This is realised for example in the design of the degree programmes, the expertise conveyed in the relevant modules by the teaching staff, and both specific and general skills, which at the end of studies combine into a comprehensive skills profile for the students.

The practical approach of the degree programmes is another mark of the quality of the University of Göttingen. The goal is to enable students to obtain suitable employment after successfully completing their degree. Therefore many degree programmes provide not just specialised skills but also offer an opportunity to gain initial practical experience, for instance through work experience or practically-oriented coursework. The faculties offer specialised support and advisory services through their own offices of student affairs, such as the office for Internships and Job Service at the Faculty of Social Sciences. Centrally the students can access advice and in formation on general issues via the Career Service at Student and Academic Services. Designed to be inclusive, the international careers advice portfolio covers questions of starting a career in Germany and global careers on the jobs market in a variety of ways, such as internships abroad.

Besides compulsory modules, the degree programmes also include compulsory elective and elective modules and usually also a free choice of various profiles or key areas of study that also enable students to pursue individual specialised interests and preferences within various subject areas. Compulsory modules usually convey the fundamentals of each subject and form a basis for choice of more in-depth modules (elective modules) and key areas of study. The As well as standardised questionnaires aim is to ensure that the relevant specialised content is passed on, at the same time as enabling the students to develop their own profile independently.

Besides regular courses, some faculties offer specific support services to strengthen knowledge of the content, such as tutorials. To provide support in the early stages of studying, some faculties offer preparatory courses and in a few cases also offer mentoring programmes. These programmes have proven to be especially beneficial for foreign students, as they have to familiarise themselves not only with the new university but also with new surroundings and possibly an unfamiliar culture. For PhD students from abroad, the Welcome Center in the Göttingen International department offers numerous services to assist and support students with arranging and organising their time at the University of Göttingen.

Students play an active part in the quality assurance of degree programmes by taking part in regular course evaluations and surveys of graduates. Decentrally too, students have many opportunities to make their views known in various surveys. They are also free to use a variety of locally-organised tools and procedures to promote feedback and discussions. The students are also free to use a variety of locally-organised tools and procedures to provide feedback and discussions. At the same time, the students also represent their own interests in relation to teaching and learning on the relevant university bodies and committees. Likewise they are regularly involved in subject-specific work groups at either central or faculty level.

In order to enable an individual and practical approach to any problems of quality within the large number of very diverse faculties, we avoid using one standard set of data and criteria for all faculties and degree programmes. Within each faculty the quality of studies is ensured using quality targets for the individual degree programmes that are agreed jointly and communicated to all status groups. A constant exchange between all staff involved in the field of quality assurance within an established network of central and decentralised institutions enables the pool of knowledge and experience to grow steadily. This strong, bottom-up process not only promotes the continual improvement and development of quality on the degree programmes of all faculties through open discourse and self-determination, but also of the general quality management system.

All participants are consulted on reporting for mats for quality assurance in teaching and learning, in order to check quality regularly using a standardised procedure.

Regular accreditation of the degree programmes at the University of Göttingen also ensures that the degree programmes meet the quality criteria of the Accreditation Council and the standards of the Conference of Ministers of Education, in particular with regard to the feasibility of studies, quality assurance and vocational qualification.

There are various offices at the University of Göttingen to meet the needs that arise from the diversity of the students. In Student and Academic Services the post of Diversity Management supports the activities of the university so that greater attention is paid to the various study and life situations of potential and current students in the study requirements and conditions. Special attention is paid to the issues of opening up higher education and accessible study.

Working closely with the university’s Equal Opportunities and Diversity Unit a coordinator has been appointed to manage the development and implementation of the university’s strategy in the areas of equal opportunities, compatibility and diversity, and to maintain and develop central services for students, teachers and all other members and associates of the university.

The Gender Equality office supports the integration of equal opportunities as a cross-cutting issue in all structures and processes relating to university activities – supporting of junior academics and personnel development, research, student and academic services, and infrastructure. The office provides advice and information on issues such as safety on campus, and, in accordance with the Guideline on the prevention of and protection against sexualised harassment and violence of the Georg-August University Göttingen including the University Medical Center Göttingen, on how to deal with and prevent sexualised discrimination and violence.

The Compatibility office advocates the continuing development of a better work-life balance in relation to studies, research and work, advises organisational units as well as department heads and management on the development and implementation of work-life balance measures and together with the FamilyService offers numerous support options as a central point of information and advice, child care services and a family-friendly infrastructure.

The Diversity office supports the university in the cross-sectoral integration of aspects of diversity in all structures and processes. It advises and supports organisational units, specialists and management on the development and implementation of diversity-oriented projects and measures, as well as providing a range of information and training, including on gender diversity.

The Diversity office also coordinates measures to implement gender and diversity-responsive teaching and learning as well as providing suitable information on this centrally.

Each of the faculties has its own Equal Opportunities Representative, who is available on the spot as a sympathetic ear for equal opportunities issues, and who assists their faculty to improve structures and services. They also contribute to the ongoing development of curricula.