“This certificate will stand out in your future applications,” Prof. Dr. Katja Specht is certain. With a certificate and a handshake, the Vice President for Academic Affairs at the Technische Hochschule Mittelhessen (THM) bids farewell to the first cohort of the “ProTHM” program, which aims to encourage young women to pursue a professorship at a university of applied sciences. Although she herself found her way into teaching via a less direct route, Specht is likely the role model that many of the 23 female students have in mind when considering such a career.

With a somewhat selfless purpose, the university launched the "ProTHM" initiative in November 2020 by applying to the federal and state government's "FH Personal" program: The percentage of women at THM , a university specializing in science and engineering, is low among students and even lower among faculty. Some job postings receive only a single-digit number of applications, often exclusively from men – yet qualified individuals are urgently needed. However, securing a professorship at a university of applied sciences requires extensive practical professional experience. Few people dare to make the transition from a career in industry or business back to academia.

THM therefore aims, among other things, to introduce young "high potentials" to the career path at an early stage and retain them at the university; approximately €2.56 million is available for this purpose until 2027. Three pillars are intended to increase the flexibility and attractiveness of the career path to a professorship at a university of applied sciences, facilitate the entry and retention of newly appointed professors, and, as a first step, find qualified young talent through targeted scouting – with a particular focus on women.

Therefore, at the beginning of 2022, the Departments were asked to nominate outstanding female students for "ProTHM" based on their achievements and commitment. A total of 47 nominations were received for the first cohort; 36 women registered at the start in May, and 23 completed the program. "Who can now actually envision pursuing a doctorate and perhaps more?" Specht asked in conclusion – after all, around a third of the women responded.

Of course, they first have to complete their studies. Most of the participants in the program are in the second half of their Master's studies, but there are also some Bachelor's students. For nine months, they attended workshops and held discussions with women – but also with men, such as President Prof. Dr. Matthias Willems – to learn the fundamentals of the professorial profession, its compatibility with family planning, and how to assert themselves in a male-dominated environment and use personal networks to their advantage.

“In the next round, we not only hope for more good proposals from the Departments , but this time we also want to reach out to doctoral candidates and post-docs,” says Dr. Stefanie Klos, who is administratively responsible for “ProTHM.” The program aims to expand its reach and further tailor it to the needs of the participants. Successes like this one will become commonplace: at least one participant has already decided to pursue a doctorate in her field – civil engineering – thanks to the program.