Are you interested in a part of the ProTHM project and would you like to find out about the experiences of (former) participants? Below you will find newspaper reports and interviews with participants in the cooperative practical phase and the talent development programme.
Field report on the cooperative acquisition of practical experience
Nadine Wills before
M Department Business Administration and Engineering is the first participant in the cooperative acquisition of practical experience and will spend 30% of her working hours at THM in teaching and 70% as a CAFM BIM data manager at the Deutsche Bundesbank in the next 3 years. After completing the phase, Ms. Wills will have fulfilled an important prerequisite on her way to HAW professor. In Hesse, it is legally anchored that HAW professors must have been in practice for at least three years before they can be appointed. In the following, read an interview with Ms. Wills, in which she describes her previous experience and exciting insights into your everyday work between the THM and the German Bundesbank.
Ms. Wills, please give a brief history of your career to date.
From 2010 to 2013, I completed a dual study programme at the Gera-Eisenach Cooperative State University and the ISIHOME Group as a partner. While working part-time, I then completed my Master of Science in Facility Management at the THM in Friedberg with the same employer. At my former employer, I worked in real estate project development and management before transferring to the THM in September 2016. In December 2016, I decided to begin a part-time doctorate. After contacting several universities, I was accepted as an external doctoral student at the Bauhaus University Weimar in July 2017. I submitted my dissertation in March of this year and am now awaiting the date for the dissertation defense. Since April 1, 2022, I have been working only 30% at the THM and another 70% as a CAFM-BIM data manager at the Deutsche Bundesbank.
Why did you decide to get the practical experience cooperatively?
I think it is an advantage to be able to use the experience gained in practice in teaching. Likewise, research results obtained at the university can be applied in the company. So I think that by gaining practical experience cooperatively, one gains the positive qualities of both “sides”. I actually thought about going into practice. However, I had concerns about being "too far away" from science after a certain time.
How did you find your cooperating company?
Here's what initially asked for a bit of personal initiative: Since the programme "was still very young", I did a classic search for job advertisements that interested me. The company's vacancy appealed to me because it covered the topics of my doctorate. I then made contact with the HR department and asked whether it was possible to apply for the position as part of the ProTHMprogramme. Since that was the case, it was then: write an application and go through the regular application process.
What are your previous experiences and how do you deal with the double burden of working in the company and teaching at the THM?
So far I have only had positive experiences. The colleagues in the company are very nice and gave me great support during the induction phase. I have felt very welcome in the team since day one. The work is very varied, which makes it exciting and interesting at the same time. Many things that are considered scientifically and theoretically at the university now have to be implemented in practice. I have already been able to take many ideas for the apprenticeship with me from the activities that I currently have in the company. I can now add good examples and practical experience to content that was perhaps treated a bit too theoretically before. I think this makes the lecture more exciting and interesting for students.
I wouldn't see the work in the company and at the THM as a double burden. Since I work in areas of responsibility in the company that are very similar to the content of the apprenticeship at the THM , I see this more as a perfect complement. The total working time has not increased.
Are you aiming for a HAW professorship once you have the relevant qualifications, and if so, what do you like about this job description?
I can very well imagine this for my future. Since my personal scientific career has always been connected to practice, I can imagine combining academic work with practical relevance to industry in the future. I have always benefited from practice-oriented teaching, as practiced at the THM , and I would like to give students the opportunity to have similar positive experiences in the future. I think that it is an interesting job description: due to the practical relevance, as it is lived at HAWs, teaching content is not even prepared and then used for dozens of semesters, but has to be updated again and again and to the changes that arise in practice , be adjusted. This challenges you personally to always “update” yourself about what has happened in practice.
How did you find out about ProTHM ?
I took part in the ProTHM information event.
THMagazin article on the first Female Career Talk “Mastering your career path as a woman”
The following article appeared in THMagazin issue 51 (December 2023).
Mastering your career path as a woman
A varied job with a high level of qualifications and professional commitment with great social relevance - this is what anyone who takes up a professorship at a university of applied sciences can expect. The focus is on practice-oriented teaching and enriching exchanges with young people. Great freedom in research and teaching as well as an excellent work-life balance make a professorship particularly attractive.
Nevertheless, questions often arise, especially among women, when it comes to this career goal. Some of these were discussed at the beginning of the winter semester at a panel discussion moderated by cultural manager Emily Härtel in the Makerspace Giessen . At the invitation of the ProTHM project team, three female professors from various THM Department gave insights into their personal career paths and everyday working lives. During a brief round of introductions, Prof. Dr. Cathrin Schröder, Dean of Studies at the Department Electrical Engineering and Information Technology, said: "I noticed during my time as a student assistant that I enjoy teaching. Helping others and witnessing the development of students is a fantastic feeling." She describes her profession as a "dream job."
Dr. Kerstin Herrmann, who has been teaching technical logistics at the Department of Management and Communication since 2022, studied Business Administration and Engineering at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology. She had her first points of contact with the apprenticeship as a tutor. What happened, she summarized concise: "I immediately caught fire." Briefly, she looked back on her starting phase that was not available as a professor and found that the start was "great but exhausting". "Now, after the third semester, I say: It will be easier," she added.
“I really liked the combination of practice and teaching. This is what I can do and what I want to do,” said Prof. Dr. Katja Specht. In 2011 she was appointed to a professorship in statistics, operations research and logistics. She has been Vice President for Studies and Teaching at THM since 2016.
A moderated question and answer session followed, in which the audience also took part. A wide variety of aspects were discussed: How do you become a professor at THM? What does application-oriented research and teaching look like? Can you strategically plan your career path as a HAW professor? What does everyday working life look like? What advice can you give to young people who want to become a professor at the University of Applied Sciences?
From the professors' point of view, enthusiasm for what you do and enjoyment of a particular subject are the most important prerequisites. Prof. Schröder divided her range of activities into teaching, research and self-administration and thus named the fields of work that are characteristic of everyday professorial life. A doctorate is usually the “entrance ticket” to a scientific career; a habilitation is not absolutely necessary for a professorship at a university of applied sciences. The required personal qualifications include proof of at least three years of professional activity outside of the university.
The compatibility of career, professorship and family was a topic that particularly interested the guests. It turned out that it is difficult to reconcile your own offspring and scientific publications. Katja Specht also experienced this when she was doing her doctorate. “Support is important, creating a helpful environment and networking. As a woman, you don't always have to set the goal of wanting to do everything alone." She combined this with the recommendation: "You shouldn't be afraid to openly address problems and difficulties."
One listener added that there are now very helpful offers in terms of grants and support, including mentoring programmes. In addition, when applying for applications, women's representatives are now well aware that a woman who already has children has fewer publications to show.
Cathrin Schröder reported that she even took her daughter to the lecture once. They were just as enthusiastic about it as the students. In general, there is already a lot of flexibility.
The basic advice included having confidence in yourself, taking a step-by-step approach, building networks, taking risks, seizing opportunities as they arise and accepting teaching positions early on to gain experience in academic teaching.
Katja Specht had another general tip on the subject of planning for the future: “You always have to be open to coincidences. If someone had told me during my A-levels what career path I would pursue, I wouldn’t have believed it.”
Second ProTHM Career Talk: Paths to a HAW professorship
The second ProTHM Career Talk: Paths to a HAW professorship On November 21, 2024, a panel discussion moderated by Emily Härtel offered the audience exciting insights into a tandem professorship and the cooperative acquisition of practical experience. Prof. Dr.-Ing Christian Baier, tandem professor in the Department of Civil Engineering and Senior Consultant at the 5D Institute Giessen , and Prof. Dr. Kristin Kreutz, tandem professor in the Department and employee at the Herder Institute for Historical East Central European Research, reported on their daily professional lives and the beginning of their professorship. Dr. Nadine Wills, lecturer in the Department Business Administration and Engineering and CAFM-BIM data manager at the Deutsche Bundesbank, supplemented the discussion with experiences from the cooperative acquisition of practical experience.
Own professional practical experience is of particular importance for a HAW professorship and is legally anchored as a prerequisite for employment. Section 68 of the Hessian Higher Education Act stipulates at least five years of professional experience (including at least three years outside of the university sector). In order to make up for missing non-university professional experience and not lose connection to the university and teaching, the newly introduced tandem professorship or cooperative acquisition of practical experience is an option. Both models combine simultaneous employment in a company and at a university. As the discussion participants noted, they can have a positive influence on their own teaching activities at the THM and help to maintain the connection to the university and the students. All in all, the participants in the panel discussion were very satisfied with the two models and see them as good preparation for a HAW professorship.
Interview "Initiation for a doctorate" with Ms. Rukiye Köse
The following interview appeared in the THMagazine issue 48 (March 2023).
As part of the ProTHM talent promotion programme, valuable insights into a career as a professor at a university of applied sciences (HAW) are provided. The one-year programme includes information events, discussion rounds and networking events. In a four-part series, some of the women in the THMagazin report on their experiences. 
For me, being nominated for "ProTHM" was...
a big pleasure. When I was the only architect to be nominated for the ProTHMtalent programme, I never thought it would affect my life choices so much. My current doctoral project developed through the programme, which was previously an unattainable goal for me. The events and lectures gave me a lot of professional support and motivated me. They helped me find the courage to follow my passion and decide to pursue a PhD.
What I particularly like about my degree programme is...
that as an architect I have the opportunity to implement my creativity. It is the architecture that defines and unifies places. The power and impact of architecture is often underestimated, but it is so great that entire cities or countries are associated with it. For example, what would Paris be without the Eiffel Tower? Architecture is more than just building, it is the connection between technology, construction and creativity. It fascinates me again and again how the designs that were once still on the sketch paper are finally implemented. It is the architect's sketches, the architect's emotions and the architect's passion that are realized in an engineering way.
Studying as a woman in a male-dominated environment means...
always being secondary and having to do twice as much work to be seen. I am all the more pleased that there are organizations and projects such as "ProTHM" that put women in the foreground.
What motivates me to do well in my studies is...
to be able to prove as a woman from an ethnic minority in Germany that women and Muslims in Germany can also achieve high goals, although unfortunately they are still severely disadvantaged in society.
For me, the biggest challenge of doing a doctorate would be...
probably the funding. Since I personally concentrate very much on my goals and therefore invest a lot of time in my doctoral project, it is extremely difficult to have to work on the side.
A PhD would be more attractive to women if...
there would be more state financial support for women doing doctoral studies. For people from lower social classes in particular, financing is often a reason against doing a doctorate. As a woman, it is difficult to work for general subsistence in addition to building a career. Especially when it comes to family planning at some point in life.
I personally took away from participating in "ProTHM" ...
that man actually gets in his own way with every dream. That's why I'm very grateful to "ProTHM", whose team gave me a lot of professional support and gave me the courage to go my own way.
To person:
Rukiye Köse is 23 years old and studies architecture in the Master of Engineering at the Department of Building. Her A-levels stored her in 2017 at the Carl-von-Linde-Gymnasium in Kempten in the Allgäu.
Interview "Marathon instead of just a sprint" with Mrs. Jennifer Kneitz
The following interview appeared in the THMagazine issue 49 (July 2023).
As part of the ProTHM talent promotion programme, valuable insights into a career as a professor at a university of applied sciences (HAW) are provided. The one-year programme includes information events, discussion rounds and networking events. In a four-part series, some of the women report on their experiences and impressions.
For me, being nominated for ProTHMwas...
At first very surprising. At the same time, it was also a good feeling to be proposed by someone from the Department . My curiosity, which aspects the programme would address, was awakened.
I decided to study at the THM because...
The focus is already on practical relevance during your studies and the teachers often involve experience from industry in their courses. In addition, I had already agreed to present the Department of the Department of S LSE and in general the personal exchange with the lecturers and students of the THM at a consulting evening after the A-levels .
What I particularly like about my degree programme is...
the interdisciplinary orientation and the linking of the natural sciences with technical aspects. Biotechnology is used on a wide variety of levels for everyday things and challenges that will continue to accompany our society in the future. There are also a wide variety of career prospects based on the value chain of a product or process. It's enriching that you can always learn something new, that's what fascinates me about biotechnology.
For me, the biggest challenge of doing a doctorate is...
difficult to put into a few lines at this point. Before making a decision, you should ask yourself questions, as the ProTHM programme and my work at the Institute for Bioprocess Engineering and Pharmaceutical Technology (IBPT) have taught me. A saying sticks in my mind: A doctorate is not a sprint, but a marathon.
The exchange with students of other Department was for me ...
it is enriching to find out what questions other female students are dealing with. Especially with regard to a possible doctorate or the design of the course. It was also interesting to hear what the motives for the selected course were. Other topics of discussion were studying and working in a male-dominated environment.
What I personally took away from participating in "ProTHM"...
Information on topics related to academic careers. A large part was about doctoral opportunities at THM. What should be the reasons for a doctorate, but also what should not be taken as an incentive. Further aspects were the possibilities of the Central Hesse region with the Research Campus of Central Hessen (FCMH) and TransMIT with the transfer of knowledge between science and business. I also now know other contact points at the THMif questions arise. I hope that the network around ProTHM will continue to exist and expand and that the participants of this year can also be a part of it.
I will remember "ProTHM"...
Once again the advice that career paths do not have to be straight. As long as you are happy about the path you choose, despite the hurdles that arise, there are always options. It was also nice to hear Prof. Dr. during a Q&A session. Matthias Willems and Prof. Dr. Katja Specht is behind the programme. Overall, the various events gave me new food for thought about how my professional path could continue after my master's degree. At this point, many thanks to everyone involved in the programme.
To person:
Jennifer Kneitz is 24 years old and studies biotechnology / biopharmaceutical technology in the master at the Department Life Science Engineering (LSE). Her A-levels put it at the Georg Büchner-Gymnasium in 2017.
Interview “First study, then do your doctorate” with Ms. Lena Oestreich
The following interview appeared in THMagazin issue 50 (October 2023).
As part of the ProTHM talent development programme, valuable insights into a career as a professor at a University of Applied Sciences (HAW) are provided. The year-long programme includes information sessions, discussions and networking events. In a four-part series, women report on their experiences - this time Lena Oestreich.
For me, being nominated for ProTHMwas...
a great opportunity, I am very grateful for the nomination. I had already toyed with the idea of doing a doctorate. However, for me, a doctorate is something that initially raises a lot of questions. Be it organizational or financial. That's intimidating at first. The programme was able to take away these insecurities for me, which will certainly also be the case in the future. The programme has only just begun.
What I particularly like about my degree programme is...
the number of different disciplines that are combined in this course of study and that ultimately come together like a puzzle to form one big picture.
Studying as a woman in a male-dominated environment means...
Nothing bad for me at first. You learn to assert yourself in this male-dominated environment. However, I can't complain about my fellow students. Maybe you need to listen to one or two sayings. But that's not a problem for me. I stand above it and can laugh with the others when I use a cliché.
The biggest challenge of a doctorate will be...
deciding on a topic. This is because I have to deal with the subject area for a long time. It would be a shame if in two years I no longer had the desire to continue working in this area. Especially since I am interested in several areas.
Doing a doctorate would certainly be more attractive for women if...
you wouldn't have the pressure from outside that arises from the partially existing image of women. The main focus is on questions and statements about family planning and that it is better to think about starting a career as quickly as possible. Here, I don't think about what a doctorate will bring me, but rather laugh at this time and see it as wasted time. I try not to let things like that get to me, but unfortunately it doesn't always work.
The exchange with students of other Department was for me ...
super exciting. At the first meeting, the five of us were supposed to discuss a few questions about the topic of a doctorate. People started talking straight away and my group had a lively exchange. It's great to see what fellow students who are in the same situation think or have already done about the topic of doctoral studies.
I will remember "ProTHM"...
First of all, the super good support and planning. You can write to the two organizers at any time and always get helpful tips and answers. In addition, contact with the students of other Department e. Of course, you also collect knowledge that will be very helpful in the event of a doctorate, and I will definitely look into my documents more often and think back to this time.
To person:
Lena Oestreich is 25 years old and is studying the Master's programme of the same name at the Department Business Administration and Engineering (WI). She completed her Bachelor's degree in Medical Technology at StudiumPlus, part of the Business Administration and Engineering programme. She completed her A-levels at the Aliceschule in Giessen in 2017.
Interview "A Career in Science" with Ms. Laura Refflinghaus
The following interview appeared in THMagazin issue 51 (December 2023).
As part of the ProTHM talent development programme, valuable insights into a career as a professor at a University of Applied Sciences (HAW) are provided. The year-long programme includes information sessions, discussions and networking events. In a four-part series, women report on their experiences - this time Laura Refflinghaus.
For me, being nominated for ProTHMwas...
A gratifying surprise, especially in view of the fact that participation can only take place thanks to your own Department thanks to a standardization. From the beginning I was excited to get an insight and suggestions regarding a career in science. The department of S crossing with other students was also particularly interesting for me.
I decided to study at the THM because...
For me, practical learning is essential. In addition to imparting theoretical knowledge, it is important to me to have a direct connection to the industry and to gain insights into it. That's why I chose a university where many teachers had already worked in industry; teaching can only benefit from their experience. I was also impressed by the new building of the Life Science Engineering Campus and the associated equipment with modern laboratories.
What I particularly like about my degree programme is...
the diversity and variety. Pharmaceutical biotechnology is an interdisciplinary subject that provides insights into numerous sub-disciplines. Within the course, teamwork is encouraged and required both theoretically and practically in the laboratory. This collaborative, goal-oriented work enriches my study experience immensely. For me personally, biotechnology offers an exciting opportunity to combine knowledge and skills from various scientific disciplines in order to actively shape the future.
Studying as a woman in a male-dominated environment means...
The opportunity to have to be able to prove to be able to continuously prove. This gives you the opportunity to develop self -confidence and overcome uncertainties. However, it can also mean that you can draw from a significantly smaller pool of female models, since most professors are male in our Department .
What motivates me above all to do well in my studies is...
my thirst for knowledge. The more insights I gain into the natural sciences and engineering, the more theoretical knowledge influences my everyday life. The world around you becomes more fascinating the more you learn and discover. In addition, the continuous development of knowledge is motivating, as is the prospect of having my future in my own hands and being able to actively shape it through good performance.
In my future career I would like to...
bring in the expertise I learned at THM in my specialist areas and use it sensibly. It's important to me that I feel like I'm making a contribution and having a positive influence in my professional career. I am open to the diverse possibilities and developments that the future may bring.
The exchange with students of other Department was for me ...
An experience that was extremely enriching. Despite the differences between the Department , we were able to recognize some department of S crossing problems and exchange ideas about them. In addition, what is valuable to gain insights into the study worlds of the other participants, a perspective that often does not arise without such a programme. The possibility of networking with each other made the whole experience even more valuable.
To person
Laura Refflinghaus is 24 years old and studies biotechnology / biopharmaceutical technology in the master at the Department Life Science Engineering (LSE). Her A-levels she did in 2017 at the Dr. Judge filed.
