"Knowledge. Transfer. Application." (pdf) - Steinbeis-Hochschule ...

Opening of Steinbeis
University Berlin
The SHB is granted the
right to award doctorates
2011: nearly 5,000
employed professionals
are enrolled at the SHB
The groundwork for a Steinbeis academy dedicated to the principles of competitive
transfer was laid in 1994. The specific idea of a private Steinbeis University soon
followed. The circumstances at the time, however, were not quite right to embark on
the undertaking. Time passed, and coincidentally, lines of communication were
established with the Berlin Senate Department of Science and Education, such that
soon all signs in Berlin were pointing to a start in the near future. In a matter of
weeks, Steinbeis received state approval to move forward with its private university.
The university opened its doors in the autumn of 1998 offering the MBE (Master
of Business and Engineering). A total of 36 students enrolled in the program. Now in
business, the university began executing its mandate through the Project Competence
Degree. Even at this stage, thanks to careful and entrepreneurial planning, the SHB
was funded solely through tuition fees and project revenues. Since the inception of
the SHB, Prof. Dr. Dr. h. c. mult. Johann Löhn has served as president.
1999 saw the introduction of the MedienMBA, the first MBA for senior managers
working in the German media. In 2000, the SHB added another string to its bow:
MBA degrees for non-German executives and German fast-track employees. In 2001,
the SHB launched its first bachelor’s degree, thus allowing working professionals
without graduate qualifications to study at a university level. The degrees are rounded
off by specialized seminars and training courses in the key skills areas of technology,
management and business – all adding to the richness of the curriculum. The pivotal
role in the SHB’s astounding growth in the following years was played by the singular
Project Competence Degree that requires each student to complete a project of practical
relevance at their place of work.
In late 2003, the SHB was granted the right to award doctorates, making it a fully -
fledged university. Aimed at people in employment, the Project Competence Doctorate
is based on the principles of “dual education” in the same way as the degree
programs. The candidates’ research project acts as a foundation for their dissertation.
This development helps real-world research evolve into another USP for the SHB.
2008 saw the first annual Stuttgart Competence Day organized by the SHB. This
symposium investigates the issue of competence from a variety of perspectives. Prof.
Dr. Annette Schavan, the Minister of Education and Research, remains the sponsor of
the event to this day.
In 2011, the SHB family includes nearly 5,000 students and more than 4,500
alumni. The university maintains its strict quality standards thanks to roughly 1,000
lecturers and project managers. The SHB also joins forces with high-profile partners
(in science, academia and the corporate world) to impart knowledge in the classroom,
in research and during transfer.
Further information:
www.steinbeis-hochschule.de
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