Sciences (UAS) is a German tertiary education institution that specializes in a

particular applied science or applied art, such as engineering, technology or

business.
Fachhochschulen were first founded in Germany, and were later adopted
in Austria, Liechtenstein, Switzerland, Cyprus and Greece. An increasing number
of Fachhochschulen are abbreviated as Hochschule, the generic term in Germany
for institutions awarding academic degrees in higher education, or expanded
as Hochschule für angewandte Wissenschaften (HAW). Universities of Applied
Sciences are primarily designed with a focus on teaching professional skills. Swiss
law calls Fachhochschulen and Universitäten "separate but equal".[1]
Due to the Bologna process, Universitäten and Fachhochschulen award legally
equivalent
academic bachelor's and master's degrees.[2] Fachhochschulen generally do not
award doctoral degrees themselves. Combined with the rule that they appoint only
professors with a professional career of at least three years outside the university
system, those are the two major ways in which they differ from traditional
universities. However, they may run doctoral programs if the degree itself is
awarded by a partner institution.[3]

Contents

 1Impact of the Bologna process

 2In Germany
 3In Austria
 4In Switzerland
 5See also
 6References

Impact of the Bologna process[edit]

Further information: Bologna process
Due to the Bologna process, most
German Universitäten and Fachhochschulen have ceased admitting students to
programs leading to the traditional German Diplom (FH), but now apply the new
degree standard of Bachelor's and Master's degrees. In line with the Bologna
process, bachelor's and master's degrees awarded by both types of universities
(Universitäten and Fachhochschulen) are legally equivalent.
With a Master's from either, one can now enter a doctoral degree program at
a Universität, but a graduate with a bachelor's degree from either is normally
unable to proceed directly to a doctoral degree program in Germany (most US
schools only require a bachelor's degree for admission to doctoral programs, but
virtually all require additional coursework). Also, with the master's degree of either
of the institutions a graduate can enter the höheren Dienst (higher service) career
for civil servants.[2][4]
In Germany[edit]
See also: Technische Hochschule
The Fachhochschule or University of Applied Sciences and Arts is a type of
German institution of higher education that emerged from the traditional
Engineering Schools and similar professional schools of other disciplines. It differs
from the traditional university (Universität) mainly through its more practical
orientation.[5] Subjects taught at Fachhochschulen include engineering, computer
science, business and management, arts and design, communication studies,
social service, and other professional fields.
The traditional degree awarded at a Fachhochschule was the Diplom (FH).
Coursework generally totaled six semesters (three years) of full-time study, with
various options for specialization. In addition, there were one or two practical
training semesters to provide hands-on experience in real working environments.
The program concluded, usually after 3.5 - 4 years, with the final examination and
a thesis (Diplomarbeit) which is usually an extensive project on a current practical
or scientific aspect of the profession.
In an effort to make educational degrees more compatible within Europe, the
German Diplom degrees were mostly phased out by 2010 and replaced by the
European bachelor's and master's degree.
The Fachhochschule represents a close relationship between higher education and
the employment system. Their practical orientation makes them very attractive to
employers.[6]
Today, Fachhochschulen also conduct research. Research projects are either
publicly funded or sponsored by industry. Nevertheless, in Germany the right to
confer doctoral degrees is still generally reserved to Universitäten.[7] In 2016,
however, Fulda University of Applied Sciences became the first Fachhochschule to
be conferred this right for its graduate center for social
sciences.[8] Several Fachhochschulen run doctoral programs where the degree
itself is awarded by a partner university in Germany or abroad (similar to the
doctoral programs in German research institutes, such as the Fraunhofer
Society or the Max Planck Society).
There are a few universities, such as Catholic University of Eichstätt-
Ingolstadt and Bundeswehr University Munich, which run Fachhochschule courses
in addition to their normal courses.

In Austria[edit]
This section needs expansion. You
can help by adding to it. (June
2008)

The Austrian government decided to establish Fachhochschulen (FH) in 1990. In

the academic year of 2010/11, there were twenty-one institutions officially
considered as Fachhochschulen plus a number of other providers
of Fachhochschulstudiengängen with a total of over 27,000 students. About a third
of the 136 Fachhochschulstudiengänge are organized as part-time courses of
studies.

Stud Stud
Foun ents ents Differ
Name City Province Type ded 2008 2009 ence
/09 /10

Fachhochschule Burgenla Fachhochs

Eisenstadt 1994 1.451 1.453 +2
Burgenland nd chule

Fachhochschule Spittal an Fachhochs

Kärnten 1995 1.518 1.664 +146
Kärnten der Drau chule

Fachhochschule Niederös Fachhochs

Krems 1994 1.779 1.750 -29
Krems terreich chule

Fachhochschule Sankt Niederös Fachhochs

1994 1.715 1.698 -17
St. Pölten Pölten terreich chule

Fachhochschule Wiener Niederös Fachhochs

1994 2.658 2.763 +105
Wiener Neustadt Neustadt terreich chule

Fachhochs
Theresian
Wiener Niederös chul-
Military 1751 324 314 -10
Neustadt terreich Einrichtun
Academy
g

Fachhochs
Fachhochschulst
Oberöste chul-
udiengang Wels 1994 4.154 4.434 +280
rreich Einrichtun
Oberösterreich
g

FH Fachhochs
Gesundheitsberu Oberöste chul-
Linz 2010
fe rreich Einrichtun
Oberösterreich g
 Stud Stud
Foun ents ents Differ
Name City Province Type ded 2008 2009 ence
/09 /10

Fachhochschule Puch/Urst Fachhochs

Salzburg 1995 2.184 2.267 +83
Salzburg ein chule

Campus 02
Steierma Fachhochs
Fachhochschule Graz 1996 1.028 1.106 +78
rk chule
der Wirtschaft

Steierma Fachhochs
FH Joanneum Graz 1995 3.383 3.428 +45
rk chule

Fachhochs
FH Kufstein Kufstein Tirol 1997 1.030 1.070 +40
chule

Fachhochs
FH Gesundheit chul-
Innsbruck Tirol 2007 247 413 +166
Tirol Einrichtun
g

Fachhochs
Management chul-
Innsbruck Tirol 1995 1.883 2.052 +169
Center Innsbruck Einrichtun
g

Fachhochschule Vorarlbe Fachhochs

Dornbirn 1989 1.005 1.054 +49
Vorarlberg rg chule

Fachhochschule Fachhochs
Vienna Vienna 1996 1.431 1.502 +71
des bfi Wien chule

Fachhochschule
Fachhochs
Technikum Vienna Vienna 1994 2.654 2.939 +285
chule
Wien
 Stud Stud
Foun ents ents Differ
Name City Province Type ded 2008 2009 ence
/09 /10

Fachhochs
Ferdinand
chul-
Porsche Fern- Vienna Vienna 1997 85 305 +220
Einrichtun
Fachhochschule
g

FH Campus Fachhochs
Vienna Vienna 2001 2.439 3.215 +776
Wien chule

Fachhochs
FHWien Vienna Vienna 1994 1.779 2.362 +583
chule

Fachhochs
Lauder Business chul-
Vienna Vienna 2003 253 296 +43
School Einrichtun
g

In Switzerland[edit]
The Swiss Universities of Applied Sciences UAS are vocational
universities established in Switzerland in 1995 following the model of the German
Fachhochschulen. They are called Fachhochschule in German, Haute école
specialisée in French and scuola universitaria professionale (SUP) in Italian. The
Swiss Universities of Applied Sciences offer third level education, continuing
education, services businesses and institutions, and produce applied research
activities. In 2013 there are seven public UAS approved by the Swiss Federal
Council in 1998 and two private UAS approved by the Federal Council in 2005 and
2008.[9] The public UAS are run by one or more cantons.[10]
UAS have the institutional mandate to provide degree programmes (Bachelor’s
degrees and Master's degrees), continuing education and training, to conduct
applied research and to offer services to companies and institutions. Students with
a finished apprenticeship and a Fachmatura (subject Matura) and students with
the Matura and a practical year in a company can access further education within
the Universities for Applied Science. The UAS and their Bachelor’s and Master’s
degrees are federally accredited.
The Federal Department of Economic Affairs, Education and Research (EAER)
and is in charge of the accreditation of the UAS which are requested to meet the
federal legislative requirements.[1] The UAS are supported by the cantons,
the Federal Department of Economic Affairs, Education and Research (EAER),
the State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation (SERI)[9] and by the
Rector's Conference of Swiss Universities (swissuniversities).[11]

hideUniversity of
Typology Establishment Recognition Note
Applied Sciences

Berner
Public 1998
Fachhochschule (BFH)

Fachhochschule
Public 1998
Nordwestschweiz (FHNW)

Fachhochschule
Public 1998
Ostschweiz (FHO)

Haute école spécialisée de

la Suisse Public 1998
occidentale (HES-SO)

Not to be
Hochschule
mismatched
Luzern (HSLU, formerly Public 1998
with University of
known as FHZ)
Lucerne (unilu)

Scuola universitaria
professionale della Public 1997 1998
Svizzera italiana (SUPSI)

Zürcher
Public 1998
Fachhochschule (ZFH)

Kalaidos Fachhochschule Private 2005

Haute école spécialisée Les

Private 2008
Roches-Gruyère
See also[edit]
 Education in Switzerland
 Ammattikorkeakoulu
 College
 Institute of technology
 University of applied sciences
 Vocational university

References[edit]
1. ^ Jump up to:a b "Federal Act on Funding and Coordination of the Swiss Higher Education
Sector (Higher Education Act, HEdA, SR 414.20) Status of 1 January 2015" (PDF). SERI:
Universities of Applied Sciences. Berne, Switzerland: State Secretariat for Education, Research
and Innovation SERI, Swiss Federal Administration. 11 September 2011. Retrieved 25
April 2015.
2. ^ Jump up to:a b Secretariat of the Standing Conference of the Ministers of Education and
Cultural Affairs of the Länder in the Federal Republic of Germany, 10 October 2003, version of
22 September 2005
3. ^ "Molecular imaging methods for the analysis of gene and protein expression". University of
Heidelberg. Archived from the original on 28 September 2008. Retrieved 6 June 2008.
4. ^ Standing Conference of the Ministers of Internal Affairs of the Länder (IMK) in the Federal
Republic of Germany, 7 December 2007.
5. ^ Claudia Unseld; Gaby Reucher (13 September 2010). "University types: Universities of
applied science". Deutsche Welle. Retrieved 17 August 2011.
6. ^ Studienberatung USA in der Fachhochschule Hannover, an Education USA Student Advising
Center for Lower Saxony, affiliated with the U.S. Department of State, Washington, 2006.
Adapted from: G. B. Porter, Federal Republic of Germany: a Study of the Educational System of
the FRG and a Guide to the Academic Placement of Students in Educational Institutions of the
United States. (American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers, 1986)
7. ^ "Auszüge aus dem Hochschulrahmengesetz der BRD (citings are outdated)"(PDF). German
Rectors Conference. 1 December 2003. Archived from the original(PDF) on 18 December 2008.
8. ^ "Promotionsrecht: Erste Fachhochschule darf Doktortitel verleihen" (in German). SPIEGEL
ONLINE. Retrieved 11 October 2016.
9. ^ Jump up to:a b "Switzerland's Universities of Applied Sciences (UAS)". Berne, Switzerland:
State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation SERI, Swiss Federal Administration.
Archived from the original on 5 October 2013. Retrieved 25 April2015.
10. ^ "Schweizerischer FH-Rat / Conseil suisse des HES" [Swiss council of UAS] (in German,
French, Italian, and Romansh). Berne, Switzerland: Schweizerische Konferenz der
Erziehungsdirektoren EDK CDIP CDPE CDEP. Archived from the original on 30 May 2012.
Retrieved 25 April 2015.
11. ^ "swissuniversities". Berne, Switzerland: swissuniversities. Retrieved 25 April2015.