PFH Private University of Applied Sciences: Courses, Admission, Cost

PFH Private University of Applied Sciences started its operations in the year 1995. Recognized by the state, the university focuses on creating the next generation of managers and technology specialists. The Lower Saxony Ministry of Science and Culture accorded this university as a place of advanced study. Therefore, the university is the state's oldest university that is also privately held with state-recognition. The Central Evaluation and Accreditation Agency accredited the university in 2007. The German Council of Science and Humanities re-accredited this university in 2018.

The reason to start such a university was to offer programs that were aligned to economic needs. Being an applied sciences university, the education system is based on practice-based discourses. Practical knowledge and experiential learning are given importance. Along with regular tuition, there is coaching, career guidance, and personal mentorship as part of the curriculum. Students gain great practical skills to be employable in their relevant areas of expertise or training. The university offers seventeen courses divided into on-campus and distance-based. The educational programs cover a wide spectrum of disciplines. Students can opt for engineering, management, business, psychology, and medical & healthcare technology. Bachelor’s and Master’s programs are available for most of these programs. The study programs offered by the university are business psychology, psychology, business administration, general management, medical orthodontics, and sports/rehab engineering.

The campuses of the university are located in Gottingen, Hansecampus Stade, and Berlin. There are twelve distance education study centers. Students can opt to study at these centers if they are not able to visit the campuses. There are distance study centers in Austria too. The university maintains that almost all their graduates and postgraduates are ready to be employed. Professors at the University are subject-matter experts with proven professional experience in their areas of expertise. Professors also collaborate with students when engaging with corporates. Professors are also available as guides for students working on research projects. Teaching contracts are awarded to lecturers, ensuring that the teaching content they prepare is top-of-the-line and industry-relevant.

The university collaborates with research organizations, multinational companies, privately-held businesses so that students are exposed to the demands of the industry and equip themselves with the right skills. The university undertakes research projects in association with other universities. A project to cite is the Emerging Economies Projects, in which the students are currently studying the role of the government or state in promoting the development of the economic and financial ecosystem in emerging or developing countries.

The university's alumni club named the Club der Alumni der PFH e. V was started in 2007 by some graduates. Former and present students come together for alumni meetups. The meetups are to increase networking amongst students. The alumni club covers all study centers and campuses. The university has an infrastructure to support all student pursuits. Göttingen State and University Library are located on the Gottingen Campus and so is the Computing and IT Competence Center. Both these centers provide knowledge materials and facilities for research-based education. On this campus, a new center of computing is planned. The university, in association with the Land of Lower Saxony, Max Planck Society, and University Medical Center is envisioning this computing center.