Protestant University of Applied Sciences

We are delighted that you have shown an interest in our university. The EvH RWL is a university whose departments all focus and reflect on the problems encountered in the social and healthcare services, the diaconate, and church-based educational work. The EvH has a clear protestant profile. Yet at the same time it promotes cultural diversity. Its high degree of specialisation and its communicative working atmosphere are characteristics of our university.

International contacts are of major importance to the EvH. International orientation and interculturality are two important elements of our university’s profile and two of the special focuses of its work. We greatly value our worldwide academic contacts and we are also engaged in ecumenical dialogue. The EvH regards this as a way of contributing towards “the peaceful coexistence and integration of people of diverse background, religion and culture” highlighted in its mission statement. Multi-faceted globalisation forms the backdrop for this international work. Within the scope of its abilities, the EvH strives to set strategies of mutual understanding and cooperation as alternatives to the merciless face of global competition.

Internationality and interculturality are dimensions of the education for the social professions that the EvH offers. In addition to simply providing direct professional qualifications, the EvH also sees itself as a place where people are

educated in living responsibly in the One World. We aim to promote and reinforce a fundamental attitude of global citizenship. Our international academic contacts are a source not only of cultural exchange; they also facilitate knowledge transfer and participation in international research projects. We very much encourage you to get to know the EvH and to discover the great diversity that Bochum and the Ruhr Area have to offer.

We will be glad to offer you whatever support we can if you wish to spend an exchange semester at our university or complete your internship in the social sector via us. Over and above the cooperation links to foreign universities that are already in place, we are very much interested in establishing further international contacts.

This Site offers essential information on the EvH RWL and I hope it will whet your appetite for the professional and cultural opportunities offered by the EvH and its environment.
Yours in anticipation of a lively and varied interchange.

Internationalisation is an important objective for the EvH RWL. We are involved in ecumenical dialogue with people of other religions and cultures. We promote the international exchange of students and teaching staff. Such encounters serve not only as a means of cultural exchange, but also of knowledge transfer.
We therefore cooperate with universities and practice centres worldwide. The organisational hub of this network is our International Office.

The EvH RWL is the largest protestant institution of higher education in Germany. The communicative learning atmosphere und the comprehensive range of courses on offer attract ca. 450 new students to our college each year. At present there are 2400 students registered at the EvH and pursuing qualification for church and social work professions.

Our university lies at the heart of the Ruhr Area: in Bochum, a stronghold of academia with excellent traffic and public transport connections. What is so appealing about studying here, or pursuing further qualifications and working on joint projects at the EvH? – You will find a wealth of information and suggestions in answer to that question on the following pages. International students and teaching staff are always very welcome here.

The courses of studies offered by the EvH RWL provide qualification for professions in the social and healthcare sectors, church educational work and diaconia. Our course programmes are both academically distinguished and practice-oriented. Vocational training and general education, professional competence and personal development are intertwined. Intensive communication and small groups are characteristic aspects of studying at the EvH.

The course programme includes six Bachelor courses and three Masters’ courses.

Within the Bachelor & More programme, students have the opportunity to get something of the bigger picture, looking beyond their selected courses and setting their own individual special focus.

The Institute for Advanced and Continuing Education fulfils the requirements placed on the Protestant University of Applied Sciences RWL – by its contract with the churches and by North-Rhine-Westphalia’s University Education Act – to provide continuing academic education. It operates in cooperation with the church, the diaconate and other welfare work bodies, various associations and the municipality.

The wide range of courses and seminars on offer addresses current developments in the professional practice of social work, inclusive education, nursing and religious education, reflecting on these in the light of the latest scientific knowledge and findings In the reverse direction, knowledge transfer from the academic world can serve as a source of fresh impulses for the practical sector.

The Institute for Research and Transfer was set up by the Protestant University of Applied Sciences in January 2010. The institute’s objectives are to pool the many and varied research activities being undertaken at the university, to offer support to professorial staff in their respective research work, and to improve the interface between research and practice.

There are at present three main fields of research within the university, each involving a sizeable number of staff colleagues from a variety of different departments and subject areas.

The research field on “social inclusion” concentrates on requirements, possibilities, and policy for better participation of all members of society and all social groups in the life of society – focusing for example on people with disabilities, family home care, migration, and labour market.

The “child/youth welfare and family policy” field of research deals with issues such as child protection, prevention of violence or child abuse, and harmonisation of job and family.

A further field of research encompasses projects on “religion, ethics, and diaconia” – for example on diaconal and social work in church parishes and on human resources development, outsourcing, and temporary employment in social service institutions of the Protestant church.