Public Management (cooperative degree programme)

Working in public administration means implementing decisions taken at the political level in a manner responsive to the needs of the citizenry. It entails applying legislation with a public and customer service mindset and an eye to budgets in the ultimate interest of the public good.

Graduates of this degree course in Public Management begin their careers as civil servants in service class 2, with access to entry-level positions in general services in almost all areas of public administration, including:

• family support and health promotion
• matters relating to residents of non-German citizenship
• social support or integration
• state promotion of sports and culture
• schools and higher education
• HR and administrative organisational structures
• public finance and budgets

Within your area of competency, you will work and take decisions on your own responsibility, and may progress to head a sub-department or department within the public service.

The six-semester course is divided into two sections, each consisting of two semesters of theoretical modules and a one-semester professional placement. Students specialise in either law or business/economics.

The first two semesters of the course involve a grounding in constitutional and European law, general administrative law, legal methodologies, civil law, economics, public finance, principles of business management for public administration, sociology, political science, psychology and IT. Alongside this, students take courses in good academic practice, study skills and research methods. The first professional practice phase, in semester 3, enables students to apply the knowledge and skills learned in the previous two semesters in a placement within Hamburg’s public administration.

Returning to the classroom and lecture hall for semesters 4 and 5, students extend and advance their theoretical knowledge. There follows a further placement in semester 6, preparing students for their first entry-level position after they graduate, and a Bachelor thesis, which concludes the course.

If you intend to embark on this degree course, you should be interested in the mission and tasks of public administration, able to think and act flexibly, and prepared to acclimatise yourself quickly to new areas of work. We’re looking for reliable, conscientious people with a sense of responsibility to society and willingness to acquire intercultural communication skills. You’ll do particularly well if you’re a strong communicator and team player who’s comfortable with approaching and interacting with people.

Interested – but not quite sure yet whether this is the right course for you? Our self-assessment test can help you make up your mind. Take it here: HAW Navigator.

Higher education entrance qualification 

You can apply directly for this course if you hold one of the following qualifications:

• Fachhochschulreife
• Allgemeine Hochschulreife  

In order to be eligible for this degree course, you need to be a citizen of an EU member state or a state that is a party to the EEA Agreement. However, exceptions can be made in individual cases, so please do apply even if you have a different citizenship.

If you’re interested in this course, please contact the city of Hamburg’s centre for vocational training and continuing education (Zentrum für Aus- und Fortbildung).

Please note:

This Bachelor’s degree course in Public Management leads to both a Bachelor of Arts degree and to a qualification for an initial entry-level position and upwards in service class 2 in the upper intermediate grade of general administrative services (gehobener allgemeiner Verwaltungsdienst) in the public sector/civil service across Germany.

Students on the training programme run by the city of Hamburg hold the formal status of Regierungsinspektor-Anwärter_in during their degree.

The course is a cooperative degree programme run by:

• the Department of Public Management, HAW Hamburg, covering the theoretical side
• the HR office of the Senate of the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg, which cover the practical side

For students applying via the city of Hamburg:

Students on the programme via the city of Hamburg are required to meet the criteria set out in German civil service regulations for temporary admission to the status of civil servant for the duration of the degree course. Their formal status during the degree (Regierungsinspektor-Anwärter_in) entitles them to gross monthly remuneration of 1121 Euro during the course as well as capital formation savings payments.

There are further details of your rights and responsibilities during the programme, remuneration, leave entitlement, etc. at www.hamburg.de/studium-verwaltung.

International applicants

If you completed your schooling outside Germany and want to study here for a Bachelor’s degree, you need to hold an academic school-leaving qualification which entitles you to admission to higher education; that is, it needs to be comparable to a German Abitur or Fachhochschulreife. The organisation uni assist will check your certificates from school and any degree-level studies to establish comparability. You are also required to have proof of German at level C1 – for example, in the form of a TestDaF certificate. You can find more information about HAW Hamburg’s application criteria at International applicants.

Students applying via the city of Hamburg should apply to the Zentrum für Aus- und Fortbildung (ZAF) (see contact details below), which will also help you with any queries you may have.

You should submit the following documents with your application:

• A covering letter specific to the degree course
• Your CV, including a passport photograph
• A copy of your school-leaving certificate/higher education entrance qualification, or, if you have yet to complete your schooling, copies of your last two annual or half-yearly school reports
• Any documents confirming or demonstrating completion of vocational training, work experience, internships, voluntary work or activities; any documents confirming your residency status, where applicable; any documents confirming your status as a person with disabilities, where applicable; etc.

The criteria for admission to the selection procedure for the degree course, administered by the HR office of the city of Hamburg, are:

• A certificate of allgemeine Hochschulreife (or its recognised equivalent) or Fachhochschulreife
• (Preferably) good grades in German, maths, social studies subjects and English or another foreign language
• Citizenship of Germany or another EU or EEA member state (we encourage you to apply even if your citizenship is not one of these, as exceptions can be made in particular cases)
• A state of health adequate for successful completion of the course

Applicants formally recognised as people with disabilities will be admitted preferentially if their qualification for the course is equal to those of other candidates.