Hochschule Fresenius University of Applied Sciences

Mission Statement

Founded in 1848 by Carl Remigius Fresenius, and with its roots in the Fresenius Chemical Laboratory, Hochschule Fresenius University of Applied Sciences looks upon a tradition of privately financed education in Germany that goes back more than 170 years. This makes it the oldest educational chemistry institute of its kind. True to the will of its founder, it combines teaching, research, and practical application. Hochschule Fresenius stands for practice-orientated teaching that is closely linked to applied research and development.

Hochschule Fresenius has continuously developed its range of courses and its strategic orientation. In doing so, it pursues the goals of sustainability and innovation in equal measure, true to the motto: “Teaching and research with practical relevance, bringing an international environment to life, challenging and supporting our students.”

Hochschule Fresenius is a private, state recognized and accredited university. Our study programs, teaching and research are regularly reviewed by a systematic quality management system. The university is officially accredited by the German Council of Science and Humanities and the accreditation agencies ACQUIN, ASIIN, FIBAA and AHPGS. Today, our students can choose from more than 120 study programs. Thematically, these programs are assigned to five faculties: Chemistry & Biology, Health & Social Affairs, Economics & Media, Design, and the distance learning program onlineplus.

Our goal is to provide as many young people as possible with a sound academic and practical education. In the tradition of our founder, we ensure that our teaching is consistently geared to the latest findings and to the needs of society and the world of work. Our applied research is closely linked to this teaching. We believe in innovation and sustainability, entrepreneurial thinking and acting, internationality and progress through education.

International Role

The creative industry is an international field of work, thus making international experience an important hiring criteria. In order to prepare our students for their future careers we emphasis an international orientation of our faculty.

Memberships in International Networks

Since 2016, AMD Akademie Mode & Design has been a full member of the International Foundation of Fashion Technology Institutes (IFFTI). This makes the faculty part of a global network of leading universities in the fashion industry in the fields of design, technology and fashion. We appreciate the regular exchange within the network, the sharing of best practice experiences and the resulting university cooperation.

Partner Universities

Our international network currently comprises 15 partner universities in 10 countries. Our collaborations mostly revolve around student mobility (study abroad and exchange within the framework of the Erasmus program or as direct exchange), but we are keen to deepen them wherever possible (e.g. guest lectures, staff mobility, workshops and summer schools).

Professional Partners

Since we focus on a practical approach, we also maintain a number of corporate contacts. On an international level, there is e.g. a close cooperation with the Swiss company OEKO-TEX®.

National Role

Teaching at AMD Akademie Mode & Design is not only academically but also practice-oriented. On a national level, AMD works together with partners from the professional world within the scope of guest lectures, company presentations, workshops, and projects, ensuring a vivid exchange and dialogue between experts of the creative industries and our students. In particular, the practice-oriented projects with corporate and academic partners contribute to the development of personal and professional skills in students, thus facilitating their access to diverse job opportunities. In particular, working under authentic conditions allows students to gain a special insight into the workplace in creative industries. When cooperating with external partners, we lay special emphasis on the relevance for the academic and professional development of our students. Only projects that provide additional value are realized. Thanks to our five campuses and a broad range of study programs, AMD is well connected in Germany with various partners in different fields.

Latest projects undertaken by AMD students in cooperation with the creative industry:

• Sound and acoustic installations for the Hamburg Kontorhaus Levantehaus
• Exhibition project Hybrid City, exhibited at the Altona Museum and at the International City Science Summit 2019
• Cooperation with Folkwang Museum Essen: for the retrospective of the swiss poster artist Niklaus Troxler, AMD students transferred the artist’s designs into animations which were displayed in the exhibition next to the original work.
• Design of a book cover for the special edition of the self-love guide Werde deine Traumfrau by Mareike Brünig in cooperation with the communication agency The Agency 23
• Image campaign for public transport drivers in cooperation with the Faculty of Health and Social Affairs and DB Regio
• Ingo Uhl GmbH (local family-run business and manufacturer of plastic injection molding products):  Close exchange on aspects of sustainability in plastics processing as well as student design projects.
• Cooperation with the type foundry Brassfonts: The students designed and produced animated clips to showcase the fonts on the company’s website and social media.
• Design competition in cooperation with Rogon Sports Management: The objective was to desgin a personal logo for the world famous soccer player Roberto Firmino. The winning student will meet Roberto in Liverpool.
• Cross Innovation Class: joint interdisciplinary project of various universities in the Hamburg area (FH Wedel, HAW Hamburg, HCU Hamburg and Leuphana University Lüneburg) under the moderation of Hamburg Kreativgesellschaft, allowing the students to work for an entire semester on practical assignments from local business partners. Last business partners: Remondis SE & Co. KG, Dataport Anstalt öffentlichen Rechts, Ströer SE & Co. KGaA, Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield GmbH and Vitronic Bildverarbeitungssysteme GmbH

Main Focus

Focusing on the fields of fashion, design, communication and management, we lay our accent on artistic and creative work as well as on management approach. Moreover, we consider it important to remain up to date, and therefore address the topics of sustainability and digitalization.