Wismar University of Applied Sciences

Mission Statement

The Wismar University of Applied Sciences: Technology, Business and Design – is a powerful, innovative, and recognized academic institution with a long tradition. The university defines itself as a medium-sized university that strives for a size that is adequate for research and development. With more than 70 accredited courses, the Wismar University offers a unique range of education and numerous networking options. Internationally oriented in cooperation and knowledge transfer, the university is also closely connected to the region and its actors at the interfaces between theory and practice.

The mission of the Wismar University is perfectly represented by the three faculties – Engineering, Economics, and Architecture and Design: Designed technology, paired with humanistic responsibility, and economic relevance form thus the core orientation of the university. The interplay and the collaboration of these three scientific focal areas has become a special trademark of Wismar University over time, which is clearly reflected in the teaching content of the individual courses and research activities. It represents a unique constellation whose positive effects characterize the innovative strength and future viability of this academic institution, located in the beautiful Hanseatic town of Wismar, high up in the North of Germany, at the border of the Baltic Sea.

International Role

Nowhere else do you learn more about yourself and your culture than in an environment with different ways of living and thinking. A stay abroad broadens the perspective and challenges everybody, at the same time as it promotes personal skills, language, and specialist knowledge, and not at least connections for life with people from all over the world. Intercultural know-how and multilingualism are a door opener in our global everyday world, not only in professional life. There are many approaches to a temporary life abroad. Studies, internships, the preparation of a thesis, specialist, or language courses – the Wismar University of Applied Sciences offers a wide range of opportunities based on a wide range of cooperation agreements with more than 120 colleges and universities worldwide to its students and lecturers. In both directions, of course – in and out.

In the Winter term 2016/2017, a total of 712 full-time students were enrolled at the Faculty of Architecture and Design at the Wismar University, including 142 international students from all over the world. This corresponds to a share of approx. 19 % of all full-time students. In addition, 30 exchange students (usually students enrolled at their home University and studying for one to two semesters as exchange at another University) came to our Faculty. Overall, the proportion of international students at our Faculty was 25 %. 12 % of full-time students came from China, 11.6 % from Iran, 8.5 % from indonesia and around 5 % from India and Turkey. In total, students from about 50 nations were represented in our Faculty. 

Please see even https://www.hs-wismar.de/vernetzung/kooperationen-partner/bestehende-kooperationen-partnerschaften/ for further details on exiting cooperation agreements with academic institutions all over the world. The International Office https://www.hs-wismar.de/en/international/counselling-services/international-office/  and the Robert Schmidt Institute https://www.hs-wismar.de/en/vernetzung/institutionen-hochschulunternehmen/rsi/international are specifically dedicated to support all form of international exchange and collaboration.

National Role

Through our recruitment activities, we strive for attracting the best talents, ideas and innovations and make them come together at the University of Wismar. Together with strong partners from private and public partnerships on a national level or within the region, we promote our talents systematically through creating contact points in practical education and research projects for the exchange of know-how, building a solid ground for their professional careers. And we warmly welcome representatives from national and regional sectors and from our hometown, from both private companies and public organisations, as a speaker in a course or conference, as a source of ideas for student development teams, as a training partner in dual studies or as a business partner in research projects. There are many opportunities to get involved. Please see even https://www.hs-wismar.de/vernetzung/kooperationen-partner/bestehende-kooperationen-partnerschaften/ for further details on our national and regional role and our partnerships.

Main Focus

Since merging the seven existing courses of study into one faculty in 2007, a holistic concept of composition, art, design and architecture has been created without relinquishing the autonomy and quality of the individual courses. One focus of the training course concerns the conceptual design and project work to be prepared by each student individually. The professors provide their support, advice and direction to the students in intensive fashion, including the possibility of one-to-one mentoring. To support the educational outcome, excellent workshops, open for all students, are covering all material areas and all levels of manufacturing, from crafts to digitalised production technologies.

An additional feature of the quality of the training course is the wide range of subjects in design, art, handicrafts and technology as well as scientific and academic disciplines. Many of the lectures offered in the various courses of study may be attended by students enrolled in other courses. As well as the possibility of studying subjects from many other disciplines, these interdisciplinary efforts are embodied in joint projects, the annual exhibition DIA, the Faculty Year Book as well as the series of lectures entitled DIAlog.