University

Ostfalia attaches great importance to the interdisciplinary, practice-orientated focus of the courses offered and the individual supervision of students in small learning groups. Particularly worthy of mention are the dual study programmes, or "study programmes in a practical network", in which two professional qualifications - a university degree and the completion of vocational training at a partner company of the university - can be obtained in a short period of time. Over 100 international university partnerships on all continents not only enable the exchange of lecturers, but also offer students in particular the opportunity to gain international experience.

In research, Ostfalia has set itself the task of addressing current issues from business and social practice and developing scientifically sound, implementable solutions. This requires specialist expertise, which is pooled across the university's institutes. While Ostfalia expands the scope of action for companies with technical equipment and specialist knowledge, it benefits from direct practical relevance in both teaching and further research projects.

The history of Ostfalia University of Applied Sciences dates back to 1853 (Suderburg), 1905 (Braunschweig) and 1928 (Wolfenbüttel) through its predecessor institutions. At the Braunschweig location, the Christian Social Women's School, founded in 1905, developed into the Higher Technical College for Social Work of the State of Lower Saxony.

Twenty-three years after this institution was founded, the technical centre was established in Wolfenbüttel. This private college offered a degree course and state-recognised final examinations in mechanical and electrical engineering. in 1968, the technical centre became a state engineering academy before gaining the status of a university of applied sciences in 1971. The Braunschweig/Wolfenbüttel University of Applied Sciences was created in the same year by merging with the technical college in Braunschweig.

The success of the university can be seen in the steadily growing number of students and the establishment of numerous other departments: From 1971 to today, the number of students has grown from 850 to around 10,000. And with its now twelve faculties, the university is now also represented at three other locations - in Wolfsburg since 1988, in Salzgitter since 1993 and in Suderburg since 2009.

Since September 2009, the university has been operating under the name "Ostfalia", reflecting both the result of its steady growth and its regional identity - as all four campuses (the Faculty of Social Work has since relocated from Braunschweig to Wolfenbüttel) are located in Ostfalen, a region of the old Saxony region between the Weser, Lüneburg Heath, Elbe and Harz.