Job description professorship

What are the responsibilities of a professor at a university of applied sciences?

You teach and are also a coach for students, involved in the transfer of technology and knowledge from research to industry and society, as well as a manager with responsibilities in committees and working groups - a broad and very demanding range of tasks.

Ostfalia offers you plenty of room for manoeuvre both in teaching and in research and transfer projects.

We are convinced that freedom motivates and creates success!

Good teaching is our location factor

Our students are looking for a practice-orientated education and we want to prepare them optimally for their future tasks. This is why teaching with an application-oriented focus is particularly important to us.

As a professor, you convey the fascination of your subject in lectures and seminars, develop new questions, conduct examinations and advise students. Every year, we award the teaching prize to lecturers and are enthusiastic about ideas on how different good teaching can look, depending on the subject culture and subject content.

A full-time professorship usually involves 18 teaching hours per week.

Of course, teaching plays a large part. These are not only student projects or exciting special lectures, but also basic lectures, but even there we don't have more than 40 participants.

Lectures are therefore open to discussion. Exciting topics are then sometimes continued in the cafeteria. I was really surprised that students here are not just names on exams, but that these names also have faces and voices.

Professor Dr Stechert in conversation with a student

We conduct research on key issues of the present and future

Our example shows that dedicated teaching does not have to be at the expense of research: the faculties at Ostfalia conduct practical research in close co-operation with companies in the region. Associations and local authorities also benefit from our knowledge. Discover our research fields at a glance.

For research tasks, you can apply to reduce your lecture load by 2 to 8 semester hours per week or, under certain conditions, take a research or practical semester. You can also focus on your own research topics, publish research results or present them at conferences.

Whether federal, state or EU-funded: actively acquiring third-party funding to finance your own research activities is part of your day-to-day business.

University management - engaging and shaping

In addition to teaching and research, your commitment is also required in university management. Your ideas are in demand both in the committees of your own faculty (e.g. in the examination board or in appointment committees), in interdisciplinary working groups, in the cultivation of international university cooperation or, for example, in the conception of new degree programmes.

You can play an active role in shaping the profile of your faculty and thus in the further development of the university as a whole.

"Universities thrive on their self-administration. Sure, it's sometimes tedious, but it also offers room to shape things, for example in the development of degree programmes. That takes up a few hours a week, but I can organise it myself.

This flexibility is a big plus point of the job, especially with family responsibilities. In my mind, however, I sometimes take work home with me - separating the two is certainly the biggest challenge."

Faculty adventure: What do you actually do...

as dean: As dean, you lead a faculty, usually for three years, and represent it within the university. You act as the professional supervisor of the staff at the faculty. Their teaching commitments are reduced for these tasks. Depending on the size of the faculty, the deans receive a maximum of 20 to 36 teaching hours.
as Dean of Studies: In this role, you are responsible, for example, for ensuring the range of courses on offer, carrying out evaluations and acting as a point of contact for students in matters relating to teaching.
faculty Council: The Faculty Council consists of members of all professional groups, i.e. professors, academic staff, technical and/or administrative staff and students of a faculty. Among other things, the committee decides on research and teaching topics, e.g. the allocation of courses, examination regulations and the use or distribution of budget funds within the faculty. The Faculty Council also plays an important role in the selection of new professors.
in the Examination Board: The Examination Board coordinates everything to do with examinations, from written examinations and colloquia to final theses, student research projects, etc. The committee sets examination dates, monitors the examination regulations and clarifies issues such as the crediting of examinations taken at other universities or in other degree programmes.

FAQ on everyday working life & starting a career as a professor

How high is the teaching obligation?

Professors must fulfil a certain number of teaching hours ("LVS"). At Ostfalia University of Applied Sciences, this is regularly 18 LVS. If you are employed part-time, but also if you hold a special office, e.g. as dean, you will have a correspondingly lower teaching obligation. Upon application, the scope can also be reduced for severely disabled persons within the meaning of Section 2 of the German Social Security Code (SGB) IX.

Civil servants in the state of Lower Saxony have a 40 hour/week full-time employment. However, the working time regulations laid down in the university's service agreement do not apply to professors. They are not bound by instructions and have time sovereignty within the framework of existing obligations.

How often can a research semester be taken?

There must be at least 8 (teaching) semesters between two research semesters. This period must also be observed after appointments.

What holiday entitlement do I have?

You are entitled to 30 days' holiday per calendar year. As a rule, the days of leave are to be taken during the lecture-free period and do not have to be expressly applied for.

Are secondary activities permitted?

Yes - however, secondary employment must always be notified. With the authorisation of Ostfalia, you can take on sideline activities, e.g. expert activities, further training for industry and business or running your own company. Comprehensive information on the regulations applicable to secondary employment will be provided when you take up your post. In cases of doubt, please contact Department 2.

Do I get a subsidy for public transport (job ticket)?

State employees can purchase the DB Job Ticket, a personal, non-transferable annual ticket from Deutsche Bahn, at reduced rates.

Is there a maximum age limit for becoming a civil servant?

According to the Higher Education Act, only those who have not yet reached the age of 50 may be appointed to a professorship as a civil servant for the first time. Applicants who have reached the age of 50 can be appointed to a professorship as an employee.

The maximum age for appointment as a civil servant is increased by periods in which a minor child living in the home or a close relative has been cared for and the need for care has been proven, but by a maximum of three years. The age limits do not apply to persons who, at the time of appointment, are already in a civil servant position for life or as direct or indirect Lower Saxony state civil servants in a civil servant position for a fixed term.

Are relocation costs reimbursed?

If certain conditions are met, the university will pay a so-called "relocation allowance". This issue will be clarified during the appointment negotiations.