About us

Mission

The Centre for Postgraduate Education (ZWW) is a central facility of Helmut-Schmidt-Universität/Universität der Bundeswehr Hamburg (HSU/UniBw H). It is committed to the idea of education through science and the concept of lifelong learning.

Postgraduate education opportunities

We offer five Master’s programmes and a range of  individual further education packages (certification programmes).

History

The Centre was established in 2013 at the initiative of the Federal Ministry of Defence and by a decision of the Academic Senate. Professor Dr. Klaus Beckmann was the first chairman of the Centre. By the end of 2014, the first students were already enrolled in the Military Leadership and International Security programme. Over the following years, a further six study programmes were established. Professor Dr. Tobias Scheytt has served as chairman of the ZWW since 2018.

Students and graduates

As of February 2024, 391 students are pursuing a Master’s degree at the ZWW, with an average of 75 new students enrolling every year.

Network

The ZWW conducts degree and certification programmes in close cooperation with the faculties of HSU/UniBw H. While the ZWW is responsible for the organisation of postgraduate training, the faculties are the driving force behind the development of postgraduate education initiatives. The faculties are also in charge of examinations and provide dedicated examination committees for the postgraduate programmes.

Our external partners with whom we cooperate on postgraduate training include the Federal Ministry of Defence, the Federal Ministry of Finance, the Bundeswehr Command and Staff College, the Bundeswehr Medical Service, the Civil-Military Cooperation Centre of Excellence, the Air Force, the Joint Support Service, the Hamburg Police and many other institutions.

Our lecturers mainly come from the faculties of HSU/UniBw H but we also include experts from many renowned universities in Germany and abroad.

We are an active member of the German association for academic postgraduate and distance education (Deutsche Gesellschaft für Wissenschaftliche Weiterbildung und Fernstudium e.V.) and its northern section.

Mission statement

The Centre is committed to the idea of lifelong and independent learning. It organises its certification programmes and supports the faculties in offering their postgraduate programmes. In doing so, it:

  • is guided the profile of HSU/UniBw H, including the idea of an internationally open university with a focus on accepting students from various federal ministries,
  • ensures the flexible orientation of certification modules and degree programmes towards the concrete, specific requirements of federal ministries, federal and state administrations, NGOs and trade associations and even develops individual curricula that are tailored to the respective mission,
  • cooperates with other educational providers in the Bundeswehr and beyond and
  • ensures high quality standards based on the primacy of sound academic work at HSU/UniBw H as well as on the principle of combining theory and practice.

The ZWW supplements the undergraduate programmes offered at HSU/UniBw H with a varied and innovative range of certification programmes and part-time Master’s programmes which are geared towards the professional fields of our postgraduate students. The degree programmes at ZWW provide both military and civilian professionals with opportunities for lifelong learning in the designated academic fields of HSU/UniBw H. Thus, the ZWW leads the way for HSU/UniBw H to develop into a university that is part of a national and international network and increasingly welcomes applicants from various federal ministries and agencies.

Responsibilities

The Centre for Postgraduate Education (ZWW) is responsible for organising and pooling external academic postgraduate training at HSU/UniBw H. It develops and offers high-quality, marketable certification modules and postgraduate degree programmes with a focus on the public sector in order to implement the Hamburg Higher Education Act (HambHG). The Centre also makes an essential contribution to the further development of HSU/UniBw H as an internationally oriented academic partner of the German Federation in terms of personnel development and lifelong learning.

The ZWW organises certification programs independently. All programmes for which academic degrees are awarded and accreditation is required are the responsibility of a faculty of HSU/UniBw H. For these programmes, the ZWW takes on the role of a provider of academic administrative services.

HSU

Letzte Änderung: 19. February 2024