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A ''Fachhochschule'' (; plural ''Fachhochschulen''), abbreviated FH, is a
university of applied sciences A university of applied sciences (UAS), nowadays much less commonly called a polytechnic university or vocational university, is an institution of higher education and sometimes research that provides vocational education and grants academic de ...
(UAS), in other words a German tertiary education institution that provides professional education in many applied sciences and applied arts, such as engineering, technology, business, architecture, design, and
industrial design Industrial design is a process of design applied to physical products that are to be manufactured by mass production. It is the creative act of determining and defining a product's form and features, which takes place in advance of the manufact ...
. ''Fachhochschulen'' were first founded in Germany and were later adopted in
Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populou ...
,
Liechtenstein Liechtenstein (), officially the Principality of Liechtenstein (german: link=no, Fürstentum Liechtenstein), is a German-speaking microstate located in the Alps between Austria and Switzerland. Liechtenstein is a semi-constitutional monarch ...
,
Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...
,
Cyprus Cyprus ; tr, Kıbrıs (), officially the Republic of Cyprus,, , lit: Republic of Cyprus is an island country located south of the Anatolian Peninsula in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Its continental position is disputed; while it is ge ...
, and
Greece Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders with ...
. An increasing number of ''Fachhochschulen'' are abbreviated as ''Hochschule'', the generic term in Germany for institutions awarding academic degrees in higher education, or expanded as ''Hochschule für angewandte Wissenschaften (HAW)'', the German translation of "universities of applied sciences", which are primarily designed with a focus on teaching professional skills. Swiss law calls ''Fachhochschulen'' and universities "separate but equal". Due to the Bologna process, universities and ''Fachhochschulen'' award legally equivalent
bachelor's A bachelor's degree (from Middle Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate academic degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six y ...
and
master's A master's degree (from Latin ) is an academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice.
degrees.Secretariat of the Standing Conference of the Ministers of Education and Cultural Affairs of the Länder in the Federal Republic of Germany, 10 October 2003, version of 22 September 2005 Excepting research-intensive institutions in Hesse, Saxony Anhalt, Baden-Württemberg, North Rhine-Westphalia and Bavaria ''Fachhochschulen'' do not award
doctoral degrees A doctorate (from Latin ''docere'', "to teach"), doctor's degree (from Latin ''doctor'', "teacher"), or doctoral degree is an academic degree awarded by universities and some other educational institutions, derived from the ancient formalism ''li ...
themselves but sometimes in cooperation with award-granting partner universities. This and the rule that they appoint only professors with a professional career of at least three years outside the university system are the two major ways in which they differ from traditional universities.


Impact of the Bologna process

Due to the Bologna process, most German ' and ' have ceased admitting students to programs leading to the traditional German '' Diplom (FH)'', but now apply the new degree standard of Bachelor's and Master's degrees. In line with the Bologna process, bachelor's and master's degrees awarded by both types of universities (' and ') are legally equivalent. With a Master's from either, one can now enter a doctoral degree program at a ', but a graduate with a bachelor's degree from either is normally unable to proceed directly to a doctoral degree program in Germany. Also, with the master's degree of either of the institutions a graduate can enter the ' (higher service) career for
civil servants The civil service is a collective term for a sector of government composed mainly of career civil servants hired on professional merit rather than appointed or elected, whose institutional tenure typically survives transitions of political leaders ...
.


In Germany

The ''Fachhochschule'' or ''University of Applied Sciences and Arts'' is a type of German institution of higher education that emerged from the traditional Engineering Schools and similar professional schools of other disciplines. It differs from the traditional university (''Universität'') mainly through its more practical orientation. Subjects taught at ''Fachhochschulen'' include engineering, computer science, business and management, arts and design, communication studies, social service, and other professional fields. The traditional degree awarded at a ''Fachhochschule'' was the ''Diplom (FH)''. Coursework generally totaled six semesters (three years) of full-time study, with various options for specialization. In addition, there were one or two practical training semesters to provide hands-on experience in real working environments. The program concluded, usually after 3.5 – 4 years, with the final examination and a thesis (''Diplomarbeit'') which is usually an extensive project on a current practical or scientific aspect of the profession. In an effort to make educational degrees more compatible within Europe, the German
Diplom A ''Diplom'' (, from grc, δίπλωμα ''diploma'') is an academic degree in the German-speaking countries Germany, Austria, and Switzerland and a similarly named degree in some other European countries including Albania, Bulgaria, Belarus, ...
degrees were mostly phased out by 2010 and replaced by the European bachelor's and master's degree. The ''Fachhochschule'' represents a close relationship between higher education and the employment system. Their practical orientation makes them very attractive to employers. Today, ''Fachhochschulen'' also conduct research. Research projects are either publicly funded or sponsored by industry. Nevertheless, in Germany the right to confer
doctoral degree A doctorate (from Latin ''docere'', "to teach"), doctor's degree (from Latin ''doctor'', "teacher"), or doctoral degree is an academic degree awarded by universities and some other educational institutions, derived from the ancient formalism ''li ...
s is still generally reserved to ''Universitäten''. In 2016, however,
Fulda University of Applied Sciences Fulda University of Applied Sciences (officially named ''Hochschule Fulda – University of Applied Sciences'') is located in the city of Fulda, within the Fulda district of Hesse, southwest Germany. Formerly known as Fachhochschule Fulda, it w ...
became the first ''Fachhochschule'' to be conferred this right for its graduate center for social sciences. Several ''Fachhochschulen'' run doctoral programs where the degree itself is awarded by a partner university in Germany or abroad (similar to the doctoral programs in German
research institute A research institute, research centre, research center or research organization, is an establishment founded for doing research. Research institutes may specialize in basic research or may be oriented to applied research. Although the term often ...
s, such as the
Fraunhofer Society The Fraunhofer Society (german: Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft zur Förderung der angewandten Forschung e.V., lit=Fraunhofer Society for the Advancement of Applied Research) is a German research organization with 76institutes spread throughout Germany ...
or the
Max Planck Society The Max Planck Society for the Advancement of Science (german: Max-Planck-Gesellschaft zur Förderung der Wissenschaften e. V.; abbreviated MPG) is a formally independent non-governmental and non-profit association of German research institutes. ...
). There are a few universities, such as
Catholic University of Eichstätt-Ingolstadt The Katholische Universität Eichstätt-Ingolstadt (KU) is a Roman Catholic research university in Eichstätt and Ingolstadt, Bavaria, Germany. Compared to other German universities it is a rather small institution with 4,800 students in 2019; ...
and
Bundeswehr University Munich 200px, Entrance to the university Bundeswehr University Munich (german: Universität der Bundeswehr München, UniBw München) is one of two research universities in Germany at federal level that both were founded in 1973 as part of the German Ar ...
, which run ''Fachhochschule'' courses in addition to their normal courses.


In Austria

The Austrian government decided to establish ''Fachhochschulen'' (FH) in 1990. In the academic year of 2010/11, there were twenty-one institutions officially considered as ''Fachhochschulen'' plus a number of other providers of ''Fachhochschulstudiengängen'' with a total of over 27,000 students. About a third of the 136 ''Fachhochschulstudiengänge'' are organized as part-time courses of studies.


In Switzerland

The Swiss Universities of Applied Sciences UAS are vocational universities established in Switzerland in 1995 following the model of the German Fachhochschulen. They are called ''Fachhochschule'' in German, ''Haute école specialisée'' in French and ''scuola universitaria professionale'' (SUP) in Italian. The Swiss Universities of Applied Sciences offer third level education, continuing education, services businesses and institutions, and produce applied research activities. In 2013 there are seven public UAS approved by the
Swiss Federal Council The Federal Council (german: Bundesrat; french: Conseil fédéral; it, Consiglio federale; rm, Cussegl federal) is the executive body of the federal government of the Swiss Confederation and serves as the collective head of state and governm ...
in 1998 and two private UAS approved by the Federal Council in 2005 and 2008. The public UAS are run by one or more cantons. UAS have the institutional mandate to provide degree programmes ( Bachelor’s degrees and
Master's degrees A master's degree (from Latin ) is an academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice.
), continuing education and training, to conduct applied research and to offer services to companies and institutions. Students with a finished apprenticeship and a Fachmatura (subject
Matura or its translated terms (''Mature'', ''Matur'', , , , , , ) is a Latin name for the secondary school exit exam or "maturity diploma" in various European countries, including Albania, Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, ...
) and students with the
Matura or its translated terms (''Mature'', ''Matur'', , , , , , ) is a Latin name for the secondary school exit exam or "maturity diploma" in various European countries, including Albania, Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, ...
and a practical year in a company can access further education within the Universities for Applied Science. The UAS and their Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees are federally accredited. The Federal Department of Economic Affairs, Education and Research (EAER) and is in charge of the accreditation of the UAS which are requested to meet the federal legislative requirements. The UAS are supported by the cantons, the
Federal Department of Economic Affairs, Education and Research The Federal Department of Economic Affairs, Education and Research (EAER, german: Eidgenössisches Departement für Wirtschaft, Bildung und Forschung; french: Département fédéral de l'économie, de la formation et de la recherche; it, Dipart ...
(EAER), the State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation (SERI) and by the Rector's Conference of Swiss Universities (swissuniversities).


See also

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Education in Switzerland The education system in Switzerland is very diverse, because the constitution of Switzerland delegates the authority for the school system mainly to the cantons. The Swiss constitution sets the foundations, namely that primary school is oblig ...
*
Ammattikorkeakoulu An ammattikorkeakoulu (yrkeshögskola in Swedish, polytechnic or university of applied sciences in English), abbreviated ''AMK'', is a Finnish institution of higher education. The term literally means "school of higher vocational education". Al ...
* College *
Institute of technology An institute of technology (also referred to as: technological university, technical university, university of technology, technological educational institute, technical college, polytechnic university or just polytechnic) is an institution of te ...
*
University of applied sciences A university of applied sciences (UAS), nowadays much less commonly called a polytechnic university or vocational university, is an institution of higher education and sometimes research that provides vocational education and grants academic de ...
*
Vocational university A university of applied sciences (UAS), nowadays much less commonly called a polytechnic university or vocational university, is an institution of higher education and sometimes research that provides vocational education and grants academic de ...


References

{{Authority control Vocational education in Austria Vocational education in Germany Vocational education in Switzerland Types of university or college Universities of Applied Sciences Higher education in Germany