Studying in Bamberg (incoming)
Bamberg, with its approximately 77,000 inhabitants, is a manageable city in which it is easy to study and you will find your way around very quickly. Bamberg's old town has held the title of "UNESCO World Heritage Site" since 1993 and is experiencing a real boom. For example, the number of students rose from about 9,000 in the winter semester 2009/2010 to over 13,000 in the winter semester 2017/2018. About one in six people in Bamberg is a student, which makes Bamberg a very young city with a lot to offer.
At the Faculty of Social and Economic Sciences, you can expect international and interdisciplinary study programs. Thus, there is a close cooperation with the Information Systems and Applied Computer Sciences or also the Faculty of Human Sciences and Education. In total, the faculty is currently home to five departments, eight Bachelor's, eleven Master's and twenty-one double degree programmes. You will find further information on the individual departments and programmes directly on their pages:
Ways for international students to study at SoWi
At SoWi, we strive for internationalization across all departments and degree programmes. In teaching and research we always take an international perspective. Furthermore, we strive to train international students in our degree programmes, to qualify international doctoral candidates for an academic career, and in research to collaborate with colleagues from all over the world. As a student, you basically have two different options to study at SoWi:
Exchange students or non-degree-seeking-students are students who are not pursuing a degree in Bamberg but are spending part of their studies in Bamberg in context with an exchange programme. If you come to Bamberg as an exchange student, you will find further information on the homepage of the international office.
Regular international students are students who either have a nationality other than German and/or who received their last qualifying degree abroad. If you are a regular international student and would like to study at SoWi, you can find more information at the hompage of the international office.
How to get a PhD at SoWi
For science, exchange among each other has always been essential and, of course, in many cases such exchange makes sense only globally. Culturally diversified research teams are, therefore, only the next logical step, which starts with the selection of PhD students. If you want to do a PhD at the faculty there are basically two possibilities: you can apply directly to a chair that thematically matches your research interests or you can pursue a PhD through the Graduate School of Social Sciences (BAGSS). You will find further information on this topic here:
You will find information on the research foci of the departments and institutes at the faculty hereunder:
Currently, the Faculty of Social Sciences, Economics, and Business Administration hosts the following graduate schools:
Service institutions for students of the University of Bamberg
There are many service institutions at the University of Bamberg to provide everything you will need here as a student. You will find further information on the current offers here:
- Akademie für Schlüsselkompetenzen und wissenschaftliche Weiterbildung (ASwW) (German only)
- Fortbildungszentrum Hochschullehre (FBZHL) -(German only)
- Kompetenz- und Servicestelle CEUS - (German only)
- Computing Centre
- Athletics Centre - (German only)
- Sprachenzentrum - (German only)
- Trimberg Research Academy (TRAc)
- University Archives
- University Library
Representative Officers
The University of Bamberg has representatives for various topics, who will assist you in word and deed with the respective topic. You will find further information and the contact details of the responsible persons here:
- Family Services Office
- Women's Representatives at the University of Bamberg
- Equal Opportunity Officer
- Women´s representative (University)
- Women´s representative (SoWi)
- Equal Opportunity Officer (German only)
- Representative for students with disabilities (German only)
- Safety Officer (German only)
- Other Officers and Specialists from A to Z (German only)
- First Aid (German only)
- Locations of first Aid Kits (German only)
- Defibrillators at University Locations (German only)
University-related groups and student initiatives
In addition to the official contact points at the university, there is a number of university-related groups and student initiatives that support students at the faculty. For example, the Fachschaft SoWioffers advice from a student's point of view, organizes the Freshman orientation days and other events for our students.
Feki.deis an association for the promotion of electronic communication and the exchange of information among students of the Otto-Friedrich-University Bamberg e.V. and provides useful information concerning your studies as well as many interesting topics for you to get actively involved. You will find information on the association but also on student life in Bamberg on the homepage of the association.
Cogita! e.v. wants to bring the theory of everyday university life into practice under the motto "Theory meets practice!” The association organizes events and workshops with companies and is at the University of Bamberg a contact for your personal development beyond your studies.
AEGEE-Bamberg e.V. strives for a democratic, diverse and borderless Europe that is socially, economically and politically integrated and appreciates young people who participate in its construction and development. It provides a lot of information especially for international students in Bamberg and organizes excursions and other events.
Ottfried e.V. publishes the Bamberg student magazine Ottfried regularly in print format once per semester. In addition, there is a freshman issue at the beginning of the winter semester.
In addition to the above-mentioned associations and groups, there are many other so-called university-related groups around the University of Bamberg. You will find a current overview here.