Start of the semester at the University of Bamberg

The winter semester 2024/25 has numerous innovations in store – from study programs to public events to board of trustees members

The new semester is just around the corner: The lecture period for the winter semester 2024/25 begins on Monday, October 14th at the Otto Friedrich University of Bamberg. The “first-year students” were able to find out more about their university in advance at the first semester introductory days (EET) between October 7th and 11th. The EET is intended to make it easier for newcomers to start studying. 1,901 people enrolled at the University of Bamberg for the first time or for the first time. A special highlight is coming up next Monday, October 14th: the celebratory first semester welcome in the university’s auditorium, which invites you to network with your new fellow students.

Be curious and try things out

A total of 10,262 people are currently enrolled at the University of Bamberg for the 2024/25 winter semester. The official statistics with the final figures will be compiled in December 2024. Prof. Dr. Stefan Hörmann, Vice President for Teaching and Students, warmly welcomed the students to the new semester: “It is always a special pleasure to see so many new faces at our university.” The next few months offer numerous opportunities to be curious, Try things out and get to know university life in all its facets. We want our students to not only grow professionally, but also to take away valuable experiences and encounters that will accompany them on their further path.”

Four new members to the board of trustees

The University of Bamberg can not only welcome numerous new students. The Board of Trustees, one of the university’s most important bodies, also has four new members who met on Wednesday, October 9th. Taking part for the first time are the District President of Upper Franconia, Florian Lüderschmid, the Chairman of the Management Board of the Bamberg-Coburg Employment Agency, Stefan Trebes, star chef Alexander Herrmann and Johannes Schulz-Hess, owner and managing director of the family business KASPAR SCHULZ Brewery Machinery Factory & Apparatebauanstalt in Bamberg. The Board of Trustees currently includes a total of twelve personalities who are particularly connected to the university and support its interests in public. Last Wednesday, Melanie Huml, former Minister of State and member of the Bavarian State Parliament, was re-elected chairwoman of the committee. Your deputy is Florian Lüderschmid.

Two new courses and certificates

In total, the Otto Friedrich University is offering almost 100 bachelor’s, master’s and teaching degree programs for the 2024/25 winter semester. New this semester are the bachelor’s degree program in Artificial Intelligence & Data Science and the master’s degree program in Strategy & Sustainability. The bachelor’s degree program combines AI as a branch of computer science with statistical and mathematical methods as well as applications in the social sciences and humanities. The English-language Master’s program Strategy & Sustainability combines two perspectives: sustainability as a strategic priority for modern organizations and strategy as an essential element for ecological and socially sustainable management.

In addition, two new offers from the Center for Key Competencies (ZSK) are being launched: the anti-Semitism critical education certificate and the sustainable development educational certificate. The aim of the certificate offerings is to provide Bamberg students with knowledge in their respective field of study as well as interdisciplinary skills that are important for society: The Anti-Semitism Critical Education certificate is about providing information about the manifestations of anti-Semitism. The aim is to identify and reduce prejudices against Jews and current mechanisms of discrimination. In particular, prospective teachers should be trained in how they can deal with anti-Semitism in an educational context. As part of the Sustainable Development educational certificate, students acquire an understanding of sustainability as an ethical principle of order and action. This is intended to enable them to deal intensively with the social challenges of sustainable development and to take social processes into account in the interests of sustainable development and to help shape them responsibly. Bachelor’s students in educational sciences can also choose the new focus “Education for Sustainable Development” from the winter semester.

Numerous events for the interested public

The “Interdisciplinary Sustainable Development Discourse Workshop!”, which takes place weekly in the winter semester 2024/25 as part of the Sustainable Development Education Certificate, is also open to all interested people from Tuesday, October 22nd. It is about various topics of sustainability that are presented and discussed. All information and dates for the series of events can be found at the following link: https://www.uni-bamberg.de/ewbne/transfer/diskurswerkstatt/

For the interested public, the University of Bamberg offers numerous other free events in the winter semester. Highlights include the children’s university, which began on November 9th, the Dies academicus on November 11th with a keynote speech by journalist and author Teresa Bücker, and the fourth “American Election Night” organized by Bamberg American Studies on November 5th , where we discuss the election campaign, the candidates, the election process, media reporting and much more. And as in every semester, there are several lecture series – such as the Archaeological Colloquium, the Medieval Studies Senior Seminar or the lecture series of the Bamberg Center for Artificial Intelligence (BaCAI) – for everyone who wants to get a taste of university life.

A more detailed article on the origins and background of the anti-Semitism critical education certificate can be found at: https://blog.uni-bamberg.de/forschung/2024/antisemitismuspraevention-im-klassezimmer/

When it comes to sustainability, a lot has happened at the university over the summer – in addition to the Sustainable Development Education Certificate. All news at: https://blog.uni-bamberg.de/campus/2024/news-nachhaltigkeit/

Further information about lecture series and lecture series can be found at: www.uni-bamberg.de/universitaet/veranstaltungen/vortragsreihe

More about the Children’s University and the Dies academicus at: https://www.uni-bamberg.de/events/

More about “American Election Night” at: https://www.uni-bamberg.de/ Amerikanistik/gastvortraege/wahlnacht-2024/