Faculty of Human Sciences at BTU - new name stands for interdisciplinarity

The new faculty name underlines the human sciences orientation and interdisciplinarity of Faculty 4 in research and teaching. The focus is on the human being in all its facets. Education and training, behavior and experience as well as the human body and movement are integrated through various disciplinary perspectives. As part of a university of technology, the Faculty of Human Sciences also sees it as its task to maintain and expand interdisciplinary links with the natural sciences and engineering subjects at BTU.

BTU President Prof. Gesine Grande underlines the decision of the university management"The new name reflects the recent development of the faculty. With the establishment of the Institute of Education Sciences and the teacher training program, new topics will be added to the subject spectrum of health, society, social affairs and music. This will strengthen the profile lines 'Global Change and Transformation Processes' and 'Health and Life Sciences' and create promising opportunities for new collaborations and interdisciplinary focal points in the humanities in teaching and research at our university."

"In view of the expanded structure and the associated new overall orientation, the renaming of Faculty 4 is exactly the right step to succinctly express the interaction of the institutes and study programmes integrated here with all their facets," emphasizes Dean Prof. Simone Schröder.

The renaming took place with effect from January 1, 2024, following the establishment of the new Institute of Education Sciences integrated into the Faculty. The renaming was carried out by decree of the President of BTU Prof. Dr. Gesine Grande and at the suggestion of the University Senate following a survey of the faculty's employees by the faculty council and the Dean Prof. Simone Schröder.

Study programmes of the Faculty of Human Sciences
The Bachelor's and Master's study programmes in Social Work , Therapy Sciences, Midwifery and NursingScience train students for direct tasks in the health and social sector. The Master's degree program Vocational Education in Healthcare Professions trains vocational school teachers. The Bachelor's degree course in Instrumental and Vocal Performance and Teaching is aimed at future instrumental and vocal teachers at public and private music schools. The new primary school teaching degree study programme qualifies students to work as teachers at elementary school.

Faculty 4 at the Cottbus-Sachsendorf and Senftenberg campuses has long been closely linked with the Institutes of Social Work, Health and Instrumental and Vocal Performance and Teaching. The Institute of Education Sciences, founded in 2023, with the new primary school teaching study programme, adds important aspects to the existing structure of the faculty. The study programme to train primary school teachers, which was launched very successfully in the winter semester 2023/24, is characterized by a completely new study structure that is closely linked to practice, which was recognized by the Stifterverband für die Deutsche Wissenschaft with the "University Pearl of the Month October 2023" award.