Links with the Real World
The professors teaching at HTWG have both scientific and practical credentials. In addition to appropriate academic qualification – usually a doctorate – proof of outstanding achievement over a period of several years with an industrial or commercial firm is required for a faculty appointment. Professors maintain their contacts with industry and business through consulting, committee participation and R&D.
These contacts are useful for placing students at firms in the practical semesters, and facilitating student participation in applied research projects carried out jointly with industry. Many final-year projects are the result of cooperation between Hochschule Konstanz and a local company. The universities of applied sciences are ideal think-tanks for enterprises located in their region.
Of course the benefits of technology transfer flow in both directions. Regular exposure of faculty to professional developments and challenges in the field can lead to crucial changes in the HTWG curriculum or even the creation of new areas of specialization.