The dual study concept

Baden-Württemberg Cooperative State University - Who we are!

The dual education concept in which employers and state-run professional educational schools cooperate has a long tradition in Germany. The Duale Hochschule Baden-Württemberg Karlsruhe/Baden-Württemberg Cooperative State University Karlsruhe offers career-integrated undergraduate study programs. In 1974, Baden-Württemberg launched the new project aimed at creating a fully integrated system of higher education on a tertiary educational level. It took only a few years for the project in Baden-Württemberg to develop this system of higher education with now approximately 35,000 students in Baden-Württemberg. Around 3000 students are currently enrolled at the Duale Hochschule Baden-Württemberg in Karlsruhe in the fields of Business Administration, Engineering and Computer Science.

The main characteristic of career-integrated study programs is alternating three-month phases, with students learning theory at the university and receiving practical training from an enterprise. The students have an employment contract, and throughout the entire period, they receive a monthly salary and have the insurance status of employees.

Applications are submitted to the corporate partners in the various locations. Enrollment at the university is only possible after an employment contract has been signed. Small classes of at most 30 students guarantee close supervision. In addition to the professors of the Cooperative State University, lecturers from other universities, as well as experts from industry with specialized knowledge in various fields, all contribute to teaching at the university. This ensures a high level of academic studies as well as applied teaching. The Baden-Wuerttemberg Cooperative State University cooperates with numerous universities and enterprises worldwide. That makes it possible for most of the degree programs to include a period abroad. By adding more internationally oriented degree programs, the Cooperative State University has responded to the increasing demand for internationalization. The students’ future prospects are excellent: roughly 90% of the students sign employment contracts with the companies immediately after graduation. More information about the DHBW can be found in these leaflets:


To see a list of our Degree Programs, please click here.