Profile of the Protestant University of Applied Sciences RWL

Founded in 1971, the university is maintained by the Protestant Church in the Rhineland, the Protestant Church of Westphalia and the Church of Lippe. With around 2,200 students and a full-time teaching staff of 73, the Protestant University of Applied Sciences RWL is the largest of its kind in Germany.

Rooted in a Christian understanding of human nature, the university and its various departments have a high and active regard for the dignity of each individual and a strong commitment to social justice.

The university offers academically founded education for the social, educational, nursing care and church diaconate professions, placing a particular emphasis on ethical reflection and the development of the individual personality. In 2007, the university began introducing graded course structures. It currently offers five Bachelor degree courses and two Masters’ degree courses.

The university’s advanced and continuing training programmes are designed as a means for skilled personnel in the social and healthcare sectors and in church and diaconate work to procure additional qualifications equipping them for the future.

Research at the university has a practical focus yet it is related to teaching, as are the continuing education programmes too.

The university is an integral part of a tightly-knit cooperation network, working together closely with church, diaconal, social and cultural institutions and cooperating with overseas universities.

The university culture is characterised by thoughtfulness, respect and tolerance. It offers scope for different forms of spirituality. Teamwork and interdisciplinary cooperation are encouraged. The university is committed to gender equality, the compatibility of academic studies, career and family and to the concept of accessibility.