Hochschule

Kommunale Hochschule

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The Lower Saxonian Municipal University of Applied Administrative Sciences (Kommunale Hochschule für Verwaltung in Niedersachsen, also known as HSVN) is a higher education institution located in Hanover, Lower Saxony. With over 1,500 students, it belongs to Germany’s largest research institutions for Applied Administrative Sciences. It is owned and operated by the Lower Saxon Institute for Vocational Training for Local Government (Niedersächsisches Studieninstitut für kommunale Verwaltung e.V.) which is known as the center for education, training and further education of  local authorities‘ staff.

Kommunale Hochschule für Verwaltung in Niedersachsen

This officially recognised university is funded by the Niedersächsische Studieninstitut für kommunale Verwaltung e.V. (NSI), whose members are made up of most of the municipalities, counties and towns in Lower Saxony. 

Switching between specialist studies and vocational stages

The Kommunale Hochschule currently offers two Bachelor’s courses: Public Administration and Public Management. The Public Administration course focuses on teaching legal competence, particularly with regard to public law. The Public Management course, on the other hand, is more economics-based, focusing in particular on business management.

One feature which is unique to Lower Saxony is the way in which both courses are closely interlinked with practical experience: instead of traditional summer and winter terms, the courses are of a sandwich nature, alternating between specialist study at the university (24 months) and vocational periods of study at the respective recruiting authorities (12 months).

The development of professional expertise, resource awareness and social and communicative qualifications is promoted by the aim to support the pioneering transformation of the local authorities in Lower Saxony into service-oriented service providers.

Funded studies

Besides a university entrance qualification recognised by the Lower Saxony Higher Education Act, one of the conditions of admission to a course of study is candidacy, apprenticeship or other employment relationship with an employer governed by public law. The students are therefore also trainee clerical assistants or civil servants whose course is usually funded by the respective recruiting authority. In most cases they receive a basic candidate’s salary or similar remuneration. The recruiting authority can be any municipality, town or region, any county or any other institution in Lower Saxony that carries out community work, in particular administrative duties of a non-technical nature.

Students receive a Bachelor of Arts

Following the successful completion of all exams, students are awarded the academic Bachelor of Arts. The scope of employment opportunities corresponds to the entire range of public service duties, particularly in the local authorities in Lower Saxony.

The civil servant graduates also obtain the professional qualification for the first entry level of service class 2 in the field of General Services. The professional qualification for graduates with an traineeship or employment relationship is awarded in accordance with the provisions of the Lower Saxony Professional Regulations (NLVO). The professional qualification is currently also awarded after two years of professional activity (§ 25 NLVO).