New specialisation "Childhood and youth" :
in the Bachelor's degree programme in Social Work

The Department of Applied Sciences at Fulda University of Applied Sciences is adding a new specialisation to its Bachelor's degree in Social Work, which will be offered in cooperation with social work practice: 30 places per semester in the specialisation "Childhood and Youth" will be available from autumn 2025 for those interested in appointing a professional appointment in the field of child and youth welfare. In order for the specialisation to be recognised in the transcript of records, at least 60 of a total of 210 ECTS credits must be earned in the subject area of childhood and youth during university studies.

Cooperative university studies for closer integration with practice
The study option is also designed to enable students to gain practical experience with the department's numerous cooperation and practical placement partners. To ensure this, the courses for the 30 students on the specialisation are offered on three working days, so that the remaining weekdays can be used for work as an assistant or freelancer in the field of child and youth welfare. What is particularly pleasing is that, thanks to the close cooperation with the practice, other successful B.A. Social Work applicants also have access to the new specialisation's university studies as well as job offers in this field.

Win-win situation for students and employers
Both sides benefit from the new concept: Students have the opportunity to work in the prioritised subject area alongside their university studies and the cooperation gives them access to suitable job offers. Employers can recruit motivated young talent more easily, retain their growing competences at an early stage and support them in a targeted manner.

Start ofthe application period on 15 April
At a kick-off event on 19 March, the department of social work presented its innovation to sponsors from Fulda and the surrounding area. The extremely positive response from the invited guests confirmed that nothing stands in the way of the start of the application period on 15 April: "The special combination of university studies and paid practical work is very welcome," says Günther Koch from the youth welfare office of the Main-Kinzig district. "We will be promoting it in the Main-Kinzig district, as this open format offers advantages for employers and students alike." Natalie Jakob from Heilpädagogische Kinder- und Jugendhilfe Rhön-Grabfeld was in favour of "the initiative by Fulda University of Applied Sciences, another way of getting future professionals into practice quickly and creating alternatives to traditional study programmes". In her eyes, the specialisation "takes current social developments into account."

Further information
Information on the Social Work (Bachelor's degree) study programme, application procedures and contact persons can be found here:
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