DHBW (Baden-Wuerttemberg Cooperative State University): List of all study programs (2026/27)

Duale Hochschule Baden-Württemberg (DHBW) is Germany's first public university dedicated entirely to dual study, founded in 2009 as successor to the Berufsakademie.

As the original dual university, it combines academic study with hands-on work at a company. For you, this means:

• You alternate every three months between campus and your partner company.
• You earn a salary throughout your studies.
• Your degree is accredited and recognized as an intensive program worth 210 ECTS credits.

With around 33,900 students, DHBW is the largest university in Baden-Württemberg and the largest practice-oriented university in Germany. In business, engineering, social work, and healthcare, you can choose from 37 bachelor's programs with over 100 specializations and 30 work-integrated master's programs.

Requirements and application for dual study

Applying to DHBW works fundamentally differently from most other universities – you don't apply to the university, but directly to a company. You need three things:

• University entrance qualification (HZB): usually the Abitur or a matching subject-linked entrance qualification. With a university of applied sciences entrance qualification or vocational qualification, admission is possible via the Deltaprüfung or an aptitude test. Foreign qualifications are checked for equivalence (credential assessment); where needed, a Studienkolleg or a university-specific entrance exam leads to admission.
• Language skills: German-taught programs require proof of German at C1 level; English-taught programs require corresponding English skills.
• Contract with a company: the heart of it – before your studies begin, you sign a study and training contract with a partner company. Only this contract secures your place.

Study preparation for prospective international students

If you don't yet meet all requirements, there's no need to wait: DHBW offers several programs that build the language, academic and organizational basis for a dual study program.

• Bridge Year: A one-year program at DHBW Heidenheim with an intensive German course, application support and intercultural training – its language preparation is currently being expanded further.
• Studienkolleg: Prepares international applicants with foreign school-leaving certificates for their studies at DHBW.
• StartDualInternational: Helps international talents find their way into a dual study program and to a partner company.