In mid-June, the School of Advanced Professional Studies (SAPS) celebrated its 15th anniversary with a summer ceremony full of encounters, reflections and prospects for the future. Representatives from Ulm University and Ulm University of Applied Sciences, as well as lecturers, students, alumni, staff and partners, paid tribute to the development of the centre for part-time academic continuing education and looked to the future.
As a joint institution of Ulm University and Ulm University of Applied Sciences (Technische Hochschule Ulm - THU), SAPS is dedicated to innovative, part-time study programmes and academic continuing education. The concept combines the strengths of both higher education institutions and creates educational programmes that link academic expertise with the demands of professional practice and society. Since its foundation, the centre has established various modular study programmes, ranging from actuarial science to sensor systems engineering. SAPS also offers other continuing education formats such as ‘microcredentials’ and certificate courses. Since SAPS was founded, over 4,500 participants have benefited from its programmes, which can also be completed whilst working.
“The past 15 years have impressively demonstrated that curiosity has no expiry date. People want to develop further, gain new perspectives and combine academic insights with their professional practice. This is precisely what SAPS provides a space for,” said University Professor Tina Seufert, a member of the SAPS Executive Board. Professor Reinhold von Schwerin, a member of the Executive Board from THU, emphasised the importance of the joint sponsorship: “SAPS is a powerful example of what can be achieved when universities pool their expertise. The collaboration between Ulm University and Ulm University of Applied Sciences enables us to bring together different academic perspectives and develop attractive continuing education programmes for people in the region and beyond.”
Dr Hans J. Reiter, Head of Department at the Baden-Württemberg Ministry of Science, Research and the Arts (MWK), recognised the importance of SAPS for academic continuing education and the transfer of knowledge between higher education and the professional world: “The School of Advanced Professional Studies, SAPS, demonstrates how academic continuing education works today: structured in a modular way, from certificate courses to Master’s degrees, and tailored to the needs of working professionals. With programmes in future-oriented fields such as AI, biopharmaceuticals and business analytics, SAPS strengthens the transfer of knowledge into practice and, in doing so, bolsters Baden-Württemberg’s position as a centre for science and business. I offer my warmest congratulations on 15 successful years.”
The focus of the evening was above all on personal exchange and networking. Long-standing supporters of SAPS looked back on developments over recent years and discussed future challenges as well as the opportunities presented by academic continuing education, and why high-quality programmes based on a modular system – modular, flexible and tailored to individual needs – are more important today than ever before. The celebration made it clear that academic continuing education is a dynamic field of the future – and SAPS wishes to continue playing a key role in making knowledge accessible and opening up new educational pathways.
About SAPS:
The School of Advanced Professional Studies (SAPS) is a joint institution of Ulm University and Ulm University of Applied Sciences. It develops and organises part-time continuing education programmes at an academic level. Its aim is to promote lifelong learning and to flexibly combine academic further education with professional requirements. SAPS has existed since 2011 as a further education institution of Ulm University. With funding from the MWK, Ulm University and Ulm University of Applied Sciences founded the joint, cross-institutional centre for part-time academic continuing Eeucation in 2018. Since 2022, SAPS has been based at the Barbara Mez-Starck-Haus on Ulm’s Oberberghof, with eight staff members and two members of the Executive Board.
Text and media contact: Dr Melina Klepsch & Daniela Stang