Key Competences
What are key competences?
Key competences include a complex of abilities, proficiencies, and knowledge that are relevant to personal and social development in modern society, to overcoming complex requirements in the professional world, to the discovery and exercise of skills adequate for professional activities within the European and international labor markets, and to the task of life-long learning. The acquisition of key competences in StudiumPlus is custom-made for the requirements of professional fields as well as the specific content for each subject.
In all bachelor's degree programs (with the exception of teaching degree programs) at the University of Potsdam, the acquisition of so-called key competences amounting to 30 credit points is an obligatory part of the program. Students in teaching degree programs (secondary education stages I and II) acquire credit points in the basic academic competences of academic work and writing. These courses are subject-specific and can be taken in both subjects of study. Teaching degree students will not find the relevant details on this page but in the study and examination regulations of the respective subjects.
How do you acquire key competences?
Key competences can be acquired either in subject-specific courses or in the Studiumplus area. Studiumplus is a centrally organized component of bachelor's degree programs that facilitates the acquisition of interdisciplinary key competences. The subject-specific regulations set out the scope of services that are interdisciplinary or in Studiumplus.
When planning the acquisition of key competences, it is important to note which rules apply to learning key competences. An essential point here is the point in time at which you enrolled at the University of Potsdam.
Please note that if you change your discipline, the regulations governing your degree program may also change the rules for acquiring key competences.
1. BAMA-O Catalog Studiumplus from Winter Semester 2013/14 (right column)
These regulations apply to bachelor’s students who enrolled under regulations that went into force as of the winter semester 2013/14.
2. Regulation for Studiumplus from Winter Semester 2009/10 (left column)
The following regulations apply to bachelor’s students who enrolled at the University of Potsdam beginning in the winter semester 2009/2010 at the University of Potsdam and whose regulations specify that key competences must be acquired in an interdisciplinary mode (at least 16 CPs).
For bachelor’s students who enrolled in a course of study as of the winter semester 2009/2010 at the University of Potsdam, and whose regulations went into force between the winter semester 2006/2007 and winter semester 2011/2012 (inclusively), and whose regulations generally require less than 16 CPs of interdisciplinary key competences, then the regulations specified under Item 3, starting in the winter semester 2006/2007, apply.
Regulations for Studiumplus Winter Semester 2009/10 | BAMA-O-Catalog Studiumplus from Winter Semester 2013/14 |
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| The acquisition of key competences is organized into two phases: | Key competences include: |
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| The mandatory basic phase includes the following modules: | Profession-specific key competences** include the acquisition of: |
On the basis of the study regulation you can choose between two options: Option 1 (Modules à 3 cp)
Discipline-specific regulations set the rules for completing the basic phase. |
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| The advanced phase* in Studiumplus includes the following modules: | Module catalog: |
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3. Regulations for Key Competences as of Winter Semester 2006/2007
These regulations apply to all bachelor’s students who enrolled before the winter semester 2009/2010 and whose course regulations require interdisciplinary key competences.
The courses for interdisciplinary key competences must be categorized in the following fields:
- International and intercultural competences
- Language and media
- Computer and presentation techniques
- Law, politics, and economics
- General content on nature, culture, history, and society
Students may select freely from among these modules, yet the subject-specific regulations may stipulate different rules or make recommendations. If the subject-specific regulations for bachelor’s studies do not specify interdisciplinary key competences, then these are typically earned through interdisciplinary courses.