Hochschule 21 - Studieren vor den Toren Hamburgs

Since 1875 architects and civil engineers are educated in Buxtehude with academic standard. For decades the public university of applied sciences has been at the same place. As in 2004 the university, which was rich in tradition, has been forced to close down because of compulsory savings of the federal state budget, time was ready to try something new.

With tail wind from political, economical and social forces of the region "Niederelbe" the team of university of applied sciences, that accompanies the last years of university students up to their final examination, developed totally new structures for a university, structures that did not exist before in this form: a state registered university in private responsibility. A pilot university, whose financing is partially taken over by the federal government. With that public private partnership, the joint action of private bearers and public authorities has become established in the field of higher education as well.

Even now University 21 in Buxtehude realizes many expectations on a pilot university: crash courses, small learning groups, extreme orientation towards practice, profitability in financing, regional orientation, topicality, scientific character, research and development for medium sized business.

The new, exclusively "dual" degree courses, the practice orientated academic education, the acceptance of new bachelor and master degrees, introduced throughout Europe by the Bologna process - all that has been tried separately before, but in combination it is new.