Baden-Württemberg Cooperative State University

The Duale Hochschule Baden-Württemberg (DHBW), founded on 1 March 2009, is Germany's first state dual (practice-integrating) university and the largest higher education institution in Baden-Württemberg. It continues the dual study model of the former Berufsakademie Baden-Württemberg, which dates back to 1974. With approximately 33,000 students (2023/2024), over 230,000 alumni and around 9,000 partner companies and social institutions, DHBW operates across nine main locations and three campuses: Heidenheim, Heilbronn, Karlsruhe, Lörrach, Mannheim, Mosbach (with Campus Bad Mergentheim), Stuttgart (with Campus Horb), Ravensburg (with Campus Friedrichshafen), and Villingen-Schwenningen. The headquarters (Präsidium) is in Stuttgart. DHBW offers more than 35 bachelor programs with around 130 specialisations in Business, Engineering, Social Work and Health, as well as 27 work-integrated master programs through the DHBW Center for Advanced Studies (CAS) in Heilbronn. Students alternate between three-month theory phases at the university and three-month practice phases at their dual partner company, earning a salary throughout. All programs are worth 210 ECTS and are classified as intensive degree programs. DHBW is organised on the US State University model with both central and decentralised structures, and holds system accreditation from the German Accreditation Council.