22.11 In the context of dual study programmes, what does “systematic integration of the curriculum across higher education institutions and the workplace” mean?

“Curricular integration” between higher education institutions and the workplace means that the qualification goals of the study programme are also achieved at the workplace through a reciprocal exchange between theory and practice. The integration of content across these learning environments—as a central characteristic of the “dual” profile—must therefore necessarily be embedded in the study programme itself. A part-time job during the course of study in a field related to the program’s content is not sufficient on its own to justify the “dual” profile characteristic.

“Systematic” means that the integration of content between higher education institutions and the workplace takes place with a certain degree of continuity throughout the course of study. Isolated points of contact between academic study and Professional Practice—for example, in the form of the practical semester and/or a company-based bachelor’s thesis, as provided for in many bachelor’s programs at higher education institutions of applied sciences—are not sufficient on their own to establish the “dual” profile characteristic.

The systematic integration of the curricula at higher education institutions and the workplace must be clearly documented in the program materials (academic and examination regulations, module handbook, cooperation agreements).