Certificate of Advanced Studies

General information

The continuing education program Certificate of Advanced Studies (CAS), typically, is a certificate of advanced training obtained following the completion of university studies and initially gained professional experience. However, it can also be obtained prior to or during university studies. While subjects in most university study courses tend to have a theoretical focus, CAS courses provide students with the opportunity to specialize in a subject area intensively and with a practical orientation. It thus completes knowledge and skills already gained in the particular area of knowledge, or else generates new knowledge outside the current knowledge area.
 

Admission requirements

In order to gain access to the continuing education program Certificate of Advanced Studies (CAS), one of the admission requirements mentioned below must be met:

• Graduate of a university or another higher education institution with initial working experience
• Vocational baccalaureate diploma (Fachabitur), higher education entrance qualification (Abitur or equivalent) and initial working experience
• Completed vocational training and initial working experience
• Admission and aptitude test procedures

Recognition of examinations taken at other educational institutes

The continuing education program Certificate of Advanced Studies (CAS) provides more in-depth knowledge, with a primarily practical orientation and a corresponding design. Recognition of examinations taken at other educational institutes, therefore, is not possible.
 

CAS course offer

Currently, the following CAS courses are on offer:

• CAS Digital Leadership
• CAS Digital Project Management
• CAS Career Development
• CAS Digital Business Development
• CAS Cyber Security Management
• CAS Digital Product Management
• CAS Social Media Marketing
• CAS Digital Content Marketing
• CAS Brand Management
• CAS Digital Public Relations

Each course requires the completion of several modules. Courses are designed in such a way as to teach basic theoretical knowledge and then apply the knowledge gained within the scope of case studies.

Each course is designed to last six months. Course participants have the option to extend the course for another six months free of charge.
 

Certificate thesis

The continuing education program Certificate of Advanced Studies (CAS) concludes with a certificate thesis. It shall comprise 30 pages and be written in English. The topic can be chosen freely, and shall be agreed upon with the supervisor; ideally it should be related to the student’s professional context and contain practice-oriented research. Through the certificate thesis, the student shall provide proof that they are capable of identifying, presenting, evaluating, and solving complex problems occurring in their field.

The processing time for the certificate thesis is four weeks.
 

Recognition

The completed continuing education program Certificate of Advanced Studies (CAS) demonstrates extensive as well as specialized theoretical and factual knowledge within a particular field of work and study, plus the awareness of the boundaries of that knowledge. Graduates show a range of comprehensive cognitive and practical skills required for the development of creative solutions to abstract problems. Following the successful completion of the program, they are capable of reviewing and developing their own performance as well as that of others. Against this backdrop, the Certificate of Advanced Studies continuing education program, based on the European Qualifications Framework which has been established by the European Parliament and the Council on better comparability of educational qualifications between EU member states, can be classified as Level EQR5, whereby this certificate qualifies as corresponding to the short-study cycle or the first advanced vocational training qualification, respectively. However, since the European Qualifications Framework is a voluntary transparency tool without any legally binding force, the recognition of educational achievements from the continuing education program Certificate of Advanced Studies as well as admission to graduate studies will take place autonomously and individually at the respective educational institution.