Edition 1: Hochschule Harz, Wernigerode, Germany
Hello,
My Name is André Biener and I am responsible for the SAP University Alliances Program in the DACH-Region.
The variety of programs to study informatics and business informatics is overwhelming for freshmen. In this series I want to regularly introduce exciting studies offered by our partner universities and colleges.
I had an interview with students of the Hochschule Harz and also talked to Prof. Scheruhn.
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Andre Biener (AB): “Hello Miss Endter, thanks for taking time. What makes the studies of business informatics so special at the Hochschule Harz?”
Christiane Endter (CE) (Student /Third semester): “Studying at the Hochschule Harz is a lot about high practical experience. Almost every lecture has regular exercises and work within the laboratories included. This is the best opportunity to exert the new knowledge. From the very beginning you will get the support of students from higher semesters.”

AB: “What else beside the relevant content of studies offers the Hochschule Harz?”
CE: “Dedicated students can participate in current research and studies. In September of the last year there was a publication of research results awarded with the Best Paper Award by the SAP Academic Community Conference 2021 DACH. Business informatics students participated in this project and the paper, that are currently graduating in their master’s degree.
AB: “Which experiences have you made within your studies with SAP?”
Elnur Bayramli (Alumni): “SAP played a big role for the studies of business informatics at the Hochschule Harz, which I have seen as a big advantage in comparison to other colleges and universities. During my whole studies I was having the opportunity to work with the latest SAP software and could deepen my knowledge. The result of this is for example the Best Paper Award.”

AB: “Which connections to the economy you experienced and which opportunities did you have during your studies to get practical insights?”
CE: “Within seminars and exercises students have the chance to connect with regional and international companies like SAP or Siemens. Some of their representatives are meeting twice a year in an advisory board as elected members to talk about current topics with responsible persons and student representatives of a course.”
AB: “How is the SAP content structured?”
CE: “Students have many courses they can exercise with SAP. There are new SAP digital business models, that can get tried out during the studies and furthermore there are SAP case studies from different areas within SAP that can get simulated.
For that to work out, every student is having the access to current SAP products like Signavio or the Software AG. This access is not just limited to the devices at the university, they can be also used through a so-called virtual machine in home office.”
AB: “Which aspects of your studies you like the most?”
CE: “The most interesting point during the studies is, when there are new projects in cooperation with SAP. This gives the students the opportunity to directly connect with SAP employees and get in exchange with them. This is a one-time chance you should not miss out.”
AB: “How would you describe the atmosphere at the Hochschule Harz?”
CE: “The work together with the professors is outstanding. You are seen as a person and get great support. The contact between lecturers and students is almost matey. There is always a place to go for any problem.”
AB: “What does Hochschule Harz offers to support the studies?”
CE: “For a lot lectures are tutorials, which are offered by students of higher semesters and that are prepared closely with the lectures. This way the knowledge can get strengthened and practiced with exercises before an exam.
Before starting your studies, you can take a preliminary course in mathematics. In this course there will be a repetition regarding everything you have learned during your graduation from high school and content that will be relevant for the studies at the university. For students with a specific disadvantage there is a program called “Studium++”. This gives the opportunity to study longer then the normal period, offers a laid-back schedule and supports the daily life with further offers.
For students still looking for the right way, there is an offer for orientation studies. During tow semesters the students can choose modules from different fields. That can help to get to know to the student life and the fields of studies. In addition, they can already get all the competences they need to study at the Hochschule Harz. Every module they completed already counts for the real start at the university.”
AB: “Prof. Scheruhn what does make studying business informatics so special at the Hochschule Harz and why should interested students choose Wernigerode?”
Hans Scheruhn: “The Hochschule Harz and especially our course of business informatics is having a close cooperation with reginal and international businesses regarding SAP and is working on concepts and their application, that can come to live within real businesses. Lectures and projects can be attended in person, asynchronous or online, depending on our student’s life circumstances. In some of our SAP related courses there are students of different semesters, so they can get to know each other a lot better from the beginning. This offers them the chance to work together on one project and one aim. That is a lot of fun for all the students and is being valued a lot by the cooperating companies. To finish of a project, we always have a “Your Prof is your DJ” party together.”

AB: “How does the student life looks like in Wernigerode?”
CE: “Studying in Wernigerode is coming with a great student life. For an interesting daily life, there are a lot of initiatives from and for students. So every student can develop freely and have fun.”
AB: “Where can interested students get further information?”
CE: “On the webpages of the Hochschule Harz are all further information regarding the course of business informatics (
https://www.hs-harz.de/wirtschaftsinformatik) and the variation of dual studies (
https://www.hs-harz.de/wirtschaftsinformatik-dual). For everyone still having more questions you can directly get in contact via e-mail (
wi-studierende@hs-harz.de) with the Hochschule Harz. “
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Thank you for the interview.
Andre Biener, Director DACH, SAP University Alliances, SAP SE
Further Information:
Youtube:
Image-Film Wirtschaftsinformatik
Interview mit einem Wirtschaftsinformatikstudenten
Wirtschaftsinformatik an der Hochschule Harz studieren
Orientierungsstudium an der Hochschule Harz
Further resources:
Studium++
Vorkurs Mathematik
Orientierungsstudium.
Studentenleben