The University of Applied Forest Sciences Rottenburg is modern, innovative, and practically oriented. Straightforward decision pathways and interdisciplinary teamwork are characteristic. Our students enjoy a pleasant atmosphere and personal collegiality. The educational content of our degrees is oriented around the demands of the job market for leaders. The HFR offers multidisciplinary solutions for development in forestry, timber industry, nature and environmental protection, landscape planning, and water management. The material and energetic utilization of (forest-) biomass, dealing with water as a limited resource, and taking part in international development collaborations are all of fundamental importance.
With nearly 1,100 students, the University of Applied Forest Sciences (HFR) is a small but future-oriented University of Applied Sciences. The curricula are based on employment-related fields of the future. In its courses, the university develops cross-sectoral solutions in forest management, timber industry, nature and environmental protection, landscape planning, water management, sustainable regional management, resource-efficient building, and renewable energies. These programs focus on transferring knowledge and skills for the material and energetic use of renewable resources and responsible use of scarce resources.
Graduates have excellent employment prospects. The HFR was awarded UNESCO prizes every year from 2006 to 2014 for their forward-looking educational offer. It is thus one of 16 institutions from over 1,800 award-winning projects. It also won the university competition “Excellence strategies,” organized for small and medium universities by the German science foundation.
Within the country, HFR is among the universities with the most specific training and research profiles due to its consistent orientation of all programs towards sustainability. It prepares the students for their professional careers with a comprehensive academic education (critical skills and expertise). As a result, the application-oriented combination of research and teaching forms a solid unit. HFR offers 5 Bachelor’s and 3 Master’s programs. The university maintains close contact with numerous partner universities in many European countries and worldwide. These collaborations primarily serve international student exchange. The exact layout of the university and its historic campus ensures a familial atmosphere and short walking distances. This allows students to be advised individually, which significantly contributes to more pleasant and practical studies. The location, surrounded by forest and orchards, offers many opportunities for outdoor teaching events.
Mitigating climate change is the greatest challenge for the present and the future. Its ecological, economic, and political consequences directly jeopardize our livelihood. A drastic reduction in the use of fossil fuels within the next few years is thus indispensable. This is only achievable through energy savings, a significant increase in energy efficiency, and the coverage of the remaining energy needs with renewable energy sources such as solar, hydro, wind, and biomass. The contribution of renewable energies to a climate-friendly and reliable energy supply is becoming increasingly important. Due to the withdrawal from nuclear power and coal-based power generation, decentralized production of electricity and heat from renewable energy sources continues to gain significance. Therefore electricity networks must be modernized and expanded, and storage capacities provided for excess energy. This development is increasingly becoming the focus of the energy sector. Specialists in the field of renewable energies are urgently required for this purpose.
