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Profile: Digital Transformation – Urban Futures

Information Studies (BA)

Eine Studentin lernt an einem Laptop

In the bachelor's degree programme information studies, you learn to organise large and complex amounts of data and present them in a way that is usable for everyone. Information processes are analysed and controlled using various methods and tools. Project work and internships provide a sound insight into your future professional life. As a trained data and information specialist, you can be used wherever information and data have to be managed.

Degree:
Bachelor of Arts
Type:
Full time
Course language:
German
Standard study period:
7 semesters
Start of study:
Winter semester
Application deadline:
15/06 – 30/09 (free of admission)
Admission requirements:
General university entrance qualification/ entrance qualification for studies at universities of applied sciences/ equivalently recognised prior vocational training
Credits:
210 ECTS credits
Module Manuals & Regulations
Profile

Is this degree programme right for me?

The bachelor's degree program in Information Studies at University of Applied Sciences Potsdam suits you if you are enthusiastic about information technologies and enjoy dealing with complex topics. Dealing with sensitive data requires the ability to concentrate and diligence. If you are also empathetic and communicative, you will enjoy working with various experts in your daily work.  

You bring these qualities with you

  • Curiosity and willingness to experiment with new digital technologies
  • Interest in the organisation of digital data and information
  • Structured and abstract thinking skills and enjoyment in dealing with complex topics
  • Analytical and communication skills
  • Motivation to learn, to accompany complex information projects from analysis to conception and implementation
  • Team spirit

Online Study Choice Assistant

Would you like to find out more about the information studies degree programme, get opinions and tips from students and lecturers or take a look at typical study tasks?

With the Online Study Choice Assistant (OSA) you can test whether the degree programme is right for you.

To the OSA Information Studies

Podcast of the Campus Specialists

Elias and Tim study information studies and inform prospective students about their degree programme as campus specialists. In the podcast, they share their personal impressions of student life and their degree programme.

To the podcast

FAQ zum Studiengang Informations- und Datenmanagement

In unseren FAQ zum Bachelorstudiengang Informations- und Datenmanagement finden Sie Antworten auf häufig gestellten Fragen rund um Studium, Inhalte, Karriere und vieles mehr.

Datenmanagement bezeichnet den gesamten Prozess der Erfassung, Speicherung, Organisation, Pflege und Nutzung von Daten innerhalb eines Unternehmens oder einer Organisation. 

Ziel ist es, die Daten so zu verwalten, dass sie stets korrekt, sicher, zugänglich und nutzbar sind. Dazu gehören die Datenqualitätssicherung, Datenschutz, Datenintegration, Datenbankverwaltung und die Entwicklung von Datenstrategien. 

Ein effektives Datenmanagement ermöglicht es, aus den vorhandenen Daten wertvolle Erkenntnisse zu gewinnen und fundierte Entscheidungen zu treffen.

Informationsmanagement bezeichnet den systematischen Umgang mit Informationen innerhalb eines Unternehmens oder einer Organisation. Dazu gehören die Erfassung, Verarbeitung, Speicherung und Bereitstellung von Informationen, um sicherzustellen, dass diese jederzeit korrekt, aktuell und zugänglich sind. 

Ziel ist es, die Informationen so zu verwalten, dass sie die Geschäftsprozesse und die Entscheidungsfindung optimal unterstützen. Dies beinhaltet auch die Entwicklung von Strategien und Verfahren zur Informationssicherheit, -qualität und -nutzung, um den maximalen Nutzen aus den vorhandenen Informationen zu ziehen.

Datenmanagement und Informationsmanagement sind eng verwandt, haben aber unterschiedliche Schwerpunkte. 

Datenmanagement konzentriert sich auf die Verwaltung von Rohdaten, einschließlich deren Erfassung, Speicherung, Pflege, Sicherung und Integration, um deren Korrektheit, Sicherheit und Zugänglichkeit sicherzustellen. Informationsmanagement hingegen befasst sich mit der Verarbeitung, Analyse, Organisation und Bereitstellung von aus Daten abgeleiteten Informationen. Ziel ist es, durch diese Informationen Geschäftsprozesse und Entscheidungsfindungen optimal zu unterstützen. 

Kurz gesagt: Datenmanagement verwaltet die Daten, während Informationsmanagement daraus nützliche Informationen gewinnt und nutzt.

Das Studium Daten- und Informationsmanagement konzentriert sich auf die Verwaltung und Analyse von Daten und Informationen, mit Schwerpunkt auf Datenbankmanagement, Datenanalyse und Informationsstrategien. 

Informatik hingegen deckt ein breiteres Spektrum technischer Themen ab, wie Programmierung, Softwareentwicklung und Algorithmen. Wirtschaftsinformatik kombiniert Informatik mit Betriebswirtschaftslehre, um IT-Lösungen für Geschäftsprozesse zu entwickeln. 

Während Daten- und Informationsmanagement praxisorientiert in der Datenverarbeitung ist, variiert der Praxisbezug in der Informatik stark. Wirtschaftsinformatik integriert reale Geschäftsprozesse und interdisziplinäre Projekte. 

Beruflich orientiert sich Daten- und Informationsmanagement an Datenanalyse und Informationsmanagement, Informatik an technischen IT-Rollen und Wirtschaftsinformatik an der Schnittstelle von IT und Geschäftsprozessen.

Für das Studium an der FH Potsdam benötigen Sie keine speziellen Vorkenntnisse. Der Studiengang ist nicht zulassungsbeschränkt. Sie benötigen lediglich eine allgemeine Hochschulzugangsberechtigung wie Abitur, Fachhochschulreife oder Berufsausbildung. 

Um die im weiteren Studium erforderlichen fachspezifischen Voraussetzungen in den Bereichen Programmierung, Mathematik oder im wissenschaftlichen Arbeiten zu erlangen, bieten wir im Rahmen des regulären Studiums im 1. Fachsemsemester, äquivalent zu Brückenkursen an anderen Hochschulen, entsprechende obligatorische Einführungskurse an. 

Der Studiengang ist deutschsprachig und erfordert Sprachkenntnisse mindestens auf dem Niveau C1 des gemeinsamen europäischen Referenzrahmens.

Hinweise zum Nachweis der notwendigen Sprachkompetenzen für internationale Studienbewerber*innen finden Sie auf den Webseiten zum Bewerbungsverfahren.

Das Studium in Potsdam verfolgt einen generalistischen Ansatz, der Ihnen eine Vielzahl von Berufsperspektiven im öffentlichen Bereich, Kulturbereich oder in der freien Wirtschaft eröffnet. Eine Reihe von Studienangeboten haben einen direkten Bezug zur Informationswissenschaft. 

Zudem profitiert der Studiengang von den interdisziplinären Studienangeboten, die zusammen mit den anderen Studiengängen des Fachbereiches (Archiv- und Bibliothekswissenschaft) angeboten werden. 

Als Studienschwerpunkte können Sie durch entsprechende Wahlangebote die Bereiche Web Content-Management und digitales Marketing, Datenmodellierung und -management sowie Informations- und Wissensmanagement wählen.

Contact

The colleagues at the student counselling service provide information to prospective students, first-year students, parents, teachers and students on all general questions about studying. If you have specific questions or concerns about the Bachelor's degree programme in information studies, please contact the subject counselling service.

Subject Counselling Service

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Career Prospects

Career prospects

All processes in our digitalised society depend on the availability of data and information. The basic and method-oriented degree programme information studies enables you to work in a variety of institutions and companies and is increasingly in demand. Due to increasing demands in this professional field, graduates are in great demand.

Public and scientific institutions

  • Documentation departments and archives in media institutions (e.g. press and broadcasting)
  • Picture and news agencies
  • Parliamentary documentation in the Bundestag and state parliaments
  • Museums
  • Libraries
  • Information supply in public research institutions
  • Public authorities (e.g. e-government, document management, web editing and social media management)

Private companies

  • Commercial enterprises with information services (e.g. content management or social media management)
  • Internet service providers such as web agencies, digital marketing agencies
  • Software producers and database producers
  • Information and knowledge management departments
  • Web agencies for search engine optimisation
  • Information supply in private research institutions
  • Management consultancies (e.g. organisational and IT consultancy)

Briefly presented: Possible occupational fields

Information managers manage and control information

Data is often referred to as the "oil of the 21st century". Just like oil, data must be processed before it can be put to good use. One of the challenges for business enterprises is to make the information relevant for economic action accessible from the growing flood of data - called Big Data.

"Go Digital" has therefore long become a core component of many corporate strategies. Topics such as machine learning, artificial intelligence, business intelligence and automation of information management processes are on the agenda in small and medium-sized enterprises just as much as in corporations or administrations.

For example, life science

In research-intensive companies, such as the life science industry, a lot of information from internal and external data sources accumulates for the development of new, innovative medicines. This information must be correlated, evaluated and made available to the relevant health authorities for market approval. In addition to sector-specific expertise, the competence of information managers is in demand here. In interdisciplinary cooperation with the researchers and developers, they ensure that all the necessary information arrives where it is needed.

For example, Bayer AG

BAYER AG is a life science company that offers interns from our study programme a first insight into the working world and offers our graduates attractive opportunities to enter a professional working environment. The possible areas of employment are diverse. Examples include research data management, information services, data science – for example in clinical development – and regulatory affairs – for example in document and data management.

Digital Marketing on the World Wide Web Marketplace

Digital marketing deals with the planning, elaboration, realisation, management and control of marketing tasks with the help of digital media and technologies.

Important areas of responsibility in this field include, for example:

  • Search engine marketing with the two sub-areas of search engine optimisation (SEO) and search engine advertising (SEA).
  • Social media marketing/advertising
  • Sentiment analysis/opinion mining
  • Content Marketing

Learning to understand search engines

Search engine optimisation plays a major role for companies in order to hold their own against competitors. The better the position of important keywords in the search engine results lists, the greater the number of visitors to your own website. The basics for understanding how search engines work and the measures for optimising websites to achieve better ranking positions are taught in modules on information retrieval and project modules on search engine optimisation in the degree programme.

Start-up and established company at the same time

An interesting employer in the field of digital marketing is the Viessmann Group - one of the leading international manufacturers of heating, industrial and cooling systems. In Viessmann's digital department – called VC/O – a young and dynamic team works under the leadership of a graduate of ours in a "start-up flair" in the middle of Berlin. The digital department sets up strategies to persuade potential buyers to make a purchase through a wide variety of campaigns. For this purpose, customised campaigns are developed for the end consumer. The advertising can be played out via social media, for example, according to the hobbies and interests indicated.

Knowing how to use knowledge - knowledge management

Knowledge management aims at the efficient use of knowledge and experience in companies or organisations in order to help them achieve their own goals. In this context, the tasks and activities that knowledge managers perform are very diverse.

They range from the procurement, preparation and presentation of information for internal organisational websites – such as intranets, wikis or blogs – to the moderation of internal working meetings in which employees are supposed to exchange their experiences on a product development project, a marketing project or an IT introduction or similar. In addition to these operational tasks, both conceptual tasks and strategic tasks can be part of the job profile of knowledge managers.

Deployment without limits

The field of application of knowledge managers knows no boundaries. They are needed in business enterprises, public administration, associations or other non-profit organisations and are sometimes already employed here. However, the term knowledge manager has not yet become firmly established in practice. For this reason, other terms often appear in job advertisements, such as content manager, community manager or web editor.

Dealing with people. Dealing with information technology.

Since knowledge and experience can be found in the heads of an organisation's employees as well as in documents and databases, knowledge managers must be familiar with and able to deal with both people and information technologies. Only in this way can they ensure effective and efficient use of the resource knowledge. With the competences of the Information and Data Management degree programme, students are very well prepared to successfully fulfil the tasks in this developing professional field.

Information and Data Management: Cultural Heritage Documentation

Preserving and making available cultural heritage is one of the most interesting fields of activity in information and data management. The range of cultural heritage institutions that need knowledge and energy here extends from museums to libraries, archives, art and castle foundations, memorial sites and institutions for the preservation of monuments, culture and tradition.

These institutions face the challenge of setting up information infrastructures and information systems to record and manage the existing collections. Another task is the creation of digital user copies for digital portals such as museum.digital or the German Digital Library.

Digitisation projects on site

To this end, extensive digitisation projects are carried out with information specialists in all cultural heritage institutions. Further tasks consist of managing collection holdings with the help of databases and preserving digital collection holdings in the long term through digital preservation measures.

Brandenburg-digital

The information sciences department maintains the Coordination Office Brandenburg-digital which coordinates all activities in the field of digital cultural heritage in the state of Brandenburg. And: it networks all cultural institutions in the state. As an information studies degree programme, we have a digitisation laboratory in which – with student participation! – digitisation projects are carried out with practical partners from various cultural institutions. This also results in contacts with cultural heritage institutions, which can be helpful either for carrying out compulsory internships during studies or for a later professional perspective in this field.

Good prospects: Data management in research and business

Graduates of the Information and Data Management programme have very good career prospects in all knowledge- and data-intensive fields of activity.

In publicly funded research institutions, the focus is often on complex tasks of data provision and data integration for the purpose of broad subsequent use by the scientific community. In the digitised economy, on the other hand, data is treated as a strategic resource. In addition to data organisation, data integration and data quality management, the focus in business enterprises is also on data analysis (data analytics) of large, often heterogeneous data volumes ("big data") as part of strategic knowledge management or for optimising complex business processes.

The information and data life cycle  from A to Z

With its wide range of modules, the information studies degree programme lays a solid foundation for the entire breadth of the information and data life cycle. After completing the information studies programme and a subsequent Master's programme, for example in data science, data engineering or data analytics, our graduates are also qualified for senior management positions. This applies, for example, to positions as chief data officer (CDO) in companies or as head of data and information services in public research institutions.

Focus on technology

In addition to an interest in conceptual challenges, applicants who wish to pursue such a career should also have a specific affinity for technological issues and a love of experimentation.

Expanding horizons non-stop: media documentation and archiving

Media documentarians have their finger on the pulse of the times. They are constantly confronted with new topics and are constantly broadening their horizons. And: the jobs are diverse ...

Whether it is a broadcasting archive, a picture agency or a press archive, a varied field of tasks awaits our specialists everywhere. Working with multimedia resources not only brings fascination for modern media. It also requires a confident handling of information science working methods such as metadata structuring and metadata generation, standardisation, mastery of retrieval methods as well as sound technological knowledge such as web languages and database structures.

Service for editorial offices and AI trainings

Metadata and technologies create "smart" products from the raw material of archives. The numerous areas of work in media documentation include:

  • Content development and archiving
  • Provision of online information services for editorial offices
  • Carrying out complex cross-media research for editorial users
  • Collaboration on projects for the digitisation of analogue media.

It is also foreseeable that with the increasing importance of AI technologies in data processing, information specialists in media companies will also work as artificial intelligence curators and AI trainers in addition to their traditional fields of activity.

  • I like the varied range of modules! Every year you learn many new things that can be directly applied in other modules the following semester. The practical application of the things you learn in the individual courses.

    Elias
    Student
  • We get to know a variety of methods and programmes in the field of digitalisation. There is close and good contact with the lecturers if there is ever a concern or help is needed.

    Tim
    Student
Study Content

Course of studies

The Bachelor information studies is a full-time programme with seven semesters, including a six-week internship and practical semester. The programme consists of basic compulsory, elective and flex modules.

Semester 1  2

Basic studies, six-week internship

Semester 3  4 Integrative and subject-specific specialisation
Semester 5 Practical semester
Semester 6  7 Subject-specific specialisation, projects, Bachelor's thesis

In the information studies programme, students can choose from the following three specialisations in the fourth semester:

a) Study focus: Web Content Management and Digital Marketing, consisting of the modules:

  • WD 03 - Website Design and Usability
  • WD 05 - Digital Marketing and Analytics
  • WD 06 - Website Development

b) Study focus: Data Modelling and Management, consisting of the modules:

  • WD 04 - Data Management - Advanced
  • WD 09 - Data Mining
  • WD 10 - Semantic Technologies

c) Study focus: Information and Knowledge Management, consisting of the modules:

  • WBD 01 - Knowledge Management - Fundamentals
  • WD 07 - Knowledge Management - Practice
  • WD 08 - Document Management

Study content

In the currently valid module handbooks and study and examination regulations of the information sciences department you will find the module overview, a detailed description of the modules and study contents as well as the study plan for the information studies degree programme.

Teaching formats

To ensure that the knowledge transfer also fits the respective topic and that the students' daily study routine is varied, we work with different forms of learning in the information studies degree programme.

  • Seminars, workshops (special seminar form)
  • Lectures
  • Exercises in smaller groups
  • Work in PC pools
  • Practical projects, sometimes with external partners

Integrative modules

  • Start me up
  • Basic concepts and practices of information science
  • Copyright and basics of internet law for information institutions
  • Project Design
  • Lab: Data Literacy

Compulsory modules

  • Basics Semantics and Metadata
  • Fundamentals of Mathematics and Computer Science
  • Introduction to professional fields and information research
  • Basics of indexing
  • Web Technologies and Information Systems
  • Information Management
  • Modelling
  • Management Methods
  • Data Management - Basics
  • Information Retrieval and Text-based Methods
  • Lab: Conceptual design and development of an information system

Elective modules

  • Semantic Data Models
  • Introduction to object-oriented programming
  • Website design and usability
  • Data Management - Advanced
  • Digital Marketing and Analytics
  • Website development
  • Knowledge Management - Practice
  • Document Management
  • Data Mining
  • Semantic Technologies

Integrative and partially integrative elective modules

  • Digital Editions
  • Openness in the Information Society
  • Data and information visualisation
  • Teaching data and information literacy
  • English in Information Services
  • Knowledge Management - Basics
  • Fair data management and long-term archiving
  • FLEX Modules
  • PRO: Project

Excursions

Depending on current topics and cooperation partners as well as respective offers for visits and specialist conferences

Internships & Projects

  • Two internships: six weeks after the 2nd semester and 20 weeks in the 5th semester
  • Two projects (4th semester and 6th - 7th semester)

Information on internships in the Bachelor's programme at the information sciences department

More information

Thesis

  • Independent writing of a Bachelor's thesis and its defence
Application & Contact

At a glance

The most important deadlines, dates and admission requirements for the Bachelor's degree programme in information studies are compiled here. You can find out which steps you need to take for a successful application in the next section.

Deadlines & Dates

  • by 30th of September: apply for matriculation
  • By 15th of July: apply for a higher semester in order to continue a degree programme you have already started at the University of Applied Sciences Potsdam.

Access requirements

  • General university entrance qualification according to the Brandenburg university act: General higher education entrance qualification or entrance qualification for studies at universities of applied sciences or previous vocational training recognised as equivalent

This is how you apply!

Do you have a university entrance qualification? Then you have the opportunity to submit an enrolment application for the winter semester from 15 June to 30 September on the MyCampus university portal of the University of Applied Sciences Potsdam.

Once you have submitted your online application for enrolment, submit the completed application, printed and signed, together with all required documents in paper form. The date of receipt at the University of Applied Sciences Potsdam is decisive.

Documents to be submitted

  • An officially certified copy of your university entrance qualification or university degree certificate
  • Electronic notification of your insurance status for the statutory health insurance for students or electronic notification of exemption from the statutory insurance obligation
  • Proof of payment or order confirmation of the semester fee
  • Photograph for the issue of the Campus.card
  • If applicable, certificate of exmatriculation from the last university attended

Please refer to the enrolment application form to find out whether you need to submit any additional documents.

Do you have questions about the enrolment process at the University of Applied Sciences Potsdam? We have compiled frequently asked questions and answers regarding enrolment and admission.

Start your studies

After you have successfully completed the application process, we recommend that you take a look at the start of studies page of the information sciences department. There you will find important information and dates regarding the start of your studies at the University of Applied Sciences Potsdam.

Further information

The following links provide you, and especially international applicants, with further information on the topics of application and enrolment at the University of Applied Sciences Potsdam.

Girlande mit internationalen Flaggen

International applicants

You would like to apply for studies from the first or a higher semester and have acquired your school-leaving qualification and/or university degree abroad? Then you can have degrees and achievements acquired abroad recognised and study with us.

Application information for internationals

Drei Studierende schauen sich Infomaterialien der FH Potsdam an

Application & Enrolment Procedure

The application and study service provides information and advice on general questions regarding the application process, admission and enrolment at the University of Applied Sciences Potsdam, application for a higher semester, but also on topics such as compensation for disadvantages, part-time studies, waiting semesters and hardship applications.

Application & Enrolment University of Applied Sciences Potsdam

Contact & Services

The student counselling service provides information and advice on general questions about studying as well as on topics such as choosing a degree programme, application, enrolment and study organisation.

For subject-specific questions on module contents, credit transfer, examinations or specialisations in the information studies degree programme, the subject counselling service is the right place to go.

Student Counselling Service

Student Financing

Room 3.02a

Family Affairs Commissioner

Room 026

Office hours

Tue and Thu 9.30 am – 1.30 pm

Commissioner for University Employees with Impairment

Room 201

Office hours

by arrangement

Contact Persons Department of Student Affairs