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New at the University of Applied Sciences Potsdam

Campus der FH Potsdam mit Hauptgebäude

A warm welcome! Are you new to the university or have you just arrived? Here you will find the most important information and services to make your start and arrival here easier.

Information & Offers

Organisation

We give you a comprehensive overview of the university's organisation so that you can get to know all areas of the university.

Organisation

Campus Map

The campus of the University of Applied Sciences is located in the north of Potsdam on Kiepenheuerallee.

Campus Map of the University of Applied Sciences Potsdam

Events

In our calendar of events you will find current events at the university, for example on topics related to human resources development.

Dates

International Office

Among other things, the International Office supports international partnerships and offers ongoing events with space for encounters.

International

Find your Way

To help you find your way around the campus and navigate our university structures, we have summarised the most important points for you.
You can find an overview of the buildings and the campus here. You can find the organisation chart here.

The University of Applied Sciences Potsdam stands for diversity. Our aim is to ensure that the path to university, to a successful degree or in the work areas is fair, regardless of origin or gender. We want to support our university members and, in addition to individual development opportunities, offer flexible programmes that are ideal for combining family and studies or career. We work against disadvantages and discrimination. University members with disabilities help to shape everyday university life. The representatives for severely disabled employees and the commissioner for university members with impairment provide support.

Equal Opportunities

The library with its comprehensive range of journals, books and digital materials is not only open to university members. Any interested member of the public can register. The library has over 50 workstations, a multimedia room, a training room, a computer room and a reading room as well as a co-working space. The current opening hours can be found on the website.

The canteen in the main building offers a large selection of freshly prepared meals every day. Wednesday is "Veggie Wednesday". Payment is possible with the Campus.card or in cash. The current opening hours and the menu can be found on the website.

In the main building is a café serving homemade snacks, coffee specialities, fresh juices and smoothies as well as delicious ice cream.

Opening hours: Monday - Friday from 8.00 am

Coffee Nerds

There are many opportunities on campus to relax outdoors, play sports or garden. There is a volleyball court and table tennis tables next to House 17. The green areas in front of the canteen and behind House 3 invite you to linger with benches, hammocks and play areas for children. The campus garden is the green centre of the campus. It is maintained by members of the university and the neighbourhood.

campusgarten@fh-potsdam.de

House 17 is the student union building, which is accessible to all students with the Campus.card. In addition to the casino, there is a co-working space, a project room and offices for the student representatives. It is a place for student culture and initiatives – with a garden and a green corner outside. "Haus 17" is also the umbrella brand for the university's student committees.

The Casino is the self-managed cultural centre for students at the University of Applied Sciences Potsdam. It has been in existence for over 25 years and is located in House 17. The voluntary members regularly organise events such as concerts, cinema or quiz evenings. The casino serves sensationally good coffee. It is the ideal place to meet up with colleagues.

The FHP Mobil, a tiny house on wheels, is located at the northern entrance to the campus and has been used since 2021 to present the University of Applied Sciences Potsdam to the "outside world". The FHP Mobil sees itself as a space for innovative ideas, activities and as a platform for dialogue. Up to six locations are visited each year to provide information about transfer projects at the University of Applied Sciences Potsdam.

The campus specialists are students from the University of Applied Sciences Potsdam who talk about their degree programmes in school classes, at information events and online. They also provide authentic insights into their degree programmes in their own podcast.

The digital calendar of events provides an overview of upcoming events from various areas of the university. Teachers and students regularly present current projects in the buildings – it's well worth a visit!

The term "self-administration" covers all bodies and elective offices which, on the one hand, accompany the work of the university management and control it like a supervisory board, but on the other hand also make essential decisions on the organisation of study and teaching, research, transfer and further education. For example, the university's business plan is decided by the Senate. Regulations on study programmes and examinations are also passed by the committees.

STATUS GROUPS

According to the principle of the "group university", the university members are divided into groups:

  • Students
  • Professors
  • Research and academic staff:
    Employees in research and teaching who are assigned to professors or (third-party funded) projects.
  • Non-academic staff:
    Employees in administration and service areas, technology and in the laboratories and workshops These four groups, also known as status groups, elect and send their representatives to the departmental councils, the Senate and other university committees separately.

MEETING DAYS

The committees usually meet on Wednesday afternoons. University-wide, this afternoon is kept free from teaching.

1st Wednesday of the month Meeting of the Senate
2nd Wednesday of the month Meeting of the departmental councils
3rd Wednesday of the month Meeting of the Presidential College and the Standing Commission for Studies and Teaching (SKSL)

Arrive

The first working day begins and now? Where do you get your badge or office supplies? How do you apply for leave? We support you in your start.

The University of Applied Sciences Potsdam has a modern VoIP telephone system (Voiceover-IP). The workstations are equipped with Cisco IP telephones. Operating instructions and instructions for setting up or changing telephone and fax machines as well as forms for reporting malfunctions can be found on the pages of the Central IT. Many work areas have function-related telephone numbers.

To order business cards, please fill out the online form. University communication and public relations will then contact you.

When you take up employment, you will receive a declaration of consent. Once you have submitted this, a personal profile will be created for you on the website of the University of Applied Sciences. A photo shoot is regularly offered for employees. The portraits are used for the personal profiles on the website. You can also use the pictures for other purposes in the context of your work for the University of Applied Sciences Potsdam or purchase them.

At the University of Applied Sciences Potsdam, flexible working time models are in place and all employees have the possibility, if their job allows it, to complete up to 50% of their work tasks at locations other than the university. As a non-academic employee, you are entitled to flexitime. Time is recorded using the electronic time recording system Intrakey. For more details, please refer to the service agreement on mobile working and the service agreement on digital time recording on the website.

For all those who are paid according to the collective agreement for the public service of the Länder (TV-L), the following applies: Please submit your application for recreational leave or other days off to the human resources department in good time via your supervisor or your dean. You can also find out your contractual holiday entitlement there. If you do not take your holiday by 30 September of the following year at the latest, it will unfortunately be forfeited, according to the law. Leave is applied for via the electronic time recording system Intrakey. For university lecturers: Please notify the human resources department of your leave via your dean. There is no formal procedure for reporting leave, you are welcome to use the leave application form available on the website. Full-time academic and artistic staff – including university lecturers – should take their leave during the lecture-free period.

The following applies to university lecturers: Please notify the Human Resources Department of your leave via your dean. There is no formal procedure for notification. Full-time academic and artistic staff - including university lecturers - should take their leave during the lecture-free period. 

If you fall ill, you must inform your superior and the human resources department immediately: personal@fh-potsdam.de. You need a sick note from the third day onwards. Since January 2023, there is an electronic certificate of incapacity for work (AU). You only need to submit the certificate of incapacity for work to the HR department yourself if your doctor still provides you with a paper copy.

The university year is divided into winter and summer semesters with lecture and lecture-free periods. The semesters end with an examination period. As a rule, the winter semester takes place from October to March and the summer semester from April to September. You can find the exact dates here.

The campus is very easy for you to reach by public transport, but also by bike. There is a dedicated tram stop and several buses stop on the north, west and south sides of the campus. As a university that is intensively involved with the topic of sustainability, the University of Applied Sciences Potsdam promotes car-free mobility. Students receive the semester ticket through their semester fee and as an employee of the university you can purchase a company ticket. The company ticket with the S-Bahn Berlin GmbH can be purchased on a subscription basis and is issued as a "VBB Umweltkarte". It comes with a five percent discount. In principle, the minimum term is 12 months. There is a car park to the east of the main building which you, as a university member, can use around the clock with the Campus.Card. Access is controlled by bollards. In front of the car park there are also two charging points, each with two connections for e-cars. If you are travelling by bike, there is a bike repair station in front of House 3 to help you help yourself.

Building Management is responsible for the maintenance and operation of the technical systems in the buildings and on campus and is your first point of contact in the event of technical faults in the electrical, heating, sanitary, ventilation and lift systems as well as the interior and exterior lighting. Repairs and maintenance in the areas of electricity, sanitation, furniture/inventory, furniture disposal as well as painting work, technical conversions and building cleaning are also carried out or commissioned by the Building Management. The Building Management  can also help you with removals, waste disposal or as a key service (issue, return, reordering of keys and transponders, programming of locking rights for transponders and Campus.Cards, battery replacement and emergency opening on digital locking cylinders; emergency opening and repair of mechanical locking cylinders of doors and cabinets). If you require a driving service for passengers and goods, please also contact the Building Management. A car and a van/bus are available for these driving service tasks, which are realised in consultation with the President's Office.

Enquiries/Notifications: gm-service@fh-potsdam.de

The information desk is staffed around the clock and is the central point of contact for information, telephone calls, lost property, damage reports and first aid.

As a university member, you can obtain microphones, charging and extension cables, etc. from the information desk in the main building, depending on your authorisation. You can also obtain keys/transponders or locking authorisations for some selected buildings and rooms there.

+49 331 580-2121
info-hg@fh-potsdam.de

You will find the post office in the main building. Each organisational unit has an in-house post box so that mail can be collected outside opening hours using the assigned key. There is also a central mailbox for mail to be handed in. The activities in the mail room are carried out by the security service. In building 4 there is a mail distribution cabinet (room 2.10, copying room) for mail to and from this building.

Opening hours: Mon – Fri 7.30 – 9.00 and 11.00 – 12:00 am
Main Building/Room 009
+49 331 580-2100

If you want to book a room, plan an event or archive documents, please contact the event management. If you are a member of a department, your first point of contact is the Dean's Office. There is a central room booking system for which the following information is required: Who would like to reserve a room or space for what, when and where. What furniture or technology is needed?

Contact: Reimar Kobi
+49 331 580-3600
veranstaltungsmanagement@fh-potsdam.de

On the web pages of Central IT you will find, among other things, operating instructions and tips for the use of media technology in seminar rooms or mobile, for the use of telephones and other IT services.

On our website, you will find a document centre in the internal area, where important regulations, documents and forms from all areas of the university are stored, which you will need for your everyday work.

There is a limited amount of university promotional material available for events, information days and the like, such as pads and pens with the logo of the university. If you need such items for a special occasion, please contact the university communication and public relations in good time. Depending on the number, the items may have to be reordered.

kommunikation@fh-potsdam.de

The Fördergesellschaft der Fachhochschule Potsdam e.V. offers additional merchandise via an online shop.

The Fördergesellschaft der Fachhochschule Potsdam e.V. was founded almost simultaneously with the university. With membership fees and donations from current and former members of the university, the association promotes the further development of the university, quality assurance, the support of initiatives, networking and the initiation of partnerships as well as the promotion of student projects. The support association offers merchandise, e. g. shirts in the university design, via an online shop.

If you would like to support the development of the University of Applied Sciences Potsdam or student projects, you are welcome to become a member of the Fördergesellschaft. The membership fee is 35 euros per year.

Board of Directors: Horst-G. Meier
+49 331 580-1071
foerdergesellschaft@fh-potsdam.de

When you start work, you will be provided with a workstation with office furniture, a PC or laptop with the appropriate software, a telephone connection and a Campus.Card. If anything is missing, please contact your supervisor or, in the departments, the dean's office staff.

As a member of the University of Applied Sciences Potsdam, you will receive a chip card, the Campus Card. It is also an employee ID, library card, payment card for the canteen and cafeteria, print, scan and copy card, and a key for the buildings and offices on campus. For students, it is a student ID and semester ticket at the same time. You can get the Campus.card at the student info service in the main building. There are machines next to the library entrance and the canteen where you can validate your card and top it up with money.

Networking

With your Campus.Account you have access to various services of the university. We will introduce you to the most important platforms and IT applications for your everyday work.

The Campus.Account is the central access to the campus data network and the various electronic services of the University of Applied Sciences Potsdam. It allows you to log in to various systems with just one user ID. New employees receive their access data from the central IT department when they begin their employment.

You can use the Campus.Account for this purpose:

  • FHP e-mail account
  • Eduroam: free WLAN access
  • VPN (Virtual Private Network), e. g. to access the internal services of the university from your home office.
  • MyCampus university portal
  • Moodle

Central IT
+49 331 580-8950
it-service@fh-potsdam.de

In each building you will find copy rooms with multifunction printers. To print, please select "FHP Druck Dienst" as the printer. You can retrieve the print job sent from a PC on any of the multifunction printers installed on campus using the Campus.Card. In addition, you can use the devices as scanners and copiers, some with stapling and punching functions. For business purposes, please select the option "Dienstlich drucken". You can also initiate private print and copy jobs, but you should declare them as "private". The costs will be billed to you privately.

In order to save resources, we ask you to print in black-and-white mode and double-sided if possible and to use the "EcoPrint" mode if necessary (saves toner, but leads to quality losses). Please take care of the environment and only print when it is really necessary.

fh-potsdam.de/it-services

In addition to using Microsoft Outlook via your desktop, you can also access your own e-mails quickly and from anywhere via a browser.

mail.fh-potsdam.de

With FHP Cast, teachers can record their own lectures with little effort. The recording begins and ends automatically and is made available to students without further effort via an internal university video portal. FHP Cast is available in all lecture halls at the university.

fh-potsdam.de/it-services

With the FHP Cloud, you can synchronise files and folders between different computers and - also with external parties - share and edit them together. As a university member, you have access to an area in the FHP Cloud with 5 GB of storage space, which can also be extended upon request. Separate areas with their own storage space can be created for research projects, departments and other areas.

fhpcloud.fh-potsdam.de

Staff and students at the university receive access to Microsoft 365, which includes cloud services and Microsoft desktop applications such as Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook and Teams.

fh-potsdam.de/it-services

The MyCampus university portal includes various self-service functions for students. Exam results can be viewed, students can update their own contact details and print out certificates of study. In addition, exam and event registrations are also carried out via MyCampus, as well as the majority of the application processes. Examiners can use the portal to record examination results and view the grades awarded. Dean's office staff can, among other things, create and change examination organisation records for examinations and courses.

There are various video conferencing systems to choose from at the University of Applied Sciences Potsdam. With Microsoft Teams, you communicate via video or telephone - internally and externally and have the option of sharing documents and working on them together. Alternatively, you can use Zoom or BigBlueButton. The latter are also the recommended systems for courses. Here you will find suitable background motifs from the university.

You can use the Wifi "Eduroam" at the University of Applied Sciences Potsdam, at most universities in Germany and also in many other countries. University members can authenticate themselves in the wifi using their Campus.Account. We recommend that you use the configuration programmes provided to set up your account.

fh-potsdam.de/it-services

Moodle is used as a web-based learning platform at the University of Applied Sciences Potsdam. There are three different Moodle instances: Moodle Teaching for teaching in the departments, Moodle Exams for online examinations and Moodle Transfer for further education and digital programmes that have an external target group. 

  • Regular Moodle support for teaching staff in the departments is provided by the decentralised Moodle supervisors.  
  • The student e-learning team at the Centre for Study and Teaching (ZESL) offers support for the HelpDesk wiki to lecturers in the departments: digitale-lehre@fh-potsdam.de
  • Technical support: moodleadmin@fh-potsdam.de

Moodle-Portal: https://fh-potsdam.de/moodle
Moodle-HelpDesk-Wiki: https://fh-potsdam.de/helpdesk-wiki-moodle

Another platform besides Moodle is Incom. Incom is a teaching-related communication and cooperation platform and is used in particular by the design department and for project studies.

Stay fit

A healthy work-life balance is important to us. We offer practical help for families, sports courses and offers through the health management FHPgesund. Also discover your opportunities for professional development.

The personnel development concept of the University of Applied Sciences Potsdam is structured along the life and career phases and bundles the topics of personnel planning, personnel selection and onboarding, competence development, strengthening of managers, offboarding and conducive framework conditions for personnel development into seven fields of action. The personnel development concept is aimed at all employees of the university.

The LAKöV offers further education seminars and scores with an extensive programme of seminars on personal and social skills as well as leadership tasks, which are also useful for teachers in tasks in academic self-administration and committee work up to project management. The offer is free of charge for university staff, but because we compete for places with employees of the state administration, it can occasionally be tight. Registration is done via the respective supervisors to the human resources department and places are distributed via the Ministry. The University of Applied Sciences Potsdam also regularly offers in-house training.

The Zentraler IT-Dienstleister Brandenburg (ZIT-BB) provides further training for employees of the state administration in the area of IT services. The spectrum of topics ranges from standard software to special courses on IT security issues and SAP to customised individual IT training. Registration is done via the respective superiors to the human resources department.

Netzwerk Studienqualität Brandenburg (sqb)
The first point of contact for higher education didactic offers is the Brandenburg Netzwerk Studienqualität Brandenburg (sqb), a joint scientific institution of the colleges and universities in the state of Brandenburg. sqb offers workshops on specific higher education didactic topics and issues, but also supports the colleges and universities with consulting services for quality development in studying and teaching.

The offers are aimed at teachers (professors, academic staff, lecturers) at all Brandenburg universities and can be booked directly on the sqb website free of charge. Handouts and publications as well as a self-study course on online teaching can also be found here.

Contact person:

Birgit Lißke
+49 331 580-1004
birgit.lisske@fh-potsdam.de

Digital Teaching Unit (ZEDI)
The Digital Teaching Unit serves to promote digital teaching at the University of Applied Sciences Potsdam and to support lecturers in the conception and implementation of digital teaching offers. In addition, the digital teaching unit advises the responsible units and decision-making bodies on issues relating to the strategic development of digital teaching.

Contact person:

Julia Lee
+49 331 580-2010
zedi-helpdesk@fh-potsdam.de

Consultation appointments for teachers or institutions of online courses can be requested via the ZEDI HelpDesk form.

The International Office of the University of Applied Sciences Potsdam provides support in the selection of language courses and workshops on intercultural competence. For students, language courses in English and other languages are offered in cooperation with the Volkshochschule. For employees, there are semester courses in English at different language levels. Their international competences are certified after successful acquisition. Exchange programmes are also offered, enabling employees to experience a change of perspective at a university abroad.


+49 331 580-2060
international@fh-potsdam.de

The university's occupational safety commissioner regularly organises courses for employees on special topics such as occupational health and safety and first aid (basic and advanced training).

Occupational Safety Commissioner: Reimar Kobi
arbeitsschutz@fh-potsdam.de

The University of Applied Sciences Potsdam sees itself as a family-friendly university that is committed to achieving a sustainable balance between working, teaching, researching, studying and family life through a successful reconciliation of interests. To make this balance possible, we offer our students and employees practical help, such as flexible childcare on campus, a parent-child group, holiday offers and advice on organising and financing studies with a family, on pregnancy and parental leave, and on caring for relatives. A model day care centre for the campus is being planned. Family-friendly places on campus include the family room, children's corners in the refectory, quiet and breastfeeding rooms, playgrounds and a children's library in the library. Our wellbeing map provides guidance on the location of these spaces.

Family Affairs Commissioner:
Diana Zill
+49 331 580-2475
famteam@fh-potsdam.de

Pregnancy
Pregnancy should be reported to the university as early as possible so that protective measures can be taken into account. The university is obliged to report reported pregnancies to the maternity protection supervisory authority. The information to the supervisor can be given verbally or in writing. Employment is prohibited during the statutory maternity protection periods.

Parental leave
You must inform your supervisor and the human resources department of your planned parental leave. In order to clarify the modalities and to advise you individually, please contact the human resources department at an early stage.

personal@fh-potsdam.de

Caring for relatives
Employees with relatives in need of care can take advantage of a variety of support services to help them reconcile work and family life. For more information, please contact the family affairs commissioner or the human resources department.

personal@fh-potsdam.de

To promote the health of all university members, the health management integrates sports and relaxation offers (health days, spinal screening, etc.) into everyday work. Workshops and counselling appointments are offered regularly for all university members.

Health Commissioner: Claudia Pamperin
gesundheitsmanagement@fh-potsdam.de

University sports in Potsdam are organised by the Centre for University Sports at the University of Potsdam. Whether trend sports, athletics, ball sports, health promotion, dancing, family sports - the offer provides you with a varied programme throughout the year. Fees are reduced for university members. Special offers on the campus of the University of Applied Sciences Potsdam include the break express, the massage kneading point and yoga for employees.

Sports Commissioner:
Elias Pflaumbaum
sport@fh-potsdam.de

Discover Potsdam

With parks, palaces and gardens as well as distinctive cultural offerings, Potsdam has a lot to offer. The beautiful lakescape of the Havel also invites you to linger in the surrounding area. Our green campus is located in Bornstedter Feld, in the north of Potsdam. The city of science has about 186,000 inhabitants and you are right in the middle of it! Here you will find a small selection of interesting places.

Universities (blue) Politics & Education (red) Arts & Culture (orange) Parks & Gardens (green)
  1. University of Applied Sciences Potsdam
  2. University of Potsdam
  3. Film University Babelsberg Konrad Wolf
  4. University of Applied Sciences Clara Hoffbauer Potsdam (private)
  5. ESAB University of Applied Sciences for Sport and Management Potsdam (private)
  6. GISMA Business School (private)
  7. Health and Medical University Potsdam (private)
  8. University of Europe for Applied Sciences (private)
  9. XU Exponential University of Applied Sciences (private)

10. Ministry of Science, Research and Culture (MWFK) Brandenburg

11. Brandenburg State Parliament

12. city and state library (educational forum, science floor, Volkshochschule)

13th Potsdam City Hall

14. Schiffbauergasse arts and culture quarter (Waschhaus, Fabrik, Hans-Otto-Theatre, theatre ship)

15. Art and creative house Rechenzentrum

16. Nikolaisaal

17. Thalia cinema

18. Potsdam Museum

19. Museum Barberini

20. Film museum & cinema

21. House of Brandenburg-Prussian History

22. Memorial site Lindenstraße

23. Volkspark & Biosphere

24. Belvedere on the Pfingstberg

25. Park Sanssouci

26. Neuer Garten

27. Freundschaftsinsel

28. Park Babelsberg

Important Info

Please report emergencies to the fire brigade or police. Afterwards, please inform the information desk in the main building immediately. For emergencies, please also contact the building management.

Emergency

  • Police: 110
  • Rescue service and fire brigade:: 112

Info main building

Building management

AG Working Group
AGG General Equal Treatment Act
AK Working Group
ASA Occupational Health and Safety Committee
AStA General Students' Committee
B. A. Bachelor of Arts
B. Eng. Bachelor of Engineering
B. Sc. Bachelor of Science
BbgHG Brandenburg Higher Education Act
BLHP Brandenburg State Conference of University Presidents
BMBF Federal Ministry of Education and Research
BRANDSTUVE Brandenburg Student Council
BTU Brandenburg University of Technology Cottbus-Senftenberg
DAAD German Academic Exchange Service
DFG German Research Foundation
DFN German Research Network
DSW German Student Union
FB 1 Social and Educational Sciences Department
FB 2 CITY | BUILDING | CULTURE Department
FB 3 Civil Engineering Department
FB 4 Design Department
FB 5 Information Sciences Department
FBR Department Council
FHP / FH;P University of Applied Sciences Potsdam
FO Financial Regulations
FuT Research and Transfer
GEW Education and Science Union
GeschO Rules of Procedure
GM Building Management
GO Basic Regulations
GPR General Staff Council
GVT Networking meeting of the student body
HiWi Research assistant, see also WHK
HoPo Higher Education Policy
HNEE University for Sustainable Development Eberswalde
HPR Main Staff Council
HRK German Rectors' Conference
IaF Institute for Applied Research Urban Future
IO International Office
IT Information Technology
KMK Standing Conference of the Ministers of Education and Cultural Affairs
M. A. Master of Arts
M. Eng. Master of Engineering
M. Sc. Master of Science
MV General Assembly
MVM Funding distribution model
MWFK Ministry of Science, Research and Culture (Brandenburg)
nwPR Non-scientific staff council
PAS / PAU Examination board
SHK Student assistant (student without a university degree)
SKSL Standing Commission for Studies and Teaching
SL Study and Teaching
StEP Structural and Development Planning of the University
StuRa Student Council
StuWe Student Union Potsdam
SVP Student Vice President
SWS Semester hour per week
TelCo Conference call
THB Brandenburg University of Technology
THW Technical University Wildau
TO Agenda
TOP Agenda item
TV-L Collective agreement for the public service of the Länder
UP University of Potsdam
Viadrina European University Viadrina Frankfurt (Oder)
VP Vice-President
VV General Assembly
WHK Research assistant (student with university degree)
wkPR Scientific and Artistic Staff Council
ZEDI Digital Teaching Unit
ZEFT Research and Transfer Unit
ZEGM Start-up and Management Qualification Unit
ZEW Further Education Unit
ZuSL Strengthening the Future Contract on Studying and Teaching (BMBF)