Birte Bode
Birte Bode attended the Science Management course in 2026. In this interview, she talks about her experiences.
“The Science Management Course has broadened my perspective on the university, deepened my understanding of strategic issues and enabled me to forge valuable university-wide contacts. The combination of practically-oriented content, experienced lecturers from the HM and the opportunity to exchange ideas with colleagues from different departments makes the programme particularly valuable to me.”
"I can only highly recommend this course to all colleagues interested in the higher education system."
Interview
For some time now, I have wanted to undertake a training course that would enable me to deepen and broaden my knowledge of the academic system and my understanding of university-wide contexts. I was therefore delighted that HM was offering the Science Management Course to its staff members and that I was able to take part in the very first intake.
I found the combination of course content covering science policy, higher education, Human Resources law and financial law particularly valuable, as it provided a comprehensive overview of the higher education system. The additional course content on strategic management and leadership skills was also specifically tailored to working in a higher education context and proved to be the perfect complement.
The course has a special appeal for me, as the speakers are almost exclusively senior staff members at the HM themselves, which means the content is directly relevant to our day-to-day work. Beyond the purely academic aspect of the course in science management, this has enabled me to get to know my employer and key figures at the HM from a completely new perspective.
Another major benefit for me is the diverse group: the course brings together participants from academia and science-supporting sectors who are at different stages of their careers and have a wide range of professional backgrounds. This leads to stimulating discussions, new perspectives and a valuable exchange of ideas that goes beyond the boundaries of one’s own working environment. Not to mention the new contacts within the HM network itself!
I’m already really looking forward to the practical project, where we’ll be able to put what we’ve learnt into practice straight away.