Please note that your letter of admission is only valid for the immediately following semester and plan your application accordingly: if you need to provide proof of a pre-study internship, you must prove that you have completed or already started the pre-study internship by the time you enroll for the first semester (which takes place in mid-September or mid-February) at the latest.
Internship Yes / No?
BA in Accessory Design: 3 months of external pre-study internship, or 3 weeks at our faculty (prerequisite: admission to our program and sufficient space available)
BA in Industrial Design:
- To make full use of the carpentry workshop: 6 months of pre-study internship or completed vocational training in a skilled trade
- No pre-study internship required to use the digital DesignLabPF and the woodworking and model-making workshop
More information
BA in Fashion: 3 months of external pre-study internship, or 3 weeks at our faculty (prerequisite: admission to study at our university and sufficient places available)
BA in Jewellery: 12 months of external pre-study internship, or as a technical preliminary course at our faculty for a fee
BA in Transportation Design: 3 months of pre-study internship
BA in Visual Communication: no pre-study internship
The pre-study internship must be coordinated with our Examination and Internship Office and the degree program.
Recognition of the pre-internship
We provide you with a prepared document for preliminary recognition of your pre-study internship. To do this, download the “Pre-study Internship Recognition Contents” form. Submit this form to the internship company for signature and then send it to: vorpraktikum(at)hs-pforzheim(dot)de. The Examination Office will sign the form and send it back to you. This procedure is not mandatory; it is only to ensure that your internship meets our requirements.
Proof of pre-study internship
Please submit the following documents for recognition of the pre-study internship: your report booklet (1 page per month), the final certificate for the internship (usually in the form of a transcript), and the form for submission to the School of Design.
You will find the preliminary internship information sheet in the downloads at the bottom of the page.
Please send all documents relating to the preliminary internship by email to: vorpraktikum(at)hs-pforzheim(dot)de.
Please be sure to include the following information in your email:
1. Your full name
2. The degree program for which you are applying/have applied
3. Your desired/planned start date (winter semester or summer semester, year)
I haven't completed the pre-study internship yet – can I still apply for a place at university?
Yes, you can participate in the application process as normal. After passing the aptitude test, you will first complete the pre-study internship and then begin your first semester. This means that when planning when to start your studies, you must take into account the duration of the internship between the aptitude test and enrollment. The pre-study internship must be completed by the start of lectures at the latest.
Where can I do my pre-study internship?
Each applicant must find an internship position themselves. It should be noted that the internship must be related to the desired degree program and cover specific activities (see regulations on the pre-study internship). The internship must be recognized by the Examination Office of the Faculty of Design, so it is advisable to find out before starting whether this will be the case.
Do I have to complete my pre-study internship at one company, or can I also do several shorter internships?
For longer internships, it is possible to split the pre-internship into several blocks, as long as you acquire the relevant knowledge. Please note, however, that it usually takes some time to familiarize yourself with a company and learn the processes—we therefore only recommend splitting the pre-internship to a limited extent. Please discuss this with our Examination and Internship Office in advance.
How can I be sure that my pre-study internship meets your requirements?
We provide you with a pre-prepared document for provisional recognition of the pre-study internship.
Example: You want to start your pre-study internship for the Accessory Design degree program, for example. Download the “Pre-study Internship Recognition” form. Submit this form to the internship company for signature (fill out page 1 and the page relating to the degree program) and then send it to vorpraktikum(at)hs-pforzheim(dot)de. The Examination Office will sign the form and send it back to you. This procedure is not mandatory; it is only to ensure that your internship meets our requirements.
What should my report booklet about the pre-internship look like?
Write a text in your own words describing the activities you were involved in during the pre-internship. Your report should be no longer than six A4 pages—i.e., a maximum of one page per month. Have all pages of your report signed by your employer and then submit the complete report to us.
I have completed my mandatory pre-study internship. Where/how do I submit the relevant documents?
If you have already completed your mandatory pre-study internship, please send all documents relating to its recognition by email to: vorpraktikum(at)hs-pforzheim(dot)de
Please be sure to include the following information in your email:
1. Your full name
2. The degree program you are applying for/have applied for
3. Your desired/planned start date (winter semester or summer semester, year)
I have heard that some degree programs offer the opportunity to complete the preliminary internship at the Faculty of Design—is that correct?
Yes.
The BA in Jewellery degree program offers a number of internship positions directly at the university for students to complete the one-year technical preliminary internship (a prerequisite for admission to this degree program). The technical pre-study internship here at the university is intended for applicants who have not completed a goldsmith apprenticeship, related training (e.g., dental technician), or an internship in a company. At the end of the pre-study internship, a technical exam may be held.
You can read about how to apply for one of these internships here.
The BA in Fashion and BA in Accessory Design programs offer applicants who have received a letter of admission the opportunity to complete the preliminary internship as a paid course at our university before the start of their studies. This means that if you pass the entrance exam in June, the course will take place in September, and if you pass the entrance exam in December, the course will take place from the end of February to the beginning of March. This three-week course in our workshops replaces the three-month pre-study internship. Applicants can obtain further information about the preliminary course at the StudiCenter, during the entrance exam, or from the academic staff of the degree programs.
