DHBW Center for Advanced Studies

What DHBW Center for Advanced Studies does

DHBW Center for Advanced Studies (DHBW CAS) is a constituent entity of the Duale Hochschule Baden-Württemberg (DHBW), the state cooperative university of Baden-Württemberg, Germany. Founded in 2014 and headquartered on the Bildungscampus of the Dieter Schwarz Foundation in Heilbronn, it consolidates the DHBW's dual Master's programs and continuing education under one institutional roof. The institution operates 28 Master's degree programs across four faculties (Business, Technology, Social Work, and Health), serving 1,518 enrolled students, supported by 9,000+ partner companies within the broader DHBW system (1,605 specifically for CAS) and a 3,765-member alumni network.

The underlying delivery platform combines a Moodle-based learning management system, the DUALIS student information system for course registration and academic records, and approximately 50% of lectures delivered at the Heilbronn headquarters with the remainder distributed across nine DHBW campuses plus three additional locations (Karlsruhe, Stuttgart, Mannheim, Mosbach, Ravensburg, Heidenheim, Lörrach, Villingen-Schwenningen, Bad Mergentheim, Friedrichshafen, and Horb). Self-service tools include the Modul-O-Mat and Profil-O-Mat program-matching tools, Matomo web analytics, and meetergo scheduling. Programs are delivered in a dual, career-integrated model where students remain employed at approved dual partner companies while attending classes and completing 90 ECTS credits over four semesters (extendable to ten).

The business model is a hybrid of state appropriations and tuition fees. Tuition ranges from €1,625 per semester (Social Work) to €8,000 per semester (Executive Engineering), with Business programs at €4,225 and most Engineering programs at €5,000 per semester, plus a one-time €300 admission fee. Revenue also comes from certificate programs and seminars funded through AZAV certification. Students are recruited through a sales-led motion with online application, employer approval as Dual Partner, and a personal interview with the academic director; two intake cycles per year (Summer and Winter). International expansion is pursued through EU4Dual (eight European partner universities) and Erasmus+ exchanges. The institution is publicly owned, accredited by the state, and not subject to traditional revenue or growth investor dynamics.

Name

DHBW Center for Advanced Studies

Legal name

Duale Hochschule Baden-Württemberg

Website

https://cas.dhbw.de

Company type

Public

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

DHBW Center for Advanced Studies is a Baden-Württemberg state university offering 28 dual Master's programs across Business, Technology, Social Work, and Health, serving 1,518 working professionals employed by 1,605+ partner companies.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Higher Education / Graduate Education

NAICS

Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (6113)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Cooperative Education (Co-op) Technical Universities (EDAHAEAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Professional & Executive Short Courses (Non-Degree, International) (EDAIAIAH), Subject-Specific Short Courses & Academies (e.g., STEM, Business, Arts) (EDAIAIAC)

Keywords

• Dual master's programs
• Career-integrated education
• Cooperative graduate studies
• Work-integrated learning
• Continuing professional education

Headquarters

HQ city

Heilbronn

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices13 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Infrastructure, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Tuition Fees: Fee-based Master's study programs charged per semester. Tuition fees vary by faculty: Business programs 4,225 EUR per semester (16,900 EUR complete), Engineering programs 5,000-8,000 EUR per semester, Social Work programs 1,625 EUR per semester. One-time admission fee of 300 EUR. Fees include student union fees, administration fees, examination fees and infrastructure usage.
2. Certificate Programs and Seminars: Additional certificate programs and seminars offered through scientific continuing education, which can be funded through AZAV certification

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

DHBW CAS delivers dual Master's degree programs where students maintain full-time employment at approved dual partner companies while pursuing part-time graduate studies across 12 DHBW campuses in Baden-Württemberg. The institution offers 28 distinct Master's programs in Business, Technology, Social Work, and Health faculties, with over 150 elective modules and tuition structured per semester. International programs include the EU4Dual Master Class AI in partnership with eight European universities.

Product overview

DHBW Center for Advanced Studies (DHBW CAS) is a state university institution offering dual master's programs across four faculties: Business (Wirtschaft), Technology (Technik), Social Work (Sozialwesen), and Health (Gesundheit). The institution operates a platform-plus-module architecture with 28 distinct master's degree programs as core products, supported by elective modules (including Intercultural Business and Excursion modules for international experience), certificate programs through scientific continuing education, and cross-disciplinary competency training. International programs include the EU4Dual Master Class AI in partnership with 8 European universities and Erasmus+ exchanges. Programs are delivered through a career-integrated model combining monthly in-person attendance (approximately 2-3 days) with online learning via Moodle and work-integrated projects.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• EU4Dual: European university alliance of dual study programmes including partner universities from France, Austria, Finland, Hungary, Malta, Spain, Croatia, and Poland
• EU4Dual Master Class AI
• ISoG BW
• ZHL

Products and services

• Master of Business Administration (MBA) Dual MBA program for non-business graduates to acquire broad business knowledge and management skills, preparing for leadership roles across all sectors.
• Data Science and Artificial Intelligence Dual Master's program combining data science methodologies with AI technologies, preparing students for advanced roles in AI development and data analytics.
• EU4Dual Master Class AI European university alliance continuing education program focusing on artificial intelligence and data science across five partner institutions, combining online learning with in-person workshops at different universities. Awarded upon successful completion of three modules at different institutions.
• Zertifikatsprogramme und Seminare (Certificate Programs and Seminars) Certificate programs and seminars offered as part of scientific continuing education, with funding opportunities available through AZAV certification.
• General Business Management - Master Dual Master's program in General Business Management providing comprehensive business education for working professionals seeking management careers.
• Wirtschaftsingenieurwesen (Business Engineering) - Master Dual Master's program in Business Engineering combining engineering and economics, priced at 20,700 EUR total + 400 EUR registration fee (English page).
• Accounting, Controlling, Taxation - Master Dual Master's program preparing students for the German tax consultant examination in cooperation with the Stuttgart Chamber of Tax Consultants. Accounting for Business and Economic Tax Law version priced at 21,200 EUR total + 400 EUR registration fee + 140 EUR entrance exam.
• Supply Chain Management, Logistics, Production - Master Dual Master's program in Supply Chain Management, Logistics, Production, priced at 19,000 EUR total + 400 EUR registration fee (English page).
• Executive Engineering - Master Dual Master's program in Executive Engineering for senior engineering professionals, priced at 32,000 EUR total + 400 EUR registration fee (English page) - the highest-tuition program offered.
• Transkulturelle Traumapädagogik (Transcultural Trauma Education) - Master Dual Master's program in Transcultural Trauma Education, priced at 7,200 EUR total + 400 EUR registration fee (English page).
• Joint Master Healthy Living and Wellbeing Planned Joint Master program in Healthy Living and Wellbeing under EU4Dual partnership between DHBW and European universities, scheduled for 2027 launch.

Quantifiable outcome

• 2,700 hours total workload for dual Master's programs
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration6 records

AI capability5 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• EU4Dual (European University Alliance)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUniversity alliance of European cooperative state universities. DHBW CAS participates in EU4Dual offering students two programs: Masterclass AI (collaborative AI education across 5 partner institutions) and Joint Master Healthy Living and Wellbeing (planned for 2027). Partner universities include ESTIA (France), FH JOANNEUM (Austria), SAVONIA (Finland), John von Neumann University (Hungary), MCAST (Malta), Mondragon University (Spain), PAR (Croatia), and Koszalin University of Technology (Poland).
• Stuttgart Chamber of Tax Consultants (Steuerberaterkammer Stuttgart)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCooperation to optimize exam preparation for Accounting for Business and Economic Tax Law students. Students can attend intensive courses, examination simulations, and compact seminars for tax exam preparation in the 4th semester. Enables students to conclude the tax consultant examination during their final year.
• Dieter Schwarz Foundation (Bildungscampus)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDHBW CAS is located on the Bildungscampus of the Dieter Schwarz Foundation in Heilbronn, which houses various facilities and institutions in close proximity to the city center.
• Intersectoral School of Governance Baden-Württemberg (ISoG BW)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPart of DHBW CAS ecosystem; focuses on governance studies in Baden-Württemberg
• DHBW Centre for Higher Education Didactics and Lifelong Learning (ZHL)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPart of DHBW CAS ecosystem; focuses on higher education teaching methods and continuing education

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Berufsakademie Thüringen: State cooperative higher education institution in Thuringia offering dual study programs combining academic learning with workplace practice. Closely comparable business model to DHBW CAS with state-government backing and employer partnerships, serving the same working-professional segment in a different German state.
• FOM Hochschule: Private university of applied sciences specializing in berufsbegleitende (part-time/work-integrated) Bachelor's and Master's programs for working professionals and executives. Closely comparable target customer (employed professionals) and delivery model (evening/weekend classes at company locations), competing in the same German career-integrated education market.
• IU Internationale Hochschule: Germany's largest private university offering flexible, career-integrated Bachelor's and Master's programs including dual-study variants. Competes directly with DHBW CAS for working professionals seeking employer-sponsored or self-funded advanced degrees, with stronger scale and digital learning infrastructure but less employer-partner integration.
• University of Cincinnati (Co-op): US public research university that pioneered cooperative education in the United States, integrating paid work experience with academic programs across multiple colleges. Comparable as a publicly funded institution running structured employer-integrated learning, providing an international peer for the dual education model.
• Drexel University (Co-op Program): US private university with one of the oldest mandatory cooperative education programs, requiring six months of full-time work integrated with classroom learning. Comparable career-integrated pedagogy and employer partnerships, providing an international benchmark for dual/cooperative education at scale.
• Berufsakademie Sachsen: State-recognized cooperative higher education institution in Saxony offering dual Bachelor's and Master's degree programs in partnership with companies. Operates a similar dual-study model with paid employment and academic learning integration, competing for the same type of working professional seeking career-integrated education in Germany.
• Northeastern University (Cooperative Education): US private research university whose co-op program is the most prominent American example of career-integrated higher education combining multi-month paid work placements with academic study. Comparable pedagogy and employer-partnership structure, though operating in a different national higher education system; a useful international reference for DHBW CAS's dual model.

Broad incumbents

• DHBW (Duale Hochschule Baden-Württemberg): DHBW is the parent institution of DHBW CAS and the broader cooperative state university system in Baden-Württemberg. It runs the dual Bachelor's programs across 9 locations and 3 campuses with over 9,000 partner companies, providing the partner network and brand reputation that DHBW CAS's Master's programs rely upon. Direct organizational relationship and shared dual-education philosophy.
• Hochschule für Wirtschaft und Recht Berlin: Public Berlin university of applied sciences offering Bachelor's and Master's programs in business, engineering, and law with practice-oriented curricula and employer partnerships. While not exclusively dual, its career-integrated focus and applied orientation place it in the same German Fachhochschulen segment as DHBW CAS.
• Frankfurt University of Applied Sciences (FRA-UAS): Public German university of applied sciences offering practice-oriented Bachelor's and Master's degree programs with strong industry connections. Comparable as a German Fachhochschule with employer partnerships and continuing education offerings, though operating outside DHBW CAS's Baden-Württemberg geography.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xxing.com/pages/dhbw-cas
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCuf6_zOboS-uCHlsUnN-WKA
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/school/dhbw-center-for-advanced-studies
• Instagraminstagram.com/dhbw.cas

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about DHBW Center for Advanced Studies