Many HAWs have a shortage of professors
Not many people fulfil all of these demanding prerequisites, which is why many HAWs have trouble filling vacant professorships. Tandem professorships or junior professorships have been created in part to remedy that problem.
As a rule, teaching and research activities are reduced to 50 percent for these professorships. That leaves time for those holding these positions to gain the necessary professional experience at a (cooperating) company or to complete their dissertation. Upon successful completion of this three-year, half-time professorship on the W1 salary scale, HAW junior faculty members will meet the requirements for a W2 professorship.
Tandem professorships and tandem positions
Prof. Dr. Jörg Bagdahn, the president of the Anhalt University of Applied Sciences, vice president of the German Rectors’ Conference (HRK) and spokesperson for the universities of applied sciences (HAWs) member group of the HRK, emphasises the difference between tandem professorships (Tandemprofessur) and tandem positions (Tandemstelle).
Similar to a tenure track position, the contract for a tandem professorship includes provisions for the subsequent W2 professorship upon successful completion of the program. With a tandem position, junior faculty “only” attain the necessary prerequisites to subsequently apply for an HAW professorship. It is up to the university to decide whether to advertise the vacant position as a tandem professorship with the prospect of tenure or as a tandem position.
In addition to the tandem models, other measures included in a large-scale, federal and state funding program are intended to help alleviate the shortage of professors at HAWs:
- more specialist professorships with W3 pay and lower teaching loads
- more doctoral cooperation programs
- establishment or expansion of networking structures
According to Bagdahn, nearly 100 HAWs were to receive extra funding at the beginning of 2023, with federal and state appropriations totalling 431.5 million euros.
State regulations governing tandem professorships and junior professorships
The tandem professorship model was first established by the Münster University of Applied Sciences in North Rhine-Westphalia, which launched a pilot project in 2012. Since then, several German states have adopted it. The junior professorship or tandem professorship has now been introduced in:
- Baden-Württemberg
- Rhineland-Palatinate
- Bavaria
- Hesse
- Saarland
The legal parameters and even the names of the positions are regulated differently according to respective state law. The following table provides an overview.
Saxony and Brandenburg are planning to introduce models of their own. North Rhine-Westphalia is a special case: Although junior professorships are not enshrined in state law, the model is often used.
Opportunities and criticism of tandem and junior professorships
Is the tandem professorship model suitable for addressing the shortage of professors facing HAWs in Germany? As of the beginning of 2023, there was too little data for conclusions to be drawn, in part because figures for the number of tandem and junior professorships in Germany are not collected centrally.
HLB fears a loss of quality
According to Dr. Karla Neschke, deputy managing director of the German Association of University Professors and Lecturers (HLB), around half of the young professors who gain professional experience in parallel with their HAW teaching obligations move to the private sector after completing the three-year program. Neschke is sceptical: "The model will not ensure the quality thus far seen in practically focused teaching and in practice-oriented research. It should only be used in cases where professorships cannot be otherwise filled, and such professorships should not amount to more than 5 percent of all professorships at HAWs to preclude a loss of quality."
She argues it is necessary to create other "incentive systems" – more professorships on the W3 salary scale, lower teaching loads and more time for practice-oriented research – to make positions more attractive for highly qualified applicants. Currently, the teaching load for HAW professorships is 18 semester hours per week. “That is far too much to allow for reasonable research and knowledge transfer on top of that,” says Neschke.
HRK: Strengthen relationships between companies and universities
Prof. Dr. Jörg Bagdahn of the HRK, on the other hand, offers a positive assessment of tandem positions and professorships. "Even if half of the tandem professors decide to move to the private sector after the three-year programs, the other half will remain with the HAWs, which translates to the successful filling of vacant professorships. Just as important: Long-term relationships between companies and universities are formed through the individuals who move into the private sector." It is important, he says, to offer opportunities and options for individuals early in their careers.