The certificate programme consists of three main components:
1.) In an obligatory introductory interview, you will assess your individual situation and goals and determine the specialisation of your certificate.
2.) By actively participating in workshops, information events and individual coaching sessions, you will collect the work units required for your chosen specialisation (see here).
3.) The certificate programme ends with a mandatory final reflection. This serves to reflect on your own skills portfolio with a view on the skills developed during the certificate programme and to outline your next career steps.

No, participation in the certificate programme and attendance at events of the House of Young Talents are free of charge.

No, it is not possible to complete the entire certificate programme online. The mandatory introductory interview and the final reflection usually take place in person. The events that participants attend to acquire the necessary work units are also largely offered in person and are only supplemented by individual online offerings. It is not possible to join face-to-face events online.

No, there is no set time period for completing the certificate programme. Depending on the time you have available alongside your official duties and other commitments, you can decide for yourself how quickly you complete the certificate programme. Of course, the period of time you spend on the certificate programme also depends on how many courses are on offer that are of interest to you and how many courses you are accepted to.

The amount of time participants require to complete the certificate programme varies. Depending on the time you have available alongside your work and other commitments, you can decide for yourself how quickly you complete the certificate programme. Of course, the period of time you spend on the certificate programme also depends on how many courses are on offer that are of interest to you and how many courses you are accepted to. Our alumni have completed the programme in an average of three to four semesters.

Please clarify with your boss whether and to what extent you are allowed to attend our events during your working hours.

Most of our events are held in German, only a few events are offered in English. The introductory interview and the final reflection usually also take place in German. Participants in the certificate programme should therefore have a good knowledge of German.

The certificate programme is aimed at advanced doctoral researchers, postdocs and junior professors who are employed at the University of Siegen or are doing their doctorate at the University of Siegen.

It is difficult to say in general terms when doctoral researchers are considered advanced, as the duration and progression of a doctorate is very individual and also depends on the subject. The certificate programme is intended to further qualify participants for the career steps after their doctorate, but not to distract them from their doctorate. We therefore advise against starting the certificate programme too early. We recommend that you first focus on the successful completion of your doctorate and apply for the programme in the second half of the doctoral period at the earliest. If you consider an earlier start to be appropriate, please contact us and inform us about your situation and reasons.

The certificate programme is aimed at people from all faculties and subjects. Our participants and alumni come from all five faculties of our university.

In principle, you can apply for and join the certificate programme at any time. However, we recommend that you apply one to two months before the start of a new semester, as participants can then register for courses in the respective semester immediately after the publication of our course programme at the start of each semester and therefore have a better chance of getting a place for courses in that semester. It is also possible to start in the ongoing semester, although it may then happen that there are no more places available in individual courses in the running programme.

A short written application is required to be accepted for the certificate programme. Please write a one-page informal letter of application in which you briefly introduce yourself, your current employment situation and your academic career (as well as any next planned career steps) and explain your motivation for participating in the certificate programme. If you have already decided on one of the three possible specialisations, please let us know your choice in your letter of application. Doctoral researchers are also asked to briefly explain what stage they are at in their doctorate and when they plan to complete it. Please only submit your letter of application electronically in PDF format via e-mail to zertifikat-hyt@uni-siegen.de.

No, apart from the informal letter of application, you do not need to submit any other documents. If we need something from you, we will ask for it explicitly after reviewing your application.

Once we have received your application, we will first confirm its receipt. We will then check your application, and, in the event of a positive decision, you will receive notification of your admission and an invitation to an interview, including suggested dates, by e-mail a few days to a maximum of two weeks later (in the event of high workloads or holiday periods).

If you have already decided on your chosen specialisation at the time of application, you are welcome to include it in your letter of application, but this is not necessary. The final choice of specialisation will be made in the introductory interview, where we will also advise you on your choice of specialisation.

You can also apply for the certificate programme without specifying a specialisation in your application; the final decision on your specialisation will be made during the introductory interview. There we will look at your skills and career options together and will be happy to advise you on your choice of specialisation on this basis.

You are considered a certificate participant from the day you receive written confirmation of admission to the certificate programme. Even if your introductory interview has not yet taken place, you will already benefit from the advantages of being a certificate participant from the date of your written confirmation and may already indicate that you are a certificate participant when registering for our events.

Our introductory interviews usually take place on Mondays, Tuesdays and Fridays in the morning and on Tuesdays in the afternoon in the rooms of the House of Young Talents on Campus Hölderlinstraße (usually in room H-C 6306). If you are admitted to the certificate programme, you will be offered specific dates from which you can choose.

Our introductory interviews usually last between 45 and 60 minutes.

Usually our introductory interviews take place in person at our offices in the Hölderlinstraße. In justified exceptional cases (e.g. if you are staying abroad), we can conduct the interview online.

The following aspects are covered in the introductory interview:
• Positioning: Where do I stand professionally? What competences do I already have? Why do I want to acquire the certificate?
• Determining my aims: What are my career plans? Which competences do I still want to acquire or develop? What do I want to achieve by participating in the certificate programme?
• Programme content: Which certificate specialisation would I like to choose? What topics would I like to focus on when completing the certificate programme?
• Information about the certificate programme: basic ideas, content, procedure, organisational matters, clarification of open questions
Our introductory interviews are usually conducted by the two programme coordinators and are of course strictly confidential.

As soon as the date for your introductory interview has been set, you will receive an e-mail from us with documents that will help you to prepare for the interview by reflecting on the actual and target status of certain areas of competence. We will then go through your skills portfolio together during the interview.

Yes, from the time of written admission you are considered a certificate participant and can acquire work units by actively participating in our events. When you register for events, you can already indicate that you are a certificate participant.

The HYT certificate programme aims to prepare participants specifically for a particular career path, which is why the choice of one of the three specialisations is relevant and therefore mandatory.

The specialisation ‘Leadership and Management for Researchers’ is aimed at those who are aiming for a longer-term career in research, typically in the form of a professorship. The ‘Science Management’ specialisation is aimed at persons who are no longer planning to carry out research themselves but plan to enter the field of science management – i.e., the field of work that, predominantly at universities and research institutions but also at foundations or other science-related institutions, is located between science and administration and supports science. The specialisation ‘Qualification for Professional Fields in Business and Society’ is aimed at people who are planning to leave university after completing their doctorate and work in a business or social professional field.
The modules that must be completed are the same for all three specialisations, although the minimum work units required per module vary based on the relevance of the skills for the career goal.

If you have already decided on your chosen specialisation at the time of application, you are welcome to include it in your letter of application, but this is not necessary. The final choice of specialisation will be made in the introductory interview, where we will also advise you on your choice of specialisation.

You can also apply for the certificate programme without specifying a specialisation in your application; the final decision on your specialisation will be made during the introductory interview. There we will look at your skills and career options together and will advise you on your choice of specialisation.

The HYT certificate programme aims to prepare participants specifically for a particular career path. To focus on the skills required for this career path, choosing one of the three specialisations at the start of the programme is relevant and therefore mandatory. The final choice of specialisation will be made in the introductory interview, where we will also advise you on your choice of specialisation.

If your career goals change during the course of the certificate programme and a different specialisation is more appropriate, please contact us. We will discuss the advantages, disadvantages, and arrange the change if desired.

You can obtain work units by actively participating in courses from the certificate-relevant programme. Participants in ‘Qualification for Professional Fields in Business and Society’ can also attend courses at other member universities if space is available and have them credited. External participation rules depend on the respective university. More info here.

At least 80 work units are required to complete the programme. Minimum work units per module depend on the specialisation. An overview can be found here.

The number of work units per event varies depending on the length and workload. Details are in the course overview.

The full programme is published in April (summer semester) and October (winter semester). Certificate-relevant events are published about a week earlier, with registration open exclusively for certificate participants.

Register via eveeno. Indicate that you are a certificate participant.

Registration is possible from programme publication until the day before the event. Places are allocated in order of registration.

We usually cover each module with at least one course each semester.

No requirement or recommendation; participants should plan attendance according to interests and available time.

Thematically relevant courses attended before admission can be credited. Submit a list to zertifikat-hyt@uni-siegen.de or bring it to the introductory interview.

Only for the ‘Qualification for Professional Fields in Business and Society’ specialisation. Other specialisations cannot credit external courses.

Active participation is required. At least 80% attendance is needed to receive work units.

No, face-to-face courses cannot be attended online.

No, admission depends on availability and registration order. Waiting lists are possible, and last-minute cancellations may create spots.

Participants are credited only if at least 80% of the course has been attended (see contents).

No, certificate-relevant events are part of the regular HYT programme open to all early career researchers.

Only selected events are relevant for the certificate. Certificate participants can register for other events but will not earn work units. An overview of current semester courses with work units can be found here.

You can attend certificate-relevant courses from all modules for the freely selectable area. Work units beyond the compulsory units are automatically credited here.

Surplus work units are automatically credited to the freely selectable area and are allocated to the module in which the course was offered.

Participants should track their work units and contact the programme team when all required work units are completed. HYT also tracks attendance.

Yes, contact zertifikat-hyt@uni-siegen.de to receive a document confirming participation and listing attended events. Usually provided within a week.

The certificate programme was developed as part of the NRW Personnel Development Network and has been offered at cooperating NRW universities since winter semester 2021/2022. As a participant, you may attend courses at other member universities if there is free capacity and have them credited. Participation rules depend on the respective university. More info here.

Currently participating universities:
• RWTH Aachen University
• University of Bonn
• Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf
• FernUniversität in Hagen
• University of Cologne
• University of Paderborn
• University of Wuppertal
• German Sport University Cologne

Links to certificate-relevant events of participating NRW universities:
• RWTH Aachen University
• University of Bonn
• Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf
• FernUniversität in Hagen
• University of Cologne
• University of Paderborn
• University of Wuppertal
• German Sport University Cologne

Registration is via the respective partner university. Their registration rules apply and are found on their websites.

Send an email to zertifikat-hyt@uni-siegen.de with a link to the event announcement, your attendance certificate, and the module/work units info. We will credit the work units and inform you by email.

No exam is required. Completion occurs via participation in the mandatory final reflection after obtaining all required work units.

Final reflections are held in small groups (4-6 participants), in person, in German. Dates are planned based on demand via a date survey, usually once per semester. The room is announced in advance.

The final reflection allows participants to reflect on their skills portfolio, outline next career steps, exchange ideas, and give feedback. At the end, the certificate is awarded. Duration is usually up to 2 hours; participants receive exact details by email.

Inform zertifikat-hyt@uni-siegen.de with an overview of all events/work units completed. After verification, you will receive a time frame, and a date survey is used to schedule the session.

Yes, prepare a short ~10-minute presentation based on your skills profile, outlining career so far, current status, next steps, and skills developed via the certificate programme.

From the day of your final reflection/certificate award, you are no longer considered a participant. You may still attend HYT events, but without participant advantages.

Yes, participation does not automatically end once the minimum units are reached.

The certificate is given in hard copy at the final reflection. Shortly after, it is also sent digitally as PDF by email.

Includes all work units, event titles, dates, instructors, and specialisation. Work units for freely selectable areas are allocated to the relevant module. Also contains programme/module explanations. NRW specialisation lists participating universities.

Register via eveeno, noting that you are in the NRW Certificate Programme and your home university. We will confirm via the contact person at your university.

Contact info-hyt@uni-siegen.de to receive a certificate of attendance. Present this to your home university’s programme contact for crediting.