Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Here you will find answers to questions we regularly receive about the HYT Certificate Programme. If you have further questions about the HYT Certificate which are not answered here, or which are not answered completely, please contact us directly via e-mail to zertifikat-hyt@uni-siegen.de.

General terms and conditions

• How does the certificate programme proceed?

  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.

• Are there any costs for participating in the certificate programme?

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

• Can I complete the certificate programme exclusively online?

  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.

• Do I have to complete the certificate programme within a fixed time period?

  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.

• How much time do I need to complete the certificate programme?

  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.

• Can I attend the courses on the certificate programme during my working hours?

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

• Do I need to have German language skills to participate in the certificate programme?

  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.

Target groups

• Who can take part in the certificate programme?

  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.

• When am I considered an advanced doctoral researcher?

  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.

• Is the certificate programme aimed at people from certain faculties or subjects?

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

Application and admission

• Can I start the certificate programme at any time or are there fixed application deadlines?

  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.

• What do I have to do to be accepted for the certificate 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.

• Do I have to enclose certain documents such as a CV, certificates etc. with my application?

  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.

• When and how will I find out if I have been admitted?

  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).

• Do I have to state my desired specialisation when I apply?

  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.

• I would like to apply for the certificate programme, but I can't decide on a specialisation. What should I do?

  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.

• As of when am I considered a certificate participant?

  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 in our registration form when registering for our events.

Introductory interview

• When and where does the introductory interview take place?

  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.

• How long does the introductory interview last?

  Our introductory interviews usually last between 45 and 60 minutes.

• Can I conduct my introductory interview online?

  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.

• What is the introductory interview about?

  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.

• Do I have to/can I prepare for my introductory interview?

  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.

• My introductory interview has not yet taken place, but I have already been admitted to the certificate programme. Can I already take part in events and acquire work units?

  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 on our registration form that you are a certificate participant.

Choice of specialisation

• Do I have to choose a specialisation?

  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.

• How do the specialisations differ from each other?

  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, on the other hand, is aimed at persons who are no longer planning to carry out research themselves but are instead planning 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 as part of the certificate programme are the same for all three specialisations, although the minimum work units required per module vary, as they are based on the relevance of the relevant skills for the career goal in question.

• Do I have to state my desired specialisation when I apply?

  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.

• I would like to apply for the certificate programme, but I can't decide on a specialisation. What should I do?

  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.

• Do I have to choose a specialisation at the beginning of the certificate programme, or can I also decide on a specialisation later?

  The HYT certificate programme aims to prepare participants specifically for a particular career path. In order to focus on the skills required for this career path when completing the certificate programme, 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.

• Can I change my specialisation during the course of the programme?

  If, contrary to expectations, your career goals change during the course of your participation in the certificate programme, and you consider a different specialisation to the one you originally chose to be more appropriate, please contact us. We can then discuss the possibility and advantages and disadvantages of a change of specialisation and, if desired, arrange this.

Acquiring work units (AE)/attending events

• How do I acquire work units?

  You can obtain work units for a specific module by actively participating in courses from our certificate-relevant course programme, which changes every semester and can be found here here. Participants in the certificate specialisation ‘Qualification for Professional Fields in Business and Society’ also have the opportunity to attend certificate courses at other member universities if there is free capacity and have the work units credited by us. The conditions of participation for external participants are based on the requirements of the respective university offering the courses. Further information can be found here.

• How many work units do I need to acquire?

  A total of at least 80 work units must have been obtained to complete the certificate programme. The minimum number of work units required per module depends on the certificate specialisation. An overview of the distribution of the minimum required work units per module by specialisation can be found here.

• How many work units do I get per event?

  The number of work units per event varies and depends on the length and workload of the respective course. The number of work units to be acquired can be found in the course overview and in the announcement text that opens when you click on the course title.

• When will the new semester programme be published and where can I find it?

  The entire course programme of the House of Young Talents is usually published at the beginning of April for the summer semester and at the beginning of October for the winter semester. Not all events in the general programme are relevant for the certificate programme. We publish an overview of the certificate-relevant events here here approximately one week before the publication of the overall programme (i.e. usually at the end of March for the summer semester and the end of September for the winter semester). Exclusively for certificate participants, who are informed by e-mail about the publication of the certificate course programme, registration for the certificate-relevant courses is then already open.

• How do I register for events?

  Unless otherwise stated in the announcement text of the event, you have to register for our events using our registration form. Please indicate in the registration form that you are a certificate participant.

• When do I register for events?

  In principle, it is possible to register for our events from the publication of the programme until the day before the respective event, however, many events are fully booked quickly. We therefore recommend that you register soon after you have been informed of the publication of the new semester programme. You will usually receive a confirmation of registration within 24 hours of registering (in the event of high workload or in holiday periods this may take a little longer), which will tell you whether you have been allocated a place or are on the waiting list.

• Are there courses for every module in the programme every semester?

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

• How many courses do I have to or should I attend per semester?

  There is no requirement or recommendation from the House of Young Talents regarding the number of events that must or should be attended per semester. Participants should plan their course attendance taking into account their individual interests/needs and the time they have available alongside their work and other commitments.

• Can courses attended at the HYT before the start of the certificate programme be credited?

  If the courses attended are thematically relevant and can be assigned to one of the certificate modules, it is possible to receive credits for courses attended at the HYT before the start of the certificate programme. Once you have been admitted to the certificate programme, you are welcome to send us a list of HYT events you have already attended (please include the title and date of each event) by email to zertifikat-hyt@uni-siegen.de with a request to check whether they can be credited. Alternatively, you can bring a corresponding list with you to the introductory interview. We will then check the possibility of crediting and give you feedback on whether and to what extent/for which module(s) you can be credited with work units.

• As a certificate participant, can I also attend courses external to the HYT and have them credited?

  If you choose the certificate specialisation ‘Qualification for Professional Fields in Business and Society’, you have the opportunity to attend courses at other member universities if there is free capacity and have them credited by us. The conditions of participation for external candidates are based on the requirements of the respective university offering the course(s). Further information can be found here. This option is not available for the other two specialisations ‘Leadership and Management for Researchers’ and ‘Science Management’, as there is no corresponding cooperation with other universities for these two specialisations. If you have attended courses at other institutions within or outside the University of Siegen that you consider relevant for the certificate programme and would like to have them recognised, please get in touch with us.

• What do I have to do in a course to receive the relevant work units?

  Unless otherwise stated in the announcement text, you will usually receive the work units for active participation in the event in question. Participants will be credited with the relevant work units if at least 80% of the respective course have been attended.

• Can I also attend face-to-face courses online?

  No, it is not possible to take part in face-to-face courses online.

• As a certificate participant, am I guaranteed a place in every desired workshop?

  No, even as a certificate participant you must register for our events using our regular registration form and can only be admitted if the event is relevant to your target group and if there are still places available. Places are allocated according to the order in which registrations are received. As our workshops are often strongly in demand and only a limited number of places are available, you may end up on the waiting list for desired workshops if the events are already fully booked at the time of your registration. However, it is not uncommon for (last-minute) cancellations to occur, so that places become available and are then offered to those on the waiting list. We will contact you by e-mail if a place becomes available for you.

• I have only attended part of an event, will I still be credited with the work units?

  In accordance with the regulations for the certificate programme participants can only be credited with the relevant work units for a course if at least 80% of the course have been attended.

• Are the events offered as part of the certificate programme exclusively for certificate participants?

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

• Are all HYT events relevant for the certificate programme?

  The events relevant to the certificate programme are part of our general event programme, but the general programme always includes some events that are not open for the certificate programme due to a lack of fit in terms of content or because they are not aimed at the relevant target group. Certificate participants can of course still register for these courses if they are interested but will not be able to obtain any work units. An overview of courses in the current semester in which work units can be obtained for the certificate programme can be found here here.

• Which courses can I have credited for the freely selectable area?

  Depending on your individual interests and needs, you can attend certificate-relevant courses from all five modules for the freely selectable area. It is up to you whether the work units for the freely selectable area are completed in one specific module or in several different modules. All work units obtained in addition to the compulsory units in a specific module are automatically credited for the freely selectable area. On the certificate, such work units are not shown as ‘freely selectable’ but are allocated to the module for which the course in question was offered.

• I have completed more than the required work units in one module. What happens to the ‘surplus’ work units?

  Work units that have been obtained beyond the compulsory units in a module are not lost but are automatically credited to the freely selectable area. Such work units are not shown as ‘freely selectable’ on the certificate but are allocated to the module for which the course in question was announced.

• Do I have to keep track of the work units I have acquired/the courses I have attended?

  As part of good self-management, participants are asked to keep track of the work units they have completed for each module themselves and to contact us with their overview if they have completed all the required work units and would like to be considered for the next final reflection. Of course, all event attendance is also tracked by the House of Young Talents.

• I have not yet completed the certificate but would like to apply for a job. Can I receive confirmation in advance that I am taking part in the certificate programme and an overview of the events I have already attended?

  We can provide you with a corresponding document. If required, please contact the certificate team at the e-mail address zertifikat-hyt@uni-siegen.de. The document will then be sent to you electronically usually within a week (it may take a little longer in times of high workload or in holiday periods).

Special features of the NRW certificate specialisation ‘Qualification for Professional Fields in Business and Society’

• The certificate programme with the specialisation ‘Qualification for Professional Fields in Business and Society’ is offered at cooperating universities throughout NRW. What does this mean for me as a certificate participant with this specialisation?

  The certificate programme ‘Qualification for Professional Fields in Business and Society’ was developed as part of the cooperation in the NRW Personnel Development Network and has been offered at cooperating NRW universities since the winter semester 2021/2022. The certificate is designed as a cross-university NRW certificate. As a participant, you have the opportunity to attend courses at other member universities if there is free capacity and have them credited by us. The conditions of participation for external participants are based on the requirements of the respective university offering the course(s). Further information can be found here.

• Which other universities take part in the NRW certificate programme ‘Qualification for Professional Fields in Business and Society’?

  The following universities are currently participating in the programme:
  • 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

• How can I find events that I could attend at other NRW universities participating in the programme as part of my participation in the specialisation ‘Qualification for Professional Fields in Business and Society’?

  Here you will find links to the respective certificate-relevant event pages of the NRW universities participating in the programme:
  • 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

• How do I register for events that I attend at other NRW universities participating in the programme as part of my participation in the specialisation ‘Qualification for Professional Fields in Business and Society’?

  Registration for external events does not take place via the University of Siegen, but via the respective partner university. Therefore, their registration modalities apply, which you can find on the respective websites.

• I am a participant in the NRW certificate ‘Qualification for Professional Fields in Business and Society’ and have attended a workshop at another participating NRW university. How can I have this credited by the HYT?

  In this case, simply send us a short e-mail to zertifikat-hyt@uni-siegen.de after you have successfully completed the workshop, in which you request that the workshop in question be credited. Please send us a link to the event announcement on the website of the respective NRW partner university, where we can see the details concerning the work units and module, as well as a certificate of attendance issued for you by the university in question. As soon as we have booked the work units for you in our system, we will inform you by e-mail.

Completion of the certificate programme/final reflection

• Do I have to take an exam to complete the certificate programme?

  No, you do not have to take a final examination. You complete the certificate programme by actively participating in the mandatory final reflection, which takes place after obtaining all the required work units for the chosen specialisation.

• When and where does the final reflection take place?

  You can take part in the final reflection if you have completed all the required work units for your respective specialisation. Our final reflections take place in small groups of usually 4-6 people and are planned by us according to the respective demand, i.e. as soon as enough certificate participants have signalled their need for a final reflection, we determine a suitable time slot for as many interested participants as possible with the help of a date survey. There are usually enough candidates so that a final reflection can be offered every semester. Our final reflections take place in person and in German language. The room will be announced in advance.

• What is the final reflection for and how does it process?

  The obligatory final reflection, which usually takes place in a group of 4-6 people, serves to reflect on your own skills portfolio with a view on the developments experienced as part of the certificate programme and to outline the next career steps and forms the conclusion of the certificate programme. The event gives you the opportunity to exchange ideas with other certificate graduates and to give feedback on the programme or individual events. At the end, you will receive your certificate and be dismissed from the programme. The exact length of the final reflection depends on the number of participants; usually a maximum of two hours is scheduled. Participants will receive the exact time slot and all other relevant details in advance by e-mail.

• How do I register for the final reflection?

  If you have obtained all the required work units for your respective specialisation and would like to complete the certificate programme with the final reflection, please inform us informally by e-mail to zertifikat-hyt@uni-siegen.de. Please send us an overview of all events attended/work units completed in the individual modules. After a positive check against our records, we will get back to you and give you a rough time frame for the next final reflection. As soon as enough certificate participants have signalled their need for a final reflection, we will use a date survey to determine a suitable time slot for as many interested participants as possible.

• Do I have to/can I prepare for the final reflection?

  Yes, for the final reflection you should prepare a short presentation of around 10 minutes based on the skills profile completed for the initial interview. This should outline the career to this point, the status quo, the next career steps and, of course, also reflect on the areas in which your own skills have been developed with the help of the certificate programme.

• Until when am I considered a certificate participant?

  From the day of your final reflection, during which you will usually also receive your certificate, you will no longer be considered a certificate participant. However, you are still welcome to attend events organised by the House of Young Talents even after completing the programme. You will simply no longer benefit from the advantages of participating in the certificate programme.

• I have completed all my required work units but would like to attend a few more certificate events and have them listed on my certificate. Is this possible?

  Yes, this is possible. Participation in the certificate programme does not automatically end when the required minimum units have been reached.

Certificate document

• When and how do I receive the certificate document?

  The certificate document will be given to you in hard copy at the end of the final reflection. Shortly afterwards, we will also send you the document digitally as a PDF document by e-mail.

• What details are included on the certificate document?

  The certificate document contains an overview of all work units obtained, including the event titles, dates and instructors, as well as your specialisation. Work units that have been obtained for the freely selectable area are not shown on the certificate document as ‘freely selectable’ but are assigned to the module for which the course in question was announced. The certificate document also contains some explanations of the certificate programme and the individual modules so that potential employers can gain a more precise impression of the objectives and content of the certificate programme when reviewing it. The certificate document for the NRW specialisation ‘Qualification for Professional Fields in Business and Society’ also lists the universities participating in the programme.

Attendance of HYT events by participants of the NRW certificate programme ‘Qualification for Professional Fields in Business and Society’ at other universities

• I am a participant in the NRW certificate programme ‘Qualification for Professional Fields in Business and Society’ at another NRW university and would like to attend an event at Siegen university as part of this programme. How do I proceed?

  Please register for the relevant event using our regular registration form and note in the comments field that you are taking part in the NRW Certificate Programme and at which university you are registered. We will ask the contact person responsible for the certificate programme at your university for confirmation and will then let you know promptly whether we can offer you a place on the course.

• I am a participant in the NRW certificate programme ‘Qualification for Professional Fields in Business and Society’ at another university and have taken part in a course at Siegen university. How can I have the work units I have acquired credited?

  You are welcome to contact our secretariat via the e-mail address info-hyt@uni-siegen.de and ask for a certificate of attendance for the event in question, which will be sent to you digitally as soon as possible after appropriate verification. You can then present this certificate to the contact person for the certificate programme at your university for the purpose of crediting the work units.