Hof University of Applied Sciences and its cooperation partners celebrated the official launch of the new nursing degree programs in Bamberg with a festive event under the motto “Raising the flag for the new nursing degree programs in Bamberg”. Around 80 invited guests, including representatives from ministries, care facilities, universities and health organizations, came together at the Bamberg Academies for Health and Nursing Professions at Buger Straße 80 to celebrate this important step for regional healthcare.
In his welcoming address, Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. Jürgen Lehmann, President of Hof University of Applied Sciences, emphasized the strategic importance of the new learning location:
With Bamberg, we are expanding our educational network in Upper Franconia with a central location for academic nursing training. Together with our partners, we are creating the conditions here to meet the increasing demand for qualified nursing staff in the future.”
Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. Jürgen Lehmann
Changing care – insight into current legislation
In her keynote speech, Ministerialrätin Sonja Stopp from the Bavarian State Ministry of Health, Care and Prevention then gave an insight into the new law on the extension of powers and reduction of bureaucracy in the care sector. She emphasized that university-trained nursing staff will play a key role in the modernization of nursing care in Bavaria.
Cooperation between science and practice
Representatives of the Bamberg Social Foundation – Chairman of the Board Martin Wilde and Ilona Baumann, Director of Nursing and Patient Management at Bamberg Hospital – as well as Michael Springs, Managing Director of the Bamberg Academies for Health and Nursing Professions, emphasized the importance of the new cooperation for the region and praised the close collaboration between science and practice.
We are delighted to be able to welcome a total of 29 students to the Bamberg Social Foundation at the start of the new courses. The specialist knowledge and expertise in healthcare provided by the Hof University of Applied Sciences at the Bamberg site as well as the analytical skills and technical expertise will not only give the graduates the best opportunities on the job market – they will also directly benefit the people we care for and look after at Bamberg Hospital, at saludis – Center for Rehabilitative Medicine and in the field of elderly care.”
Martin Wilde, Chairman of the Board of the Bamberg Social Foundation
With the new nursing degree courses, we are shaping a piece of Upper Franconia’s future. A future in which nursing becomes visible not only as a profession, but also as a scientifically sound and socially indispensable profession.”
Ilona Baumann, Director of Nursing at Bamberg Hospital
And further: “At Bamberg Hospital, we don’t just want to accompany this change, we want to actively shape it and be pioneers,” says Ilona Baumann, for whom the opening of the primary qualification and extra-occupational nursing degree course was an important step in the right direction.
Michael Springs was also very pleased with the project:
The Bamberg academies with the Skills Lab have been a beacon of nursing education for many years and are the largest provider of training and further education in the nursing and healthcare sector in Upper Franconia. The academization of the nursing profession prepares students for an expanded range of tasks and we are pleased that we are now advancing this further at our location together with Hof University of Applied Sciences.”
Michael Springs, Managing Director of Bamberg Academies,
Students at the center of the ceremony
A special moment of the event was the recognition of the first students by the course directors Prof. Dr. Julia Nagel and Prof. Dr. Matthias Drossel, who are responsible for academic nursing training at Hof University of Applied Sciences in Bamberg.
With the start of the primary qualifying Bachelor’s degree course in Nursing (B.Sc.) and the part-time degree course in Nursing for experienced professionals (B.Sc.), we are sending out a clear signal: Nursing is a profession with a future, academic aspirations and social relevance. Our students benefit from practical training, close integration of theory and nursing practice and intensive support at the Bamberg learning location.”
Prof. Dr. Julia Nagel, Head of degree program
Prof. Dr. Matthias Drossel added:
“We want to enable our students to take on responsibility, develop innovative care concepts and actively help shape care. The fact that this is now also possible in Bamberg strengthens the attractiveness of the nursing professions in the entire region.”
Prof. Dr. Matthias Drossel, Director of Studies
Symbolic highlight: raising the flag for nursing care
The symbolic highlight was the joint “raising of the flag” – as a visible sign of the new departure in nursing training in Upper Franconia. At the subsequent get-together, guests and participants took the opportunity to exchange ideas and network.
New study programs with a regional impact
With the new nursing degree courses, Hof University of Applied Sciences is expanding its educational offerings in cooperation with the Bamberg Academies for Healthcare and Nursing Professions. The primary qualifying Bachelor’s degree course in Nursing (B.Sc.) started in the winter semester 2025/26 and offers students a monthly allowance and an extension of their qualifications in extended healthcare. The part-time Bachelor of Nursing for Professionals (B.Sc.) is aimed at trained professionals who wish to deepen their skills academically. Both programs are conducted entirely at the Bamberg learning location.
