W1 Junior Professorship

The Technische Hochschule Ingolstadt (University of Applied Sciences) offers the new career path (Junior Professorship) to young scientists with the “Professional Tenure Track Program” (PTT^THI) starting in the summer term of 2022. The PTT^THIis an evaluation-based qualification program. With two different career paths, the "Practice Track" for young scientists and the "Doctoral Track" for young talents with professional experience. The goal of the program is to advance to a (W2) professorship. The first job postings and further information can be found on the German site.

What is the "Professional Tenure Track"? (German info video)

Career Paths

Two different career paths are offered in the “Professional Tenure Track”:

The "Doctoral Track" is aimed at experienced professional practitioners with an excellent master's degree and at least five years of professional experience. These candidates acquire the scientific qualification for a University of Applied Sciences professorship through a doctorate.

The "Practice Track" is aimed at postdocs who, as part of the program, primarily complete the legally required practical work for a University of Applied Sciences professorship.

Program schedule

The PTT^THI consists of three phases for both tracks:

First comes the orientation phase (six months). Depending on your chosen career path, you will prepare for the core of the program, for example by finding your partner company to gain your practical experience in (Practice Track) or clarify your thesis topic (Doctoral Track). Furthermore, you will create a personal development plan with the goals and aims that you would like to reach during the Professional Tenure Track program.
After the orientation phase, the Practice Track candidates start their practical tasks in their respective company whereas the Doctoral Track candidates work on their thesis. This implementation phase lasts for about 3.5 years. It is required that 50 % of the working hours are spent working in the company or on the thesis, whereas the other 50 % are spent fulfilling tasks in research, education and academic self-governance. Based on the personal development plan, there are annual status assessments to examine the individual progress and accordingly adjust the program.
Lastly, the evaluation phase can start in year 4 or 5 depending on the individual progress. In this phase, the peer-reviewed appointment procedure to a regular professorship is executed. The earliest possibility to apply for the appointment procedure is after four years.

During the whole 5-year-duration of the program, professors receive support from two experienced mentors close to their respective field. Also, candidates profit from our qualification program to gain all skills necessary to obtain a regular professorship.

Key Facts

Compensation approximates W1
Activities in Applied Research
Organisational Connection to a Faculty
6-9 Teaching Hours per Semester
Appointment to a Regular Professorship (after max. 5 years)
Participation In Academic Self-Governance

Working At THI

The work as a junior professorship is remunerated as a temporary civil servant in salary group W1. In addition to the W1 remuneration, the professors can expect variable remuneration components through special commitment in academic further education or applied research in cooperation with industrial partners. Furthermore, there is the possibility of taking on other secondary jobs and obligations at the university.

The University of Applied Sciences Ingolstadt is one of the nation's strongest research universities for applied sciences. With attractive industrial partners in the direct regional environment, not only tenure-track professorships in the practical track can hope for promising collaborations. Furthermore, the THI offers extensive research support for industrial and public applications. The broad research network with over 200 cooperation partners and various research institutes, including CARISSMA (control center for traffic safety) and AI-Motion as a Bavarian AI hub, which are firmly embedded in Ingolstadt, are particularly attractive.

Family is the most important thing in life. That is why the Technical University of Ingolstadt actively supports its employees with offers to ensure a balance between family and work. Family offers at the university include, for example, a kindergarten and day-care center as well as other offers such as the Children's Day and the Children's University. Families benefit from a high quality of life and leisure in the region, where even the youngest can get their money's worth. The traffic-friendly connection and the active health management offered by the technical university complete the offer.

The core of the tenure track program is personal and professional further qualification as well as the acquisition of the professional experience or scientific qualification necessary for a W2 professorship. Even within the tenure track program, there is enough time for your own personal and professional development. The PTT qualification program strengthens all of the following skills:

Technical and research skills
Teaching and administrative skills
Personal and social skills as well
Leadership skills

Our rapidly growing university offers many other opportunities, such as new and changing subject and teaching areas, new functional tasks and opportunities for academic self-administration that are conducive to personal development.

Last but not least, there are various teaching impulses on site: With the center for university didactics, the competence center for digital teaching and learning, external coaching and other positions, the University of Applied Sciences Ingolstadt has a wide and inspiring range of services. International mobility is promoted by guest lecturers and international collaborations. In addition to an obligatory stay abroad during the tenure track program, professorships have a wide range of options at our numerous partner universities. The junior professorships are also accompanied and supported by two experienced mentors throughout the duration of the program.

Working as a junior professorship enables a particularly high degree of autonomy and self-determination. There is an opportunity to work in many areas: basic teaching, further education, research - and all that with maximum flexibility. Within the scope of the activity, a largely flexible division of work is possible both in terms of space and time.