Project Seminars

In the undergraduate course, we give an overview of the different topics and fields of work and organisational psychology. The area of concentration course, which may be undertaken during fifth or sixth semester, is especially enriched by diverse practice-related tasks. The transfer of central research results to practice, simulation of an Assessment Centre and conceptualisation of realistic human resources measures are practised. This includes a requirement analysis, staff selection, personal development meetings and leadership development. Together with the students, important methods and findings are gathered over the course of the semester.

Photos of a field trip to the institute of the fire brigade NRW

© OWMs
  • © OWMs
  • © OWMs
  • © OWMs
  • © OWMs

In the Human Resources and Business Psychology graduate course, the knowledge gained in the undergraduate course is deepened. If possible, project seminars with external cooperating partners are held on a regular basis for topics such as staff selection and teamwork. During these project seminars, a realistic insight into a practitioner’s everyday working life is given and human resource problems are outlined by the cooperating partners. Seminar participants are then to use the knowledge they previously gained and apply it to the problem at hand to generate possible solutions.

An example for this is the graduate seminar “Staff Selection: Recruiting and Assessment”: A company or an institution may join the seminar to describe the details of their staff selection process and to then give the students a task related to said process. This task is to develop a staffing strategy for a certain work position or working area. During the seminar, participating students may now apply their newly gained knowledge to the practice task to generate different plans of action. This may include everything from a job demands analysis, concepts for HR marketing, recruiting of new staff, exemplary selection and construction of aptitude tests (interviews, tests, assessment centre etc.) to onboarding. At the end of the semester, students get a realistic feedback regarding the practicality and quality of the conceptualisations.

Companies such as BASF Coatings GmbH, Brüninghoff GmbH & Co. KG, filee GmbH, Team Meuter GmbH and Vivawest Dienstleistungen GmbH as well as other institutes and organisations such as clinics, music orchestras and sports teams have been cooperating partners for these previously mentioned seminars.