An unusual start to your studies...
... which you will experience as a new student at the Business School Pforzheim in the first two weeks of your studies: the SIC Program.
The SIC Program focuses on the promotion of social, methodological and intercultural skills, also known as key qualifications or future skills. Our aim is to optimally prepare students for the complex, multi-layered demands of their studies and the future world of work. For this reason, the teaching of interdisciplinary qualifications for the professional degrees at our university is of great importance.
We, the SIC team, the professors and tutors, wish you a good start at our university, lots of new insights, exciting learning experiences and - last but not least - lots of fun with these interactive and creative forms of learning.
You will mainly work in small groups with student tutors and get to know your fellow students. We want to familiarize you with forms of learning and working that will be useful and helpful to you in your further studies:
- Training “Get Ready 4 C”
- Business simulation game
The content and references of these training courses will come up again and again in individual seminars during your studies. Social skills and teamwork are very important to us!
The SIC introductory weeks include initial lectures and important information events that are important for your studies and will help you get started, e.g.
- Introduction to the study and examination regulations
- Introduction to the university's IT
- Basics of ethics for Business Schools
- etc.
Some of these are continued over the course of the semester through lectures and e-learning courses and conclude with a voluntary exam (Ethics).
All new students take an English placement test (with the exception of International Business, International Marketing and Digital Business Management) and a math orientation test as part of the SIC introductory weeks. Further information can be found under “Information for New Students” and “Dates and Schedules”.
Another component of the SIC Program is the Cross Cultural Competencies (CCC) Seminar. The CCC events take place in the 3rd semester (for students on the Taxation and Auditing course in the 2nd semester).
CCC is a compulsory course for all Bachelor's students in the Faculty of Business, Economics and Law. All students of International Business, International Marketing and Digital Enterprise Management are excluded, as these degree programs offer their own courses for CCC.
What is the CCC Seminar?
In the CCC Seminar - in English - students are taught the basics for successfully communicating, cooperating and managing between and across cultures, abroad, at home and virtually. Based on cultural dimensions from the GLOBE project, relative differences between cultures are considered and insights are gained from this to help build bridges between cultures and recognize opportunities in intercultural cooperation.
Registration for the CCC courses in summer semester 2024 is possible from 04.03. - 15.03.2024. Registration for winters semester 2024/25 will be possible from 16.09. - 27.09.2024. Further information can be found in the E-Campus.
Preliminary schedule (as of January 30, 2024):
| Course No. | Weekday | Date 1 | Date 2 | Date 3 | Lecturer | Room |
| Course 1 | Monday | 25.03.2024 | 08.04.2024 | 22.04.2025 | Dina von Garlen | W1.3.03 |
| Course 2 | Monday | 25.03.2024 | 08.04.2024 | 15.04.2024 | Susanne Glas | W1.3.04 |
| Course 3 | Tuesday | 26.03.2024 | 09.04.2024 | 23.04.2024 | Dina von Garlen | W1.5.03 |
| Course 4 | Tuesday | 26.03.2024 | 09.04.2024 | 16.04.2024 | Susanne Glas | W1.5.04 |
| Course 5 | Monday | 15.04.2024 | 29.04.2024 | 13.05.2024 | Dina von Garlen | W1.3.03 |
| Course 6 | Monday | 22.04.2024 | 29.04.2024 | 06.05.2024 | Susanne Glas | W1.3.04 |
| Course 7 | Tuesday | 23.04.2024 | 30.04.2024 | 07.05.2024 | Susanne Glas | W1.5.04 |
Welcome to the Business School Pforzheim...
... where you will start your studies with the SIC Program from September 16 - 27, 2024 !
We will welcome you on September 16, 2024 and provide you with detailed information about the SIC Program. You can find an overview of the events that await you in the schedule available for download.
Comprehensive information on the SIC Program can be found
- on this SIC website
- in the e-Campus (for students, university login required)
- at the start of the program in the Moodle course “SIC Information for New Students in WS 2024/25”.
We will inform you of the group allocation by e-mail to your university address shortly before the start of the event.
We look forward to welcoming you to our university soon!
As a new student at the university, you will start your studies with the two-week SIC Program. This deals with the promotion of social, methodological and intercultural skills, also known as key qualifications or soft skills. More...
As a new student in your first semester at the Business School, you will take an English placement test as part of the SIC Program (exceptions: see below). This placement test takes place during the SIC introductory weeks at the university. It is not necessary to register in advance. You will be assigned to groups based on the SIC groups. You will receive information on group allocation shortly before the start of the SIC program.
For the schedule and room plans, please see “Dates and Schedules”.
The test lasts 60 minutes.
Please bring the following with you to the test:
- identity card or student ID
- your own headphones (with cable / no Bluetooth).
Please read the following information on the English placement test carefully or watch the information video before taking the test.
Proof of B2 level in English is a prerequisite for participation in English-language courses that are part of your degree program. By taking the English placement test, you can already provide this proof of B2 level.
If you do not take the test or do not reach B2 level in the test, you can provide proof of B2 level later by taking a language course followed by an exam. However, you can only take the online placement test once.
If you already have a B2 certificate for which recognition is possible (see below), participation is not necessary. Please contact Elizabeth Hermann oder Dina von Garlen at the Language Center if you have any questions about recognition.
1. Proof of the B2 level in English is possible by
- participation in an English placement test during the SIC introductory weeks for first semester students and other students of the Business School, unless point 3 applies,
- a B2 certificate in the form of an external internationally recognized language certificate (e.g. Cambridge, TOEFL, IELTS). Please contact Elizabeth Hermann or Dina von Garlen at the Language Center with any questions regarding possible recognition and not the SIC team.
- If necessary, later examinations during your studies (then no participation in English-language courses possible for the time being!)
2. Proof of the B2 level in English is NOT possible by
- certificates of B2/C1 level in English in the high school diploma.
3. Who can NOT take the English placement test?
- First semester students of International Business, International Marketing and Digital Business Management. Special requirements apply to these degree programs, which will be communicated at the beginning of the course.
- Students who already have a B2 certificate (e.g. Cambridge, TOEFL, IELTS), which can be credited accordingly. They should have their certificate recognized as soon as possible. Please contact the Language Center and not the SIC team with any questions regarding possible recognition.
- Students who have already taken this test and have not passed it. Participation is only possible once.
- Students from a higher semester of the Business School who have not yet reached B2 level in English.
- Students who have changed their degree program within the Business School.
The math orientation test is offered as an online test. You can take this test from home.
Participation is strongly recommended. The test serves as your own orientation and to assess your previous knowledge of mathematics. The test result makes it easier for you to further develop your previous knowledge in a targeted manner. The results will not be passed on in any form.
Further information: see E-Campus.
As a student starting in the 3rd semester or higher (lateral entrants), you will only take part in the presentation training.
This two-day training will take place in the week before the start of the semester on Wednesda, 25.09. and Thursday, 26.09.2024. Please register in good time via sik@hs-pforzheim.de.
If you have already taken part in a comparable presentation training, please contact Ms. Burkart directly to clarify whether there are any credit transfer options.
If you are unable to be at the university in time for the start of the SIC Program, you have the opportunity to take part in the two-day “Get Ready 4 C” training course in the so-called “late starter group”. The business simulation game, on the other hand, will not take place again until the beginning of the next semester.
Date for "Get Ready 4 C” late starter group: September 18 - 19, 2024
Registration in e-Campus is required for participation. This is expected to be activated at the beginning/mid-September. Further information will follow.
The SIC Program in the winter semester 2024/25 will take place from September 16 - 27, 2024. Please find further details in the schedule available for download (subject to change). We will inform you of the group allocation by e-mail to your university address in the week before the start of the event.
The English placement test takes place as part of the SIC introductory weeks in presence at the university. It is not necessary to register in advance. You will be assigned to groups based on the SIC groups. You will receive information on group allocation shortly before the start of the SIC Program.
Further information and dates can be found in the e-Campus.
“I moved to Pforzheim over a year ago with a queasy feeling. A new phase of life, you don't know anyone, you don't know exactly whether you'll make a connection - a fear that was totally unfounded. Through the SIK, I met lots of new people who I'm still friends with, and I had a good and relaxed start to my studies. My SIC gave me lots of tips for my foundation course that I probably wouldn't have learned without it.”
Vivian Speidel, Studiengang Controlling
“Even today, I still remember the SIC introduction events when I started my studies. I thought they were a good way of making it easier for new students to get started thanks to the small groups and the tutor's anti-authoritarian approach. On the other hand, it trains the new students' social skills right from the start, which is really important, as I noticed during my internship semester, for example.”
Patrick Rettenmayr, Controlling degree course
“When I started my studies at Pforzheim University last year in the first semester and was supposed to take part in the SIC program, I had mixed feelings about the days. You had to arrive at the university before the regular start of the semester and the training was scheduled over several days.
Looking back, however, I am very glad that I took part in the program, as I was immediately integrated into the university. You had the opportunity to get to know many fellow students, mostly even from your own degree program, and were also introduced to the topic of business administration in a very practical way through the case study. You were able to develop your presentation skills and have a lot of fun during the video shoots, for example.”
Nele Melissa Schneider, International Business degree program
