B.A. Studium Indivduale: Jobs and Career

She looked for universities that focus on sustainability and came across Leuphana. Then she read about the Individuale program: “I was immediately fascinated. The opportunity to broaden my academic horizons suited my interests. I didn't want to commit to one discipline, I wanted to discover, I wanted to study.”

The program requires students to design a large part of the curriculum themselves, based on a question they choose themselves.

The approach is convincing, but she still hesitates: “I had my training and my degree in business administration. I could have had a career in logistics. Wanting to study was idealistic.” But her thirst for knowledge is too great: Janna Schulte applies to Leuphana, quits her secure job, and moves to Lüneburg.

She finds the answers to her questions faster than she thought: “A seminar on how cities and buildings influence our actions shaped my course of study.” She took modules on urban and transport planning, spatial sciences, and sustainability—across different faculties—and gained a better understanding of the challenges of livable cities.

In the Studium Individuale program, students choose their lectures and seminars for their bachelor's degree individually from the entire range offered by Leuphana. “I chose every course myself and enjoyed attending them,” says Janna Schulte.

This process is accompanied by regular core modules and reflection formats that ensure exchange within the cohort. “Precisely because we are taking different paths, cohesion is important,” says Janna Schulte. Shared breakfasts, self-organized study groups, and interdisciplinary exchange complement the program.

She describes the depth of content in the core modules as particularly formative. The intensive text work, the need for preparation, and the discussions among peers were challenging, but they taught her fundamental skills. “I learned to quickly familiarize myself with new topics, read texts critically, and make connections.”

During a semester abroad in Vienna, she deepened her focus and took specialized modules in spatial and transport planning: “It was the freedom in my studies that enabled me to specialize.” After graduating from Leuphana, Janna Schulte studied for a master's degree in urban planning at HafenCity University in Hamburg.

At the same time, she worked for several years as a research assistant in the Green Party parliamentary group in Hamburg, dealing with transport and mobility policy. “Quick research, evaluating topics, finding good sources—I learned all these skills in my Studium Individuale.”

Now 33, she is a research assistant at TU Hamburg and is pursuing a doctorate in transportation planning. She is researching how cities can become more livable and how many parking spaces are actually needed—a question that originated in her bachelor's degree program.

Her conclusion is clear: “Without the Studium Individuale program, I wouldn't be where I am today – or at least I would be much later. The program doesn't prescribe a fixed path, but helps you find your own.”

“The Studium Individuale allowed me to combine many of my interests,” he summarizes. The bachelor’s program encourages students to design a significant portion of their curriculum freely and independently. In doing so, they choose a question they wish to answer with the help of their seminars and lectures. Instead of limiting himself to a prescribed curriculum, Jakob Dirksen took courses in sustainability studies, political science, philosophy, and even teacher education. “The exchange with students from other disciplines was very enriching—both academically and personally,” he says, recalling the special atmosphere: “Many students were there because they saw the university as a place for learning, growth, and exchange—not just as a stepping stone to their next career goal. I’ve rarely experienced that in this way at other universities.”

In the Studium Individuale, students learn to develop a clear plan for their studies and receive intensive guidance through reflection exercises, weekend retreats, and one-on-one conversations. In addition, there are core modules each semester. Based on their initial research question, students individually select their lectures and seminars from the university’s entire undergraduate curriculum.

Over the course of his studies at Leuphana, one topic became increasingly clear to Jakob Dirksen: issues of distributive justice and social inequality. Today, the 33-year-old conducts research on poverty, inequality, and well-being.

After graduating from Leuphana, he first earned a master’s degree in political philosophy at Pompeu Fabra University in Barcelona, followed by a master’s degree in applied economics and political science at the United Nations University and its partner institution, Maastricht University. While working, he also pursued further training in empirical methods. He is now nearing completion of his Ph.D. at the London School of Economics, where he also serves as Principal Researcher for the Perceptions of Inequality research program at the International Inequalities Institute. Concurrently, he works as a Senior Research and Policy Officer at the Oxford Poverty and Human Development Initiative (OPHI) at the University of Oxford. Previously, he worked at the Blavatnik School of Government at the University of Oxford and at the German Federal Foreign Office, among other institutions. Jakob Dirksen collaborates with governments and international organizations to develop measurement tools for social policy decisions. The data collected through these tools form an important basis for policy decisions and social programs. Jakob Dirksen’s publications include, for example, works on measuring well-being and social progress beyond gross domestic product (GDP).

When he began his studies, he had by no means planned that his path would one day lead him into academia. “I had many interests and many possibilities in mind. My studies gave me the time to figure out what I wanted to focus on while also laying a strong academic foundation,” says Jakob Dirksen.