Curiosity-Driven Education
At CODE, you will experience a new way of learning. Our experiential learning approach enables you to acquire core competencies that help you succeed in a dynamically changing world – even in fields that don’t yet exist.
We do not believe in the importance of grades or the value of theoretical knowledge acquired just to pass an exam. Chances are, this knowledge (or what will be left of it) will be of little or no use to you in your professional life.
We will discuss your ideas and beliefs with you, but we will never expect you to learn something just to pass a test.
Our approach is to present you with inspiring challenges that spark your imagination while at the same time showing you what you need to learn to master them. We will assist you in identifying helpful resources and organize workshops where you can get assistance from experts as well as your peers while providing useful feedback for others.
CODE is unique because we get the freedom to create what we want, learn what we want and how we want. There are few rules and guidelines, which means that there’s lots of room for creativity and also failure (which we already learned is essential for success in work and life in general). The people you work with are open-minded, and you can tell that everyone wants to be there.Katharina Alf, 21, nextgen student
Orientation semesterWe have crafted the Orientation Semester to introduce you to the interdisciplinary study concept of CODE.
Decision for study programBased on the experience in your orientation semester you can make a truly informed decision on which study program to choose.
Core semestersEach Core Semester will give you the opportunity to acquire new skills, master key concepts, and gain state-of-the-art expert knowledge.
Synthesis semesterIn your last Semester, we challenge you to apply all the skills and competencies you have acquired during your time at CODE.
As long as I’m faced in the right direction, it does not matter the size of my steps.Erika Jong, american writer
At CODE, we know that entering a curiosity-driven learning environment can be quite a shift from what you’re used to. We have crafted the Orientation Semester to not only address that shift and transitional period but also to introduce you to the interdisciplinary study concept of CODE.
Our Orientation Semester will help you study at CODE by focusing on a combination of hard and soft skills, which we deem essential to learn, particularly to join a project group in a core semester — in any role. To accomplish this, various forms of guidance will be offered, including courses, personal and interpersonal workshops, and project check-ins.
And there is another benefit of this unique Orientation Semester approach. Based on this experience, you can make a indeed informed decision on which study program to choose. That is why we designed this first semester in a way that allows you to change between skills at the beginning of the second semester without losing any time or prior work. So if you’re still not sure whether you should become a software engineer, an interaction designer, or a product manager, you can nevertheless jump right in and find out along the way.
Toward the end of your Orientation Semester, you will have a long talk with your Mentor. They will help you choose the right study program, which of course, takes into account what you have learned during the first semester. You will discuss which modules to focus on, which projects to choose for the next semester, and how to best prepare for the challenges you will be facing in your selected projects.
Each core semester will give you the opportunity to acquire new skills, master key concepts, and gain state-of-the-art expert knowledge by working on challenging projects with your fellow students from all three study programs. Our competence framework will ensure that you always work on projects that challenge you in the fields you are currently prioritizing. Expert meetups accompany all projects. Project mentoring sessions help you reflect on the social dynamics of interdisciplinary teams, and seminars and workshops from our STS Program let you expand your horizon and continue your personal growth. This balanced approach allows you to reflect on your practical experiences from a theoretical and interdisciplinary perspective and consequently gain a deeper understanding of your fields of study.
Core semesters all have the same structure: selection, preparation, execution, and presentation.
Find your projectMaking the right choices to improve your individual skillset.
Selecting a semester project is all about the competencies you want to improve and the projects you should, therefore, be working on. Towards the end of every semester you meet with your mentor to have a look at your individual competence profile. Talk about your goals and expectations. Match your proficiency levels with the requirements for the roles and responsibilities you are interested in and apply for the projects of your choice.
PreparationGetting familiar and start learning new skills and technologies.
You can start preparing for your roles and responsibilities as soon as the matching process is completed and the project teams are composed. Preparation is your chance to learn new skills, familiarize yourself with the latest trends and technologies, and make use of the wide variety of learning resources available to you via our learning management system (including our on-site library with real books!).
ExecutionStart to work on your challenge, accompanied by your fellow students and mentor.
Execution begins when you and your team start working on your project, have regular meetings with your team coach and consultant, and attend guilds. Besides your STS seminars and workshops and the weekly lectures followed by our casual get-together, there is little to distract you from driving your project forward.
PresentationShowing your results, collecting feedback and being proud.
Presentation concludes at the end of every Core Semester. The whole campus stops working and comes together to see the project teams present their results (and to network, party and have loads of fun of course).
Success is a journey, not a destination. The doing is often more important than the outcome.Arthur Ashe, American tennis player and triple Grand Slam winner
Ordinary Bachelor programs assume that in order to reach 180 credits, and therefore your Bachelor’s degree, you have to spend six semesters enrolled in a study program and invest 5,400 hours of academic work (and, of course pass all necessary tests and exams).
At CODE, we once again have a different approach. Since we take into account all the skills, knowledge, and competences you already have when you apply for our study programs, you don’t have to spend a fixed amount of time enrolled as a student. Instead, you and your mentor look at your Individual Competence Profile at the end of each semester. As soon as you have reached the proficiency we expect from a Bachelor graduate in a sufficient number of competencies, you are ready for the Synthesis Semester.
In your final semester – the Synthesis Semester – we challenge you to apply all the skills and competencies you have acquired during your time at CODE. You will create your own project from scratch and assemble a team of fellow students. This capstone project will be the final stage of your learning journey at CODE.
Your Bachelor thesis will be the theoretical reflection on a key aspect of your capstone project. While it is up to you which aspect you choose as a topic for your thesis, your choice should reflect one of the focus areas of your previous semesters, projects, and responsibilities. Make sure you discuss both your capstone project and your Bachelor thesis, as well as their interconnection, with your academic mentor at length before deciding on either one.
