Deacons put God's love into practice in word and deed. The study at the Protestant University of Applied Sciences Ludwigsburg is the standard training for deacons of the Protestant Church in Württemberg. The vocation as a deacon takes place directly after graduation. In addition to the bachelor's degree in ecclesiastical studies, you will also acquire a bachelor's degree in social work. This opens doors for you professionally in church work fields as well as in all other social areas.

The Protestant University of Applied Sciences Ludwigsburg offers two study program combinations, which lead in 9 semesters to the appointment to the office of a deacon in the Protestant Church in Württemberg:

• Program combination of Diaconic Studies (B.A.) and Social Work (B.A.) / Diaconic Studies (B.A.) and International Social Work (B.A.)
• Program combination Religious Education (B.A.) and Social Work (B.A.)

By the way: If you have previous qualifications (e.g. training as an educator, bible school, other studies with/without a degree), we can provide you with individual advice and crediting of certain modules on request. If you are interested, please contact the Student Service.

The history of the training of deacons at the Protestant University of Applied Sciences Ludwigsburg is closely linked to the Karlshöhe Foundation, which is located directly at the university. There are many opportunities there to directly experience and help shape the practice of diaconal work, for example in internships or through part-time jobs to finance your studies. Here you can find important links to the offers of the Karlshöhe Foundation for the EH:

• Students' congregation (in German)
• Student residence (in German)
• Cafeteria (in German)

The career prospects for deacons are excellent. Despite declining church membership, forecasts indicate that there are significantly more vacancies than there are deacons. The reason for this is that many deacons will retire in the next few years. Here you can find current job advertisements (in German):

• Job board of the Protestant Church in Württemberg (select area: "Deacons")
• Job board of the Protestant Youth Organization in Württemberg
• Job postings on the Moodle platform of the EH Ludwigsburg (Moodle access required)