Certificate of Digital Competences

Auf einem Tisch sind aus der Vogelperspektive mehrere digitale Geräte wie Laptops und Mobiltelefone zu sehen und Hände, die sie bedienen.

Would you like to develop your digital skills in a targeted manner and prepare yourself optimally for studies, a career, and an increasingly connected world? With the Certificate of Digital Competences, the ZfS offers you an optional course programme that makes you fit for the digital future. You learn how to use digital technologies, data, and media confidently, critically, creatively, and responsibly. Upon your successful completion of the programme, you receive an official certificate – a valuable qualification that strengthens your profile during your studies and on the labour market.

How it works

Do you want to know what the certificate programme is all about and how it works? Watch our video (in German) to find out everything you need to know – brief and to the point.

The certificate programme in overview

The certificate programme (scope: 12 ECTS-credits) is divided into a core and an elective area.

It promotes competences in five competence areas on the basis of the Digital Competence Framework for Citizens 2.2 (DigComp) of the European Commission:

information and data literacy
communication and collaboration
digital content creation
safety
problem solving

To earn the certificate, you take courses worth a total of 12 ECTS credits in the core and elective areas, covering at least three of the five competence areas.

Grafik Zertifikat Digitale Kompetenzen - Blume

Grafik: Zertifikat Digitale Kompetenzen - Struktur

Structure

In the core area, you choose one to two courses (worth 4–6 ECTS credits) from the information and data literacy and/or safety areas.

Courses in the core area

The elective area includes courses worth 6–8 ECTS credits. You have the option of taking courses from all five competence areas.

Courses in the elective area

You must take courses in three of the five competence areas. The course descriptions on HISinOne indicate which competence areas the courses can be used for.

Informationen zum Programm

The Digital Competencies Certificate is an optional programme in the profession-oriented competencies (BOK) course area at the ZfS and is addressed at all University of Freiburg students.

Bachelor’s students also earn ECTS credits for the BOK course area at the ZfS in certificate courses.

For all other enrolled students, certificate courses are an optional and additional course offering. This also applies to registered students from cooperating universities.

The certificate programme supports you in developing your digital competencies. You learn how to use digital technologies, data, media, and services confidently, critically, creatively, and responsibly. You strengthen your digital competencies
…for use in studies, in your career, and in the working world and/or for taking part in society as a citizen in a digitalized world.
…in at least three of the following five competence areas: information and data literacy, communication and collaboration, digital content creation, safety, and problem solving.

Organize your participation in the programme flexibly:

You can enter the programme at any time by registering for a certificate course (see ‘Registration’). No special registration for the certificate programme is required.
As long as you are enrolled, you can complete the certificate programme flexibly before the end of your studies. There is no fixed time frame.
You decide for yourself whether you want to start with the core area and then take courses from the elective area or vice versa.
If you have successfully completed all elements, you can request to be issued a certificate (see ‘How to request your certificate’).

You can register for courses that count towards the certificate on HISinOne. No special registration for the certificate programme is required.

The certificate courses are also BOK courses. Registration therefore works in the same way as for BOK courses. All information about registration, the various registration phases, and deregistration is available under registration and deregistration.

As the certificate programme is part of the BOK course area, bachelor’s students may register for certificate courses during the priority registration phase as long as they still need ECTS credits in the BOK course area. For all other students, the certificate programme is an additional programme. You are welcome to register for certificate courses during the open admission phase.

All officially enrolled University of Freiburg students may participate in the certificate programme (see ‘Who can participate?’ above). In addition, our general participation information and conditions also apply to the individual courses in the certificate programme.

As with all BOK courses, we award credits for successful participation in certificate courses on the campus management system HISinOne. You can view the credits on your transcript of records depending on your degree programme. However, the certificate is not recognized and added to your certificate account on HISinOne until you have successfully completed all required coursework for the certificate (see ‘How to request your certificate’).

The information provided under ‘Awarding and recognition of credits’ applies. In addition, the following applies for the electives area:

Recognition of credits from your degree programme for the electives area:

In the elective area of the certificate programme, you have the option of having a course from your degree programme recognized for the Certificate of Digital Competences and receiving a maximum of 6 ECTS credits for it. This is even possible if it is a curricular course (‘double use’).

It is possible to have a course recognized if it does not differ fundamentally from the certificate courses in the electives area. We would be happy to check for you whether a particular curricular course can be recognized. Please contact us (providing the name of the course and information on the lecturer and content, e.g., via a link to the course description) at zertifikat-digkom@zfs.uni-freiburg.de.

We’ve already selected several curricular courses that can be recognized for the certificate together with the course provider. For these courses, there is a note in HISinOne indicating that they can be recognized for the certificate.

Have you

taken courses in the core area (4 to 6 ECTS credits) and the electives area (6 to 8 ECTS credits) of the certificate programme,
earned a total of 12 ECTS credits,
and covered 3 of the 5 competence areas?

Then please send an email to zertifikat-digkom@zfs.uni-freiburg.de with your name, your student ID number, and the courses you have successfully completed. We will then add the credits to your certificate account on HISinOne and issue you a detailed digital certificate (PDF).

Please note: Once you have successfully completed the programme and received the certificate, it is not possible to be issued another certificate (e.g., with other or additional coursework).

Contact

Anna Starkmann

Project Coordinator
Certificate of Digital Competences

zertifikat-digkom@zfs.uni-freiburg.de
0761 203 95243

The Certificate of Digital Comptences was developed in the context of the ‘4D – 4 Dimensions of Digital and Didactic Development’ project (funded by the ‘Innovation in der Hochschullehre’ foundation; 2021–2025)