Abstract:
In the debate about the (de-)professionalising effects of current higher education reforms in Germany, the non-university institutions (Fachhochschulen or FH) have mostly remained silent. Unlike the university professors, FH professors do not seem to regard managerial and market-oriented reforms as a threat to their professionalism. While the reasons may not be hard to find, the question arises as to how the FH professors construct their professional ideal. Based on a survey, this article develops a model of the FH professors’ normative professionalism, analyses what prevents them from achieving it, and finds that the professors perceive their substantial teaching obligation as the principal threat to their professionalism.

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The professionalism of professors at German Fachhochshulen