The Center for Higher Education has three chairs, "Higher Education," "Human Resource Development and Change Management", and "Organizational Studies, Continuing Education and Social Management," and four departments, "Disability and Studies," "Foreign Languages," "Academic Teaching & Faculty Development," and "Continuing Education." Some 55 to 60 scientific and non-scientific staff work at the Center.

The Center's research focuses on governance in higher education, and its transformation – especially governance in academic teaching and continuing scientific education. The Center also studies processes of change in academic work, in the context of changing political and institutional frameworks. In addition, the Center studies the topics of non-traditional students, evaluations of research, and quality development in higher education. In the area of higher education didactics, the Center focuses especially on engineering instruction, including the topics of virtual learning environments, creativity research and laboratory didactics. Other work areas include leadership research; health as it relates to leadership; knowledge transfer; knowledge management and organisational learning; and the relationships between higher education institutions and other types of organisations. As to methods, all research conducted at the Center consists of theoretically based, empirical (quantitative and qualitative) analysis (often placed in an international context or comparison).

The Center's departmental service areas provide operational support, also in the context of applied research projects, for TU Dortmund University's continuing scientific education, courses in higher education didactics, and foreign language programmes, well as for the university's support for disadvantaged students and for its diversity management.

Servicebox und Adresse des Projektträgers

Servicebox und Adresse des Projektträgers