The Honors Seminar at the Technische Hochschule Augsburg is an invitation-only course held each summer semester, bringing together nominated outstanding students and inspiring lecturers from across all faculties. What makes it different from a regular course is not just the content — it is the community. Each semester, one overarching theme is explored from a new angle every week, led by a different professor or lecturer. Afterwards, students and lecturers stay for drinks and conversation — because the connections made outside the classroom are just as important as the learning inside it. Students also document each session through a blog, opening the conversation to anyone curious enough to follow along.

The Honors Seminar is an initiative by Alisa Kasle-Henke, M.A. — Lecturer for Business English and Cross-Cultural Communication at the THA and recipient of the Bayerischer Lehrpreis 2023 — who conceived, designed and continues to lead the programme since its launch in 2025.

2025 – The Power of Optimism

In the first year of the seminar, we explored optimism — what it means across disciplines, how it shapes decisions, drives innovation, and connects people. From psychology and engineering to sustainability, design, and AI, fourteen lecturers brought their own perspective on what it means to look forward with hope. Check out what the students made of it on the Honors Blog 2025:

Honors Blog 2025

2026 – Failing Forward: The Power of Mistakes

In 2026, we turned the question around: What can we learn from what goes wrong? From bugs and construction defects to accidental innovations like Post-it Notes and Viagra, from the psychology of vulnerability to the cultural dimensions of shame and risk — fourteen lecturers explored failure from every angle. The central question the seminar kept returning to: Is a mistake something to embrace — or something to prevent? The answer, it turns out, depends entirely on context. Check out the full semester on the Honors Blog 2026:

Honors Blog 2026

Lecturers who have been part of the Honors Seminar:

Prof. Dr. Peter Cocron | Business Psychology

Prof. Dr. Barbara Eschner | Business Psychology

Prof. Dr. Michael Feucht | Corporate Finance

Prof. Dr. Jana Görmer-Redding | Computer Science | Digital Innovation

Prof. Dr. Sarah Hatfield | Business Psychology

Prof. Dr. Florian Hörmann | Mechanical and Process Engineering | Lean Management

Prof. Dr. Sabine Joeris | Sustainability and Business

Prof. Dr. Caroline Justen | Mathematics

Alisa Kasle-Henke, M.A. | Business English Communication & Cross-Cultural Management

Prof. Dr. László Kovács | Ethics

Prof. Dr.-Ing. Elisabeth Krön | Architecture and Civil Engineering

Prof. Dr. Claudia Meitinger | Electrical Engineering | Mechatronics

Prof. Dr. Andreas Muxel | Design

Prof. Dr. Svea Schauffler | Head of the Language Center ZSI | Linguistics and Cross Cultural Management

Prof. Dr.-Ing. Alexandra Teynor | Computer Science | Software Engineering

Prof. Dr. Manfred Uhl | Marketing

Prof. Dr. Alessandra Zarcone | Computational Linguistics and AI

Prof. Dr. Stephan Zimmermann | Computer Science | Digital Transformation

The Honors Seminar is conducted entirely in English - ensuring that all students, regardless of their background, can participate on equal footing.
The primary objectives are to foster interdisciplinary learning, enhance critical thinking, promote effective communication in English, encourage personal growth, and build community. By engaging with one overarching theme from multiple disciplinary perspectives, students develop the ability to think across boundaries, connect ideas, and contribute meaningfully to complex conversations. They also strengthen their ability to document, reflect on, and communicate what they have learned — both for themselves and for a wider audience.

Will be made available on Moodle.

Pass/Fail.

There is no exam in this course. Instead, each student joins a team once per semester to create content for the Honors Blog. This includes a written article, audio, or video material reflecting on and summarizing the session they attended.