The German professional qualification framework for bachelor's and master's degrees in health science/public health and health promotion

Aim. The Bologna Process enables the expansion and differentiation of study courses focusing on Health Science and its corresponding degrees. This development impedes an overview of the competencies the graduates are expected to achieve. Based on European developments, the aim was to develop a shared qualification framework in the field of Health Sciences, Public Health and Health Promotion which allows comparability on the Bachelor and Master level. Methods. In a multiyear process, representatives of nine German universities worked on the development of a consensus. Built upon the so-called Dublin Descriptors and the Public Health Action Cycle, a matrix including 20 fields of competencies was compiled for the study cycles of the Bachelor and Master programs. This matrix was filled out on a voluntary basis by each participating university according to the respective aim of study course. The synopsis of the individual contributions is built upon a content analytical contemplation and was brought to an agreement with the participating universities. Results. Whereas a consensus could be reached on the Bachelor level, the area of the heterogeneous Master courses requires further development and discussion. Conclusions. The available qualification framework for Health Sciences can help to improve the skill-based development of the curricula as well as the comparability and transparency of the study courses. The next step involves alignment of the modules of the individual study sites with the competencies of the qualification framework. The acceptance of the results in practice regarding the conception and accreditation of the study courses is to be awaited.