Sophia Weß
Sophia Weß completed her Master's degree Public Management at ZU in 2023 and has since worked as a project manager for digitization projects at the Office for Digitization of the State Capital Stuttgart.
What activities does the ZU qualify me for?
At ZU, I was able to acquire a comprehensive scientific methodological skillset that enables me to make decisions based on data and evidence and to critically scrutinize them. The academic discourses in smaller seminar groups have sharpened my ability to quickly understand and structure complex issues and to link them to global questions. I now use these skills to shape the basis for political decision-making.
How do you work at the interface between business, culture and politics?
As a project manager for digitalization projects in a major German city, my daily task is to make the administration more digital, more efficient and more sustainable. Together with my team, we work closely with political decision-makers and advise all municipal offices and municipal enterprises in order to digitally optimize their specific tasks. Our goal is an efficient and citizen-oriented administration that makes a positive contribution to social coexistence at all relevant interfaces.
What job profiles are available after studying at ZU?
The PMD program at ZU is ideal for prospective managers in the higher administrative service, for exciting management positions in public companies and for prospective political decision-makers at the interface between politics and administration. In addition, the Master's program opens up a wide range of opportunities for interdisciplinary consulting, especially in the public sector, interesting activities in international organizations and NGOs as well as careers in academia.
Looking back, what has ZU achieved that another university can't even begin to offer?
Thanks to the flexible and interdisciplinary range of modules on offer at Zeppelin University, I not only had the opportunity to develop my individual academic interests, but also to structure my full-time studies in such a way that they could be optimally combined with my job in the regional city administration. The interface between theory and practice created synergies that benefited both my studies and my professional work.
Why exactly PMD at ZU?
Public Management & Digitalization (PMD) is the first Master's degree course offered nationwide that deals in depth and specifically with the digital transformation in the public sector. By combining a sound scientific methodological education with the opportunity to choose interdisciplinary modules, the PMD course offers excellent preparation for future managers in the public sector to make informed decisions in the context of digital challenges.
What kind of person would you recommend to study PMD?
I would recommend the PMD Master's degree program to anyone who aspires to a management position in the public sector and feels motivated to make a contribution to society and work for the common good. For me personally, the university Master's program was an excellent complement to my dual administration studies in the Bachelor's program. In addition, I personally benefited enormously from ZU's unique network of academic and practical individual coaching sessions.
