Josephine Lang and Lilli Johanna Schlünz, students at Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, are to be honoured with the Berlin State Prize for Excellence in Higher Education Teaching in the ‘Student Teaching’ category for their ‘Studium Oecologicum’ programme. The award recognises their commitment to “Studium Oecologicum”, an interdisciplinary compulsory elective module which they play a key role in shaping. The award highlights the high quality of innovative teaching formats at Humboldt-Universität and demonstrates that student engagement is a key driver of excellence in higher education teaching.
Established in 2015, the programme enables students from various disciplines to engage with sustainability in an active and interdisciplinary manner. At its core are a public lecture series and a project tutorial that closely link theory and practice. Students develop their own teaching formats, work on real-world sustainability issues and thus shape the university as a shared space for learning and experimentation. The programme, organised by students for students, has become an integral part of innovative teaching at HU.
About the award
With the State Prize for Excellence in Higher Education Teaching, awarded for the first time, the State of Berlin recognises outstanding didactic quality, student-centredness, transfer orientation and innovative strength. The winners were selected by an independent jury comprising students, lecturers and experts in higher education pedagogy and development. The award ceremony will take place on 1 July 2026 at the Berlin University of Applied Sciences.