About us
Know-how is only half the battle – what about practical experience?
“Nothing is more important than believing in yourself and following your passion. I was an SAE student myself, and I learned that I can be really good and successful if I enjoy something. The best part of my job is being able to give that experience to future generations and help them turn their passion into a career. It’s always moving for me to meet a graduate at an event who talks about their professional success with shining eyes. I’m delighted for every single student whom we have helped to achieve this.”
(Director Chris Müller)
Over the past 4 decades, SAE has seen quite a few generations come and go. Both in front of and behind the guidance counter. We, too, were wild rockers with crazy hair, technology freaks and Atari gamers once and fought our way through the early World Wide Web with modems while wearing flannel shirts. We may have had different interests, but we all loved what we did. And still do today. This is what we want to teach our students every day: have fun and put your heart and soul into what you do. And persist until you have reached your professional goal.
Our Campus Managers are literal all-rounders. They are the heart of the campus and ensure that everything runs smoothly. They always have an open ear for questions and personal problems. And they are also the ones who pay the bill after lively campus parties, barbecues and graduation parties.
However, at SAE commitment and problem-solving skills are not restricted to the manager’s office. They can be found anywhere on campus, and especially among our students. A high practical course-component ensures that they can directly apply and permanently internalize what they have learned. They not only gain sound theoretical expertise, but also a lot of practical experience.
Our Head Instructors, or HIs for short, provide you with professional vision, tips for your portfolio and a clear assessment of your academic performance. This is done with a view to the requirements of the job market, rather than with finger-wagging. That’s why they focus on modern curricula with sufficient project work – from simple, practical exercises to marketable individual and team projects.
Our lecturers concentrate on up-to-date and, above all, industry-relevant teaching content. They have a solid industry background and know exactly what is important in real life. This means that our students don’t just study dry theory, they are also introduced to all production stages.
Take 9 SAE locations in Germany alone, multiply them by 10 departments spanning the entire media industry, and you get? Lots of technology! This includes modern studios and workstations, spacious work and project rooms as well as professional state-of-the-art equipment.
Whether for studio recordings or shootings on location, for a team project or just for yourself: our facilities and all equipment are exclusive to SAE and can be used by our students around the clock.
Our Department Assistants provide support on site. This is usually accompanied by stimulating shop talk from all areas of the media industry. And there are lots of opportunities for it! After all, they supervise practical exercises and projects, help students with equipment and software tools or save the day in case of technical problems. Or when the tripod falls over again.
Mistakes happen and things don’t always go smoothly. This is especially true when you’re doing a course that focuses on practical application. That’s why we give our students plenty of time to try things out and improve their skills step by step. And they can do it at their own pace: studios and workstations can be booked individually, which makes for flexible practice times.
Our Academic Coordinators are mentors, strategists, and academic masterminds in one. They watch (like hawks) that academic standards are adhered to, they trust in methodology and discussion culture and often discover hidden talents in our students. For example, realistic time management.
Good time-management is as essential to us as our students’ questions. As a general rule, he who doesn’t ask questions usually hasn’t understood the topic. This is especially true when students spend their entire course on the backbench of a crowded lecture hall. For this reason, small class-sizes are important to us. They promote interaction, bring students closer to the lecturer and encourage a relaxed atmosphere.
At the heart of our large SAE family lies a strong SAE community. It is a space for lively exchange, international networking, lifelong learning and interdisciplinary co-working. Our global network provides our current students, more than 16,000 alumni, our teachers and lecturers, as well as anyone with an interest in media studies a professional home. This makes for a great sense of community and good relationships from day one.
“Community to go” – Thanks to the networking of all our twelve SAE locations, we consider ourselves as ONE big media campus, which creates a community that extends far beyond the local campus. This is true for the real as well as the digital world: in the “SAE COSMOS” you are at home everywhere at any time. We live by the motto “No matter where you come from – the main thing is that you are there”.
The market never sleeps, and it is important to keep an eye on trends and current developments. The best way to do this is through events and in good company. That’s why our annual SAE Convention offers not only lectures, live streams and a trade fair with renowned exhibitors, but also plenty of opportunities to get in touch with each other. And to stay in touch. However, with more than 12,000 SAE graduates in Europe alone, that’s quite a mammoth task.
Our convention may be exciting and diverse, but one event a year isn’t quite enough to stay on top of the latest developments in the industry. That’s why we provide free workshops & masterclasses throughout the year and offer our graduates exclusive deals & discounts in our in-house store. Because software and equipment also move with the times.
