Freie Universität Berlin understands competencies in the sense of an individual’s willingness and ability to work through complex issues using critical thinking. This includes the ability to transfer and apply acquired knowledge to other contexts. The development of skills at university blends self-guided learning with theoretical frameworks in order to explore the content of degree programs, with student-centered learning processes and inspiring learning environments in the foreground. The goal is therefore to promote both personal development and the ability to transfer acquired knowledge to professional activities. Cross-disciplinary skills acquisition and an education in the core tenets of academia are indispensable in accessing and interacting with all kinds of knowledge and the relationship between knowledge and media. Furthermore, they equip students to participate in academic and societal debates. This educational process includes training in academic writing and reading skills along with courses that instill rhetorical and logical competencies in students, so that they can glean knowledge from texts in order to formulate their own thoughts, choices, and arguments, as well as take a critical approach to information and data.