The institute is divided into the chairs of  “Socialization of the ages“, “Counselling“, “Socio-cultural education” and the university lectureship “Social work in public health”. There is a Diplom course of study (Diplom of education, field of study social education/ social work) that as a major includes the focuses age, counselling, health, social administration, educational services, adult education and European welfare studies. The institute strives for providing the students of the major subject with a project study – in the scope of working in research projects and offers of the education research. Third-party funded research focuses are:

• youth welfare research
• social developments and entering the working world
• history of social education
• social politics and political education
• counselling
• social networks and social support
• prevention and health research
• biography research
• media research

A practice-oriented work area is the counselling and further education of the regional social-educational practise. The institute hosts an annual regional youth welfare symposium with different topics.