Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Engineering
Engineering in Germany
The engineering sciences are the vehicle of technological This magazine is intended to provide an overview of engineering
progress and are currently facing major challenges: electro- in Germany for anyone abroad who is interested in studying
mobility, energy technology or the development of new ma- engineering or in pursuing academic further training. The main
terials in order to cope with these tasks new blood is being focus is on the disciplines of mechanical engineering, electrical
sought in Germany, especially for the disciplines of mechanical engineering and all the related disciplines, such as automotive
engineering and electrical engineering. These technical sci- engineering, robotics, materials science, photonics, information
ences are directly associated with the Made in Germany seal technology or simulation technology.
of approval. Engineers trained in these sciences are sought-
after all over the world. The higher education landscape and the two main disciplines
are presented under the heading studying engineering. Foreign
The challenging degree courses in engineering are basically students are also given tips on how to get a place at university
geared towards the demands of real life. Each university is inte- and the best way to commence studying.
grated into an international network of business enterprises,
research institutes and other universities. Everyone involved Another section is dedicated to masters courses and doctoral
benefits from this especially the students, who often write studies, in particular in international post-graduate pro-
their degree theses in cooperation with partner firms. grammes. These guarantee special support for foreign students
or doctoral students both in issues related to their studies and in
With a bachelors degree it is possible for engineering gradu- general issues.
ates to extend their academic skills in a masters course. Via a
multitude of international doctoral programmes they can enter Finally the stable and varied career prospects of engineers on
very different and interdisciplinary fields of research. the German labour market are examined. The development which
is becoming apparent for the coming years is likely to open up
good job opportunities also to foreign graduates and to all for-
eign students who are considering the idea of staying in Germany
after finishing their degrees.
Contents
THE ART OF ENGINEERING STUDYING ENGINEERING
4 The art of the feasible 8 Shaping the future with technology
Engineers have been the key players in the technological
An overview of engineering degree courses at German higher
environment since the 19th century and are increasingly education institutions
learning to think in social, ecological and technical system 12 Engineers Made in Germany
contexts.
Interview with Professor Ernst Schmachtenberg, the president
7 Good reasons to become an engineer of TU9, an alliance of the leading insitutes of technology in
Interview with Professor Ekkehard Schulz, a member of the Germany
Supervisory Board of ThyssenKrupp and the holder of honor- 13 Bridge to Studies
ary doctorates from the Technische Universitt Berlin and
Many universities help international students to integrate by
RWTH Aachen University means of mentoring programmes.
14 An electrifying degree course
Studying electrical engineering meant struggling through at
the beginning for Patrick Ninzeko Tsapi. In the meantime the
student from Cameroon is a tutor at the Georg Simon Ohm
HEADINGS University of Applied Sciences in Nuremberg.
31 Important links at a glance
16 From a classic degree to a quick-change artist
31 Imprint
With his degree course in Mechanical Engineering at the
Karlsruhe Institute of Technology the French student Etienne
Boisseau gains an international dual degree.
4 14 16
Engineers tools of the trade In an electrical engineering degree course you Mechanical engineering is
include simulation techniques. learn what happens on a printed circuit board. multifaceted, it includes turbine construction.
20
Engineers from many different disciplines come
26 29
This is what everyday working life often looks like: Engineers are currently being sought for develop-
together in automotive engineering. objects are constructed using CAD programmes. ment and production in the field of electromobility.
Engineering3
THE ART OF ENGINEERING
Factories are becoming totally digital: engineers simulate, optimise and monitor production processes with the aid of computer networks,
such as here at the Technische Universitt Mnchen (TUM).
Many historians and engineers are of the (interview on page 7), in my opinion this tor of the Association of German Engineers
opinion that Leonardo da Vinci was the first makes them artists. (Verein Deutscher Ingenieure VDI), Dr Willi
in a long line of engineering ancestors. In Fuchs, calls them, followed by universities of
actual fact he, too, bore the title ingegnere, The rise of engineering technology, which were placed on an equal
which meant in Italian at that time a person However, the first Corps of Engineers in Ger- footing with classical universities during the
who dealt with the maintenance and opera- many was developed from an existing Corps course of the 19th and 20th centuries.
tion of military instruments. The all-rounder of Artillery. In times of peace, the engineer
who painted the Mona Lisa and invented officers worked in hydraulic engineering,
the rack and pinion gear comes astonish- road and bridge construction as well as in
ingly close to the self-conception of many land surveying and cartography. In 1743 the
engineers today, as the creative elements of Dresden Academy of Engineers (Ing-
this occupation (lat. ingenium; innate talent, enieurakademie zu Dresden) was founded,
natural capacity) become increasingly promi- where subjects such as mathematics, fortress
nent. Today millions of engineers worldwide construction, geodesy, the art of civilian con-
combine creativity, modern science and struction, mechanics and the study of ma-
craftsmanship to create useful products and chinery were taught. As a result colleges of
Dr Willi Fuchs is the
sometimes breathtakingly beautiful things, engineering were founded in German states:
director of the As-
says Professor Ekkehard Schulz, a member higher colleges of technology (hhere sociation of German
of the Supervisory Board of ThyssenKrupp technische Lehranstalten), as the direc- Engineers.
Engineering5
THE ART OF ENGINEERING
Simulation tools first have to be developed: two students at the TUM test a driving simulator.
images both from the perspective of the How will the image of the engineer develop technologies. Material efficiency is the buzz
individual workers and as a wide shot it is against this background in the future? What word that has been adopted into the body
possible to examine processes and motion trends are there besides the virtualisation of thought of all engineering disciplines, Dr
sequences from an ergonomic point of view of planning and construction? As indus- Fuchs says, summarising this aspect.
and determine the individual process steps try adopts environmental protection as a Today it is not enough to construct a wind
and times. criterion of production and of the product turbine, the VDI director says to explain the
The University of Stuttgart, for example, itself, engineers are increasingly going to situation of engineers, who have to think and
has recognised the future prospects of have to think and act in ecological terms, act in increasingly complex system contexts.
simulation technologies in the 21st century says Professor Kaiser, citing another chal- The logistics of the entire system has to be
and brings together its varied expertise in all lenge. Concepts that are oriented towards planned. This includes for example an intel-
fields of modelling and simulation sciences marketing from Blue Efficiency through to ligent network system or researching materials
in the Stuttgart Research Centre for Simula- Clean Technologies have to be matched that make it possible to transport energy. All
tion Technology (SRC SimTech). The scientists increasingly well by the development of the this can only be achieved in interdisciplinary
at SimTech are developing an Integrated technology on which they are based. teams. Such teams have been created since the
Systems Science, thereby creating the basis second half of the 20th century in the sphere
for simulations and modelling of tomorrows Green thinking in the system of what the technology historian Walter Kaiser
world. In a specifically developed cooperative The green engineer, which has come calls the typical cross-cutting technologies
doctoral programme the doctoral students under public discussion, is not just a clich, of microelectronics and information technol-
at the Graduate School of Excellence ad- because dealing with energies and materials ogy. Somewhere between nanotechnology,
vanced Manufacturing Engineering (GSaME) in a sustainable way occupies a key position simulation technology and global communica-
can conduct their research for example at more and more often. The fact that reusable tion, however, regional particularities and the
renowned firms in mechanical engineering, materials are expensive and only available customers will also frequently have to be taken
electrical engineering and electronics or to a limited extent has to be taken into ac- into account, for which the engineer has to
automotive engineering. count when developing and implementing have a good sense of proportion.
Is a degree course in engineering Why is an education in engineering a good investment for the
only attractive for people who love future in any case?
maths and one that is unpopular Since 2008 there has been de facto full employment in the engi-
with women? neering sector only about one in fifty engineers is unemployed.
Mathematics is one of the skills that And the demand for engineers is still growing because three out of
an engineer needs. Without skills four engineers on the labour market are now already over the age
in mathematics a student on an of 35. By 2020 half of the people working as engineers today will
engineering degree course will not have retired. If Germanys economy is to maintain its position on
get any further than the foundation the world market, we need a lot of new engineers. All this indicates
course. However, I do not agree that permanently secure jobs with excellent pay.
a degree course with a strong maths
bias such as engineering automatically has to be unpopular with What engineers achieve cannot always be seen immediately.
women. Mathematics has long been one of the ten favourite fields What is your nicest example of that?
of study for women. If we could make all the young women who are I like to refer to the beverage can. You really have to imagine from
confident with figures and formulae enthusiastic about technology, time to time that the sides of the can are rolled from perfectly nor-
we would already have achieved a lot. mal steel slabs. At the beginning these weigh 30 tons, are two me-
tres wide, ten metres long and up to 20 centimetres thick. It is only
To whom would you recommend a degree course in engineering? after a visit to a steel mill that you can understand what immense
Engineers should be inspired by the idea that everything can always forces are necessary to produce tin plate that is only 0.3 millimetres
be made better still. I consider inquisitiveness to be important. Also thick from that.
a certain impatience and the willingness to question the status quo.
Above all, though, engineers-to-be should enjoy solving technical What are the main fields of activity and structures in which
problems independently. In my case the fascination for the mate- engineers will have to act in the near future?
rial steel was predominant from the very beginning. For that reason I can only make a guess at that. But I would expect the areas of re-
I opted at that time to study metallurgy in Clausthal-Zellerfeld. The source efficiency, energy, materials, mobility and computer science
more I became engrossed in the subject matter, the more this enthu- still to be among the most important fields of work for engineers in
siasm grew and it has lasted until now. 50 years time, too.
Does everyone who has gained an engineering degree in In your book you write that engineers bear a large amount of
Germany automatically participate in the Made in Germany ethical and social responsibility. What does that involve?
trademark? Engineers solve problems using their scientific knowledge and their
Made in Germany is a promise that German engineers have hon- technical skills. Their solutions have to hold their own not only on
oured time and again for decades. An example: shortly after the start the drawing board but also in a reality characterised by incalcula-
of the new millennium, problems arose with the construction of the bilities. There is only a fine line between what is possible in techni-
Transrapid route in Shanghai. At the time I promised the then Premier cal terms and what an engineer can take responsibility for in an
Zhu Rongji, Mr Premier, your planned inaugural run will take place at environment that is only controllable to a limited extent. Engineers
the turn of the year. You decide whether it should be on 31st Decem- are never detached from the social discussions surrounding the
ber 2002 or 1st January 2003. We will deal with everything else. When opportunities and the dangers of individual technologies. We only
the maiden trip had been completed successfully on 31st December have to think of the debate surrounding the switch to renewable
2002, Zhu Rongji grasped my hand on the red carpet and whispered energy sources.
to me, Thank you so much! The thanks applied to the entire team, of
course. They had achieved all that was humanly possible under condi- Why would you choose engineering as an occupation again?
tions that were often very difficult in order to make the Transrapid Because an engineers work never becomes routine: every solution
float. After projects like that people remember that they can rely on raises new questions that have to be answered. That is what makes
German engineers. Everyone who gains an engineering degree in this occupation so appealing to me.
Germany benefits from this esteem.
55 Grnde Ingenieur zu werden (55 Reasons to Become an Engineer only available in German):
www.zukunft-technik-entdecken.de/55gruende/
Engineering7
STUDYING ENGINEERING
Students of engineering try out their skills as early as possible an interest in technology is therefore a prerequisite.
There is hardly any other field at Ger- ing or civil engineering, prospective students cally is the ideal basis. Creativity, good pow-
man universities that is as diversified as find a very broadly differentiated range of ers of observation and communication skills
engineering. With almost 427,000 students, courses, many of them interdisciplinary in make the prospects for a career in engineer-
engineering is the third largest field of study nature. Besides the sound technical training, ing perfect. Good German language skills
in numerical terms after the field of law, which takes into account the requirements are essential in order to be able to follow the
economics and social sciences and the field of developing technology in a way that is lectures. Good English language skills are
of languages and cultural studies. Some environmentally and socially acceptable, the also required for reading specialist literature,
126,000 freshman students (including about engineers-to-be also acquire the necessary much of which is written in English.
20,000 foreign students) enrolled for one of soft skills, which prepare them well for the
the numerous engineering courses in the constant changes in this occupation and Traditional university or university
winter semester 2010/2011. for a broad and increasingly international of applied sciences
spectrum of activities. The spectrum of possible disciplines and
Varied and interdisciplinary Anyone interested in studying engineer- special focuses in engineering is broad,
The multitude and variety of degree courses ing should therefore have excellent school whereby the disciplines are generally
does not make selection easy: in addition to marks in mathematics, physics and chemis- equally represented at the traditional
the classic engineering disciplines such as try as well as an interest in technology. An universities and the universities of applied
mechanical engineering, electrical engineer- ability to think independently and analyti- sciences.
Engineering degree courses have been and research which cross subject and faculty practice and applications of the engineering
converted to the bachelors and masters boundaries. A close research network and methods and skills is more prominent. This is
system in Germany in the past few years. intensive cooperation with universities expressed, for example, in the generally ob-
The previous Diplom-Ingenieur degree can at home and abroad, with non-university ligatory internship which has to be completed
therefore generally no longer be acquired. research institutions and with numerous outside the university in the fifth semester
What characterises engineering degree companies provide diverse opportunities for of studies, for example in a craft business or
courses at traditional universities is their students to help to shape research them- industrial firm. The universities of applied
clearly specialist and research-oriented focus, selves. The nine leading institutes of technol- sciences frequently have degree programmes
though the reference to applications remains ogy in Germany have combined to form the which combine the engineering degree
constantly visible. The broad spectrum of TU9 association (TU9-Verband). course with an apprenticeship in a firm-based
subjects offered by the universities permits At the universities of applied sciences training occupation, thus leading to another
interdisciplinary connections in teaching (Fachhochschulen) the specific reference to vocational qualification besides the degree.
I have always been interested in the manufacturing of technical products and that is why I
wanted to study mechanical engineering. I chose Germany because friends advised me to do so, but
also because the country is well-known for its top-quality technology. It is very important to learn the
language well. That is the only way to get to know your fellow students easily and to make best use of
the support provided by the teaching staff.
Bertrand Tchana comes from Cameroon and is studying mechanical engineering at the
Fachhochschule Sdwestfalen, University of Applied Sciences.
Engineering9
STUDYING ENGINEERING
My first encounter with the TU Darmstadt came about via the DAAD WISE programme in 2009
during my bachelors degree in materials engineering in India. With the research scholarship I was able
to do a research internship here in the Advanced Thin Film Technology Division for a whole summer.
My materials engineering research here in Darmstadt focuses on the development of modern storage
media. I am currently working as a doctoral student in the field of thin film and oxide nanoelectron-
ics in the group supervised by Professor Lambert Alff. In the long run I aim to become self-employed.
Germany provides me with the perfect platform for that. At the TU Darmstadt we have a project called
Unitechspin, which supports technology spin-offs from within the university and new business start-
ups and provides them with orientation assistance.
Vikas Shabadi comes from India and is studying in the Advanced Thin Film Technology Division of
the Technische Universitt Darmstadt.
Structure of studies then based on this knowledge. Depending on application and research are dealt with, often
In the first semesters of their studies the the degree course different aspects can often also in cooperation with companies.
students at all types of university acquire the be emphasised, thereby creating a qualifica-
necessary basic knowledge of mathematics, tion profile geared towards the students per- Practical experience as a plus point
the natural sciences and engineering. The sonal inclinations. In the context of projects or Practical skills are highly valued by subse-
teaching of specialist and methodological the bachelor thesis, interesting engineering quent employers. In order to be able to put
skills in the specific engineering discipline is questions and problems from the fields of into practice the theoretical knowledge
INFORMATION Metrology lab, cleanroom or CAD systems engineering students have enough
opportunities to put their theoretical knowledge into practice.
Higher Education Compass of the
German Rectors Conference (Hochs-
chulkompass der Hochschulrektoren-
konferenz HRK)
Information about higher education
opportunities, universities and colleges, A place at university in Germany admission restrictions, applica-
doctorate opportunities and interna- tion, admission
tional cooperations with German higher
There are local admission restrictions University applicants from outside
education institutions
for about half of the bachelors degree Germany who fulfil the basic requirements
www.hochschulkompass.de
courses in engineering in Germany. When for starting a degree course at a German
THINK ING. selecting applicants the universities can university generally apply directly to their
is an extensive information and com- take into account not only the average preferred university, which will inform
munication platform provided by mark of the qualifications entitling the them about admission requirements for
GESAMTMETALL Gesamtverband der applicant to go to university but also the degree course. For a number of univer-
Arbeitgeberverbnde der Metall- und other criteria, for example grades in sities, applications have to be submitted via
Elektro-Industrie e.V. (the federation certain subjects, the results of an inter- the University Application Service for Inter-
of German employers associations in view, a vocational qualification gained national Students, uni-assist. You can find
the metal and electrical engineering before applying to university etc. What is details about the member universities and
industries) on the subject of engineering also important is the waiting period for detailed information about the application
occupations in Germany. a university place. It is frequently only procedure at www.uni-assist.de.
www.think-ing.de possible to begin a degree as of the winter In general the application for admis-
semester. sion to an engineering degree course must
uni-assist
For admission to universities of ap- have arrived at the relevant university by
Internet portal of the University Applica-
plied sciences the applicant generally 15th July for the winter semester and by
tion Service for International Students
has to provide proof that he or she has 15th January for the summer semester. The
(Arbeits- und Servicestelle fr auslndis-
completed periods of work experience application deadlines may differ from this
che Studienbewerber)
lasting several weeks and related to the depending on the university, however. The
www.uni-assist.de
chosen degree subject by the start of application deadline for the winter semes-
www.daad.de/admission the degree course at the latest. Periods ter at the universities of applied sciences in
This page provides information about of vocational training, internships or Bavaria, for example, is 15th June.
which educational certificates obtained periods of work experience in the stu- Anyone interested in postgraduate
outside Germany are required for admis- dents home country can be recognised studies (Master, PhD) also applies directly
sion to higher education in Germany. for this. to the university or to uni-assist.
Engineering11
STUDYING ENGINEERING
Every year some 16,000 international How important is internationality at the TU9 universities?
students start an engineering degree The universities in the TU9 alliance have always had a strong inter-
in Germany. What can the institutes of national orientation: our universities offer some 70 masters courses
technology offer them? in engineering, the natural sciences, mathematics and information
An education in engineering Made in technology in English, from A for Automotive Engineering to W for
Germany is of the highest quality. Study- Water Resources and Environmental Management. The proportion
ing at an institute of technology (Tech- of international students at TU9 universities is up to 20 percent in
nische Universitt TU) in Germany is some cases. The close and strategic cooperation with partner universi-
characterised by close research coopera- ties throughout the world facilitates an intensive exchange of experts
tion between the TU and industry. The and research.
students benefit from teaching which is
practically relevant and qualifies them to conduct research. As a result The TU9 universities are regularly present at international educa-
of research cooperations and technology transfer they can already tion fairs. Why is a visit worthwhile?
gather practical experience in industry and establish contacts for Last year alone we went to 26 cities around the world to try to at-
their subsequent working lives during their degree courses. In this tract talented people interested taking a degree course: whether
way the institutes of technology create excellent conditions for a suc- in Beijing or Buenos Aires, in Moscow or Hanoi TU9 provides
cessful career start. information about studying at the member universities in personal
conversations on almost every continent. Anyone who wants to
What requirements should international applicants for places on become an engineer or a scientist is invited to obtain information
engineering degree courses ideally fulfil? about the opportunities from our specialists locally in a face-to-face
For successful studies they should possess in particular inquisitive- conversation.
ness, creativity, communication skills, the ability to work in a team
and the ability to think independently. A talent for mathematical and What characterises an engineer Made in Germany?
scientific tasks is an important prerequisite. Good marks in math- Engineers Made in Germany are highly qualified and versatile: they
ematics and physics are therefore a first indication of a particular suit- can be deployed in research, in construction and production, in the
ability for engineering subjects. We recommend prospective students service for complex technical systems. Environmental protection, a
from abroad to complete the TU9 Self-Assessment. If the international sustainable energy supply and forward-thinking water management
applicants then also have good German language skills, so much the are inconceivable without engineers. In a nutshell: our engineers are
better. able to solve the great challenges of our age as a team.
INFORMATION
TU9 SelfAssessment international
is the alliance of the leading institutes of technology in Germany: Foreign prospective students who are interested in studying at one
RWTH Aachen University, TU Berlin, TU Braunschweig, TU Darm- of the TU9 universities in Germany can test their personal aptitude
stadt, TU Dresden, Leibniz Universitt Hannover, Karlsruhe Institute for undertaking technical studies, from home on the Internet. In
of Technology, TU Munich, University of Stuttgart. German or English they have the possibility to familiarise them-
www.tu9.de selves with the access requirements for the technical degree
courses. The participants receive detailed feedback about their
TU9 project German Schools Abroad Network for Former Pu- strengths and weaknesses. A short German test is also available to
pils (Deutsche Auslandsschulen Netzwerk fr Absolventen give students a rough assessment of their language skills. The entire
TU9 DANA) test takes about 90 to 120 minutes and is free of charge.
The project promotes a network of students who have come from www.self-assessment.tu9.de
German schools abroad. The aim is to provide international stu-
dents at the TU9 universities with excellent support which is tailored A number of other universities also offer self-assessments as practi-
to their needs and to continue to improve the degree success rate. cal guidance.
Contact can be made via the Internet portal: www.tu9.de/DANA
Mentoring
Bridge to Studies
Subject-specific preparatory courses on the one hand and inter-faculty integration courses on the other
hand there are lots of such courses at German universities. The pilot project Bridge to Studies combines
the two types. During the one-year preparatory course foreign prospective students get to know the Ger-
man language and culture and acquire technical and methodological skills.
each foreign freshman student is mentored
by a German student or another international
partner.
The students can make new friends on ex-
cursions and tours of the university and the
town. We want the participants to feel good
and be happy to start a degree course at the
university, Thomas Reiff and Michael Mn-
nel, the two project managers, explain. For
example, the organisation of leisure activi-
ties, such as international cooking evenings
or barbecues, is supported.
The successful outcome after the first
year of the project speaks for itself: all of the
The participants in the mentoring programme complete a one-year joint preparatory course. Requirements: degree course applicants from Azerbaijan,
basic German skills and a qualification entitling the applicant to enter higher education China, Mexico, the USA and Russia passed
the qualifying examination and enrolled for
In preparatory courses basic knowledge relevant for studying and trying out normal the bachelors or masters degree courses of
is built up. Prospective engineering students everyday life at university, Thomas Reiff says, their choice at one of the universities.
can extend in particular their mathematics summarising the components of the scheme.
skills in these courses run by the German Owing to the technical orientation of the
universities. Integration programmes are participating higher education institutions,
aimed above all at foreign students in order the preparatory year is attractive above all
to enable them to settle down in Germany for prospective students of engineering.
more easily. The Bridge to Studies prepara- The teaching focuses mainly on scientific Wildau
tory courses for applicants to bachelors and and technical topics. Depending on which Cottbus
masters degree courses at Lausitz University degree course the student is interested in, Senftenberg
of Applied Sciences, Brandenburg University the participants can take preparatory courses (UAS Lausitz)
of Technology in Cottbus and the Techni- in mathematics, chemistry or physics.
cal University of Applied Sciences in Wildau
cover both of these aspects. Integration by exchanging
The programme is interesting in par- experiences
ticular for people whose German language Project coordinator Michael Mnnel sees the
skills are not yet good enough for higher intensive support of the participants as the
education studies, Thomas Reiff, head of the biggest advantage: Teachers and mentors
project, emphasises. An intensive German answer questions regarding the planning of
language course can remedy this. However, the degree course at any time. Exchanging
that is by no means everything: A whole
year learning German, acquiring key skills
experiences is encouraged in the intercul-
tural tandem partnerships at Lausitz UAS:
INFORMATION
Bridge to Studies (Brcke zum
Studium)
www.bruecke-zum-studium.de
My experiences with the Bridge to Studies programme
are very good: I got to know the higher education system and Preparatory courses
learnt technical German. Together with lots of international At www.study-in.de prospective students
can find information about the many
students I gained additional skills for studying, such as scientific
preparatory courses (Studienkollegs)
working skills and intercultural competence. For me this was an and introductory courses (Propdeutika)
important step before starting my degree course. offered at German institutions of higher
education:
Jos Manuel Garca Snchez comes from Mexico and is in his www.study-in.de > Study > Preparatory
first semester of a degree in biotechnology at Lausitz Univer- and Introductory Courses
sity of Applied Sciences.
Engineering13
STUDYING ENGINEERING
Patrick Ninzeko Tsapi comes from Cameroon and Professor Bruno Lurz advises the students
is studying electrical engineering and information of electrical engineering and information
technology at the Georg Simon Ohm University of technology at the Georg Simon Ohm Uni-
Applied Sciences in Nuremberg. versity of Applied Sciences in Nuremberg.
He also points out another benefit of the problems to solve, the young student says, exposed to gamma radiation such as oc-
internships: Contacts are often established commenting on his choice of specialisation. curs, for example, in nuclear power plants.
there which can be useful for the bachelor At most universities it is possible to choose The work is being supported and super-
thesis and for the time after graduation. a specialisation: automation engineering, vised by the industrial company where
Even though a degree course in electri- energy engineering, automotive electronics, he did his internship semester. About 80
cal engineering at a university of applied information and communication technology, percent of our final theses are written in
sciences is quite strictly organised compared measurement, control and regulation technol- cooperation with industry, Professor Lurz,
with a course at a traditional university, there ogy, microsystems and precision engineering, the course advisor, explains and adds,
is still enough scope for the students to focus renewable energy systems, robotics, sensor From the topics selected we are also able
on a field that they find interesting. Patrick technology or telecommunications are just a to see what specialist issues the industry
Ninzeko Tsapi chose Electrical Energy Engi- few of them. is currently dealing with. That helps us
neering for his specialisation in the sixth and to adapt our syllabus to actual demand.
seventh semesters, which is one of a total of Cooperation with industry creates a Patrick Ninzeko Tsapi wants to graduate at
six specialisation options in the portfolio of win-win situation the end of March 2012. If I get a good job
the university of applied sciences in Nurem- Patrick Ninzeko Tsapi is currently working offer, I would like to work as an engineer at
berg. Think of the possibilities of meeting on his bachelor thesis. He is dealing with the first and gather experience. Maybe Ill do a
Europes electricity needs using solar energy question of how the characteristics of elec- masters degree later on, he says, looking
from Africa. There are still very, very many trical components change when they are into the future.
35,000
28,834
30,000
25,000
INFORMATION
20,000
15,000
10,725 Georg Simon Ohm University of Ap-
10,000 8,430 plied Sciences
6,841 6,973
www.ohm-hochschule.de
5,000
1,389 2,093 Association of the Electrical Engineer-
0 ing and Information Technology Facul-
Total number of of which: Freshman students of which: ties (FTEI)
students foreign foreign www.ftei.de
students students
Association of Electrical and Informa-
tion Engineering Departments (FBTEI)
Source: Statistisches Bundesamt (Federal Statistical Office), Wiesbaden 2011 www.fbt-et.de
Engineering15
STUDYING ENGINEERING
The dynamic economy, the attractive Mechanical engineering is offered as a Unlike students spending one or two
labour market and the high quality of life in consecutive course at the KIT. In this way the semesters studying abroad via the EU educa-
Germany were crucial factors for Etienne Bois- basic scientific skills acquired in the bachelors tion and training programme, ERASMUS
seaus decision to start a degree course at the course can be consolidated in the application- international students like Etienne Boisseau
KIT. His foreign language skills were also rele- oriented electives in the connected masters can study abroad for up to two years and
vant for the decision: As German was my first course. For Professor Martin Gabi, the former gain a binational double degree in addition:
foreign language and I have a German-French dean of the Department of Mechanical En- After the consecutive bachelors-masters
Abitur qualification, I was certain from the gineering and currently head of the Institute course at the KIT I will gain the internationally
very beginning that I would go to Germany. of Fluid Machinery, the advantage of the recognised Master of Science, the Diplom-
Together with almost 3,400 fellow students, consecutive degree course is obvious: It is Ingenieur and the Diplme dIngnieur
Etienne Boisseau is currently studying at the the best opportunity to study a self-contained qualification which is established in France.
Department of Mechanical Engineering. Like curriculum. Although the bachelors degree The dual degrees have the big advantage
him, 20 percent of the mechanical engineer- is an important half-way point, the regular that the achievements at the higher educa-
ing students are from abroad. qualification is the masters degree. tion institution and in the students home
countries are recognised as equivalent,
German-French degree Professor Gabi says, emphasising one of
Etienne Boisseaus home university, Arts et the important advantages of the binational
Mtiers ParisTech, and the KIT offer several degree course. Besides France, there are
dual degree programmes in the context of a partnership programmes with South Korea,
higher education partnership. In these pro- the USA and Bulgaria. As internationality
Etienne Boisseau grammes groups of German and French stu- plays an important role at our institution, we
comes from France
dents study together from the fifth semester want to expand this offer further, for example
and is studying me-
chanical engineering of their bachelors degree courses onwards. in China and South America, Professor Gabi
at the Karlsruhe Insti- Each student completes three semesters and reports, speaking about the current plans of
tute of Technology. an industrial internship abroad. the institute in Karlsruhe.
20,000
11,276 10,503
10,000 7,929
4,422
869 1,888 Karlsruhe
0
Total number of which: Freshman students of which:
of students foreign foreign
students students
Engineering17
DOCTORAL STUDIES AND GRADUATE PROGRAMMES
From Automotive Engineering to Water the specialism of the first degree, but can Professor Ernst M. Schmachtenberg, presi-
Resources and Environmental Manage- focus on a related discipline or tap into a dent of TU9.
ment in the field of engineering there completely new domain. It can be started
are currently about 1,250 masters courses immediately after gaining a bachelors Individual or structured doctoral
to choose from at universities of applied degree or later on after a period of em- studies
sciences and traditional universities. Many of ployment. The specific admission require- As places of cutting-edge scientific research,
them are taught in English. Some 3,800 inter- ments, such as above-average grades in universities and renowned non-university
national students began a masters degree in the examinations for the first degree or research establishments in Germany offer
engineering at a German higher education certain specialist skills and work experience, engineers with a strong interest in science
institution in 2009. are laid down by the university. A masters an exceptionally broad range of opportuni-
degree in engineering leads to the qualifi- ties for independent academic work. About
Masters degrees extending pre- cation Master of Engineering or Master of 2,600 engineers gained a doctorate from a
sent knowledge or learning some- Science. German university in 2010. In addition to the
thing new A masters degree is frequently the start- traditional model of doctoral studies, where
Masters degrees, which generally last three ing point for an academic career at uni- the doctoral students themselves look for a
or four semesters, can be more application- versities. If, for instance, a foreign student doctoral supervisor to supervise their work,
oriented or more research-oriented in completes his or her masters degree in an gaining a doctorate via a structured doctoral
character and serve as a method of techni- engineering or science subject with a good programme or at a graduate college is gain-
cal and scientific specialisation. The degree or excellent result, he or she would be well ing popularity. There the universities include
course need not necessarily be restricted to advised to follow it with a doctorate, advises the doctoral students in the research process
Following positive experiences during my two-year masters degree course in Computational M echanics
at the Technische Universitt Mnchen I was highly motivated to continue researching at this renowned
university as a doctoral student. The subject of my doctorate is conceived as a joint project involving the
IGSSE (International Graduate School of Science and Engineering) at the TUM and an industrial partner. I
therefore had the opportunity to work on a research topic with application potential for industry. In addition
to that I was able to gather valuable experience as a result of the cooperation with international scientific
partners. I was able to build good relationships with my colleagues and make good friends in Germany.
Iason Papaioannou (Diplom-Ingenieur) comes from Greece and is working towards a doctorate at the
TUM in the research project Hydroelastic analysis of very large floating structures.
intensively at an early stage and guarantee firms. Engineers who are working towards As most of the funding for conducting the
intensive support. a doctorate are involved in joint research research projects is obtained from outside
Programmes of this type include projects and deal with questions from the institutions, for example as third-party
doctoral programmes at universities, industrial practice. In addition they gain funds from industry, the doctoral students
Research Training Groups of the Ger- diverse skills which serve as the basis for are paid, which makes it possible to carry out
man Research Foundation (Deutsche a rapid rise to managerial positions in the doctoral research quickly.
Forschungsgemeinschaft), industry. After gaining their doctorates the young
graduate schools at universities, The state-of-the-art technology in Ger- scientists are then pleasantly spoilt for choice.
Helmholtz International Graduate or Re- many and the economic power of industry They can either go into industry or, for exam-
search Schools and here are connected to a considerable extent ple, take up a post-doctoral position. That
International Max Planck Research Schools. with doctoral work in engineering, Professor may be at a university or at a non-university
Schmachtenberg, president of TU9, empha- research institution. There are plenty of oppor-
Doctorate in engineering in industry sises. Outstanding scientific achievements tunities if you have a German Dr.-Ing. title on
Universities and research institutions often and the links with the issues of industry are your C.V. at any rate, Professor Schmachten-
cooperate at regional level with industrial the recipe for success! berg knows from his own experience.
INFORMATION
DAAD International Programmes in Further links
Germany to find out about the programmes offered
On the website of the German for graduates and postgraduates:
Academic Exchange Service (Deutscher
www.hochschulkompass.de
Akademischer Austauschdienst), you can
German Rectors Conference (Hochschul-
search for internationally recognised,
rektorenkonferenz HRK)
accredited bachelors, masters and
doctoral programmes in engineering, www.tu9.de/graduierte
most of them taught in English. All the Overview of the doctoral programmes,
programmes offered in the database graduate colleges, graduate schools and
ensure special course-related and personal English masters courses at the TU9 univer-
support for students and doctoral sities
candidates from abroad. www.dfg.de
www.daad.de/international- German Research Foundation (Deutsche
programmes Forschungsgemeinschaft - DFG)
Engineering19
DOCTORAL STUDIES AND GRADUATE PROGRAMMES
Students at the Esslingen University of Applied Sciences prepare measurement devices in a vehicle.
His plans for the future? First I want to work recruited by subsidiaries of German automo- mobility of the future for many years. Among
in Germany for a few more years and gather tive firms and their supplier companies in other things they look at the entire energy
occupational experience, as Germany is the their home countries. path, from the generation of electrical power
world leader in automotive engineering. In and its distribution through to its conversion
about five years time Ill go back to India and Electromobility more than into mechanical energy in the vehicle. In
work there, the young engineer tells us. In building cars another area of focus they look into the ques-
reply to the question about what kind of car By 2020 there should be a million electric tion of how electric-powered vehicles, such
he will buy himself one day, he says, quite cars on Germanys roads according to the as the AutoTram, can be integrated into
concisely: A German car, I think. German federal governments plans. In order todays transport and production systems.
Professor Schindler knows the career op- to achieve this ambitious aim we need not This also enables us to recognise the market
portunities for the graduates of the masters only suitable academic specialists, drive con- prospects of and the obstacles to electro-
course: Our graduates mainly work in the cepts and powerful energy storage devices, mobility in Germany. The researchers are not
automotive industry and the automotive but also the corresponding infrastructure, for only interested in electric cars for individual
supplier industry as well as in engineer- example for producing and distributing the transport but also vehicles for local public
ing services. Their primary activities are in energy, or facilities to make it possible to fill transport or inner-city goods transport. The
development and applications for innovative up with power. Fraunhofer project is intended to help the
control and assistance systems in the fields The scientists in the large-scale project German automotive industry to secure a top
of chassis, drive and complete vehicle. Our Fraunhofer System Research on Electric- position in this field throughout the world in
Indian and Chinese graduates are also often Powered Mobility have been working on the the long term.
INFORMATION
Esslingen University of Applied Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft
Sciences Fraunhofer is the largest organisation for
The Graduate School Faculty was founded applied research in Europe and has more
in 1999 and offers three international than 18,000 employees, most of them with
masters programmes which are taught in an education in the natural sciences or in
English: an M.Eng. in Automotive Systems, engineering. 33 Fraunhofer Institutes have
an M.Eng. in Design and Development in joined together in the project Fraunhofer
Mechanical and Automotive Engineering System Research on Electric-Powered Mo-
and an MBA in International Industrial bility and are putting their expertise into
Management. In 2011 there are about 800 the project in order to take electromobility
alumni from 68 countries. forward.
Esslingen
www.graduate-school.de; www.fraunhofer.de
www.hs-esslingen.de
Engineering21
DOCTORAL STUDIES AND GRADUATE PROGRAMMES
His interest in automotive engineer- focus, for example in automotive engineer- hydraulic valves as needed, which apply
ing and the good reputation of Germanys ing, medical engineering or robotics. brake force to the individual wheels in such a
automotive industry gave Manpreet S. Saini way as to prevent the vehicle from skidding.
from India the idea in 2010 of enrolling on Embedded systems ensure safe Manpreet S. Saini is currently working on
the English-speaking masters course in driving his masters thesis in the research and devel-
mechatronics at the University of Applied Manpreet S. Sainis passion is for vehicle con- opment department of Marquardt GmbH,
Sciences Ravensburg-Weingarten. He was struction and the embedded systems used a developer and manufacturer of switches
spoilt for choice, as anyone wanting to study there, which monitor and control numerous and switching systems which is active
mechatronics in Germany has to opt for functions in the car. Sensors, mechanics internationally. The student praises the links
one of 100 bachelors courses or 40 mas- and electronic hardware and software work between the university of applied sciences
ters courses. Some of the masters courses together in these systems. For example, an and industry: I find it good that our profes-
continue the generalist training begun in ESP control unit receives information from sors have close contacts to the automotive
the bachelors degree course. Others make it sensors about the wheel speed and the lat- industry and to other firms in that field. His
possible to specialise, with different points of eral acceleration of the vehicle and regulates final thesis is in the subject areas of engi-
Siegen
Ravensburg-
Weingarten Professor Hubert Roth holds the Chair of the
Institute of Automatic Control Engineering at
the University of Siegen.
neering design and software development. The four-semester international masters but can already be found in many factories,
I am dealing with the conceptual design course in mechatronics at the University of where they take on transport and logistics
of mechanical parts to be more precise, Siegen is also directed specifically at foreign tasks, for example. Mobile robots need above
with switches and the way that they are students. The courses at German universities all information about their own position and
connected to the electronic control unit of have to position themselves in the national about obstacles around them. The use of
the car and how they communicate with it, and international competition, head of autonomous robots for exploring and map-
Manpreet S. Saini says to explain his research graduate studies Professor Hubert Roth says, ping the environment is the main focus of my
project. explaining the motive for creating an English- research work, the newly qualified master of
language degree course, and adds, however, science says, summarising his field of work.
Courses in English this course also gives German students the As far as job prospects are concerned,
We also learn a lot about modern robot opportunity to gain an advantage with inter- graduates from Siegen can look into the future
systems, their components and their motion national firms. optimistically. Owing to the broad spectrum
control. There are laboratories available for The interdisciplinary degree course is of the training, mechatronics engineers find
us where we can familiarise ourselves with conducted jointly by the Department of Elec- jobs both in large corporations and in small and
the robot applications used in industry. And trical Engineering and Computer Science and medium-sized firms, Professor Roth tells us,
another advantage of the degree course is the Department of Mechanical Engineering. describing his students employment prospects.
that it is taught entirely in English. Manpreet Our specialist fields are automation, robot- Ahmad Kamal Nasir already has defi-
S. Saini knows that basic German language ics, materials science and control engineer- nite plans for the future at any rate: After
skills are very useful nonetheless. The uni- ing, Professor Roth tells us, summarising the completing my doctorate I would like to go
versity therefore offers German language thematic orientation of the degree course. into research and development in the field of
courses free of charge before the lecture mobile indoor/outdoor robotics applications
period begins. Robots explore their surroundings in the private sector. He appears to be well
Manpreet S. Saini praises the support Ahmad Kamal Nasir is particularly taken with equipped for that, as both autonomous out-
which made it easy for him to get started as robotics. He has just completed the masters door robots, which are used, for example, in
a student: The professors take a lot of time degree in mechatronics and is now working the case of serious accidents in open terrain,
for the students and are always available for towards a doctorate in the field of mobile and driverless transport systems, which serve
questions. I also got good tips and support robotics. Robots that act independently exist to optimise the material flow in factories,
from the student union (Studentenwerk) and not only in the form of mars exploration have to be able to explore and map their sur-
the International Office at the university. equipment such as the rover Opportunity, roundings independently.
INFORMATION
University of Applied Sciences
Ravensburg-Weingarten Masters
course in Mechatronics
www.hs-weingarten.de/web/masterstu-
diengang-mechatronics
University of Siegen International
Ahmad Kamal Nasir comes from Pakistan and is
Graduate Studies in Mechatronics
a doctoral student at the Institute of Automatic www2.uni-siegen.de/mechatronics
Control Engineering at the University of Siegen.
Engineering23
DOCTORAL STUDIES AND GRADUATE PROGRAMMES
Engineering25
CAREERS AND OCCUPATIONS
In manufacturing, mechanical engineers are responsible for developing, maintaining and programming machinery and installations.
According to the VDI-Ingenieurmonitor In 2011 the labour market report of the managers in employment had been rising
(VDI Engineering Monitor), the number Federal Employment Agency ascertained continuously since the start of the millen-
of unemployed engineers fell further in that in Germany the number of employees nium. In the case of civil engineers and
September 2011. This new drop indicates covered by social security in engineering architects, however, a slight loss of jobs is
that the shortage of engineers is likely to occupations even rose slightly in the crisis expected in the long term. In 2009 about
continue to intensify, Dr Willi Fuchs says, year of 2009 compared with the previous one tenth (approx. 150,000) of all engineers
interpreting the underlying statistics from year. However, the engineering profession were self-employed or working on a free-
the Federal Employment Agency (Bundesa- has not only proved to be crisis-proof in the lance basis. The typical form of self-employ-
gentur fr Arbeit BA) and the VDI. The short-term, as Dr Fuchs can verify: In the last ment is still the engineering or expert office.
average age of all German engineers is 51. 20 years the unemployment rate among en- Spin-offs out of the universities are gaining
In the next ten to 15 years many of them gineers has always been below the average importance.
will therefore leave the labour market for rate for all other occupations, and currently Engineers find jobs in almost all economic
age-related reasons, the VDI director warns. stands at less than three percent. That is sectors in Germany. In recent years they have
A growing lack of engineers could thus virtually full employment. What should be been sought above all in the automotive
even slow down the dynamics of the Ger- taken into account in particular is the fact industry, for the manufacture of IT equip-
man economy. that only a quarter of all unemployed engi- ment and electronic and optical products, by
neers are out of work for longer than a year. management consultancies, in the wholesale
Well paid This is an outstanding starting position, for trade and for the manufacture of metal prod-
Engineers salaries are currently rising, as can applicants from abroad, too. ucts. Especially in mechanical and plant en-
be seen from a recent salary survey conduct- gineering firms and in the electrical industry
ed by Kienbaum management consultancy. Mechanical and electrical recent graduates are welcomed with open
The firms surveyed expect a 4.1 percent engineers wanted above all arms for a wide variety of functions in fact.
increase in salaries for 2012. According to Demand for mechanical, automotive and VDI director Dr Fuchs emphasises that the fo-
Kienbaum, an engineer in a managerial posi- production engineers in particular rose in cus is not only on research and development
tion earned an average of 106,000 in 2011. 2011. In addition, a considerable increase (R&D) tasks: R&D and production go hand
A specialist was paid a salary of 63,000 on in the employment of electrical engineers in hand. For example, electromobility: while
average. was recorded. The number of engineering some of the engineers are developing energy
Data source: statistics of the German Federal Employment Agency (Bundesagentur fr Arbeit) A lack of female engineers
Firms would like to exploit the potential of
female engineers to a greater extent: accord-
The majority of engineering specialists work in the industrial sector ing to statistics from the Federal Employment
employees covered by social security, by economic sector, shares as percentages, June 2009 Agency only 104,800 female engineers were
Primary sector (0.7) employed in 2009. The proportion of women
Mining and quarrying 0.4 is therefore just under 14 percent. Thanks to
Agriculture and forestry 0.3 promotion programmes created by the Fed-
Industrial sector (54.5)
Manufacture of machinery and equipment 9.8 eral Ministry of Education and Research (Bun-
Manufacture of computer, electronic and optical products 8.8 desministerium fr Bildung und Forschung
Manufacture of motor vehicles, trailers and semi-trailers 8.2 BMBF), the VDI and large companies, the
Construction 4.7
Manufacture of electrical equipment 4.2 figure has thus risen by a good two percent-
Electricity, gas & water supply, sewerage, waste management 3.4 age points since the start of the millennium.
Manufacture of chemicals and chemical products 3.0 VDI director Willi Fuchs does not want to call
Manufacture of other transport equipment 2.7
Manufacture of fabricated metal products 2.2 this a success story yet, though. There are
Service sector (44.8) numerous projects and initiatives aimed at
Architecture & engineering activities, technical testing & analysis 16.8
Public administration & defence, compulsory social security 5.3
getting female pupils interested in degree
Wholesale & retail trade; repair of motor vehicles & motorcycles 4.0 courses in the natural sciences and technol-
Scientific research and development 3.9 ogy, however: Go MINT is the motto of the
Information and communication 3.6
Education 2.2
National Pact for Women in MINT Careers
Other business support services 2.1 (Mathematics, Informatics, Natural sciences,
Transporting and storage 1.3 Technology).
Data source: statistics of the German Federal Employment Agency (Bundesagentur fr Arbeit)
storage devices, others are considering how wanting to sell a product does not necessar-
production will have to be reorganised.
Manufacturing remains a domain of engi-
ily correspond to an engineers typical think-
ing. They want to fathom a problem and INFORMATION
neers. For example, they plan and assemble then solve it, Willi Fuchs tells us, describing Association of German Engineers (Ver-
production lines or monitor production as his colleagues. ein Deutscher Ingenieure e.V. VDI)
quality assurance representatives. In con- With its more than 140,000 members,
struction they design buildings, machines Career as a specialist or a manager? the Association of German Engineers is
or equipment with the aid of computers. In An engineer has to decide whether he wants one of the largest technical-scientific as-
technical purchasing they procure con- to pursue a specialist or a management ca- sociations in Europe. As a non-profit and
struction materials, in technical sales and reer, VDI director Willi Fuchs points out. Gen- independent organisation it is the central
distribution they are responsible for advising erally there is at least one engineer on the contact point for technical, occupational
customers and for selling and launching managing board of a firm, and CEOs with this and political questions.
products. Technical specialists can also be type of educational background are becom- www.vdi.de
found in marketing, even if the thought of ing more and more common. At the specialist
Engineering27
CAREERS AND OCCUPATIONS
Engineers in industry
INFORMATION
The Bosch Group invests 400 million per year in the Electromo-
bility business unit, some 800 members of staff are employed in
research and development for hybrid and electric vehicle tech-
nologies. In addition to that there are about 900 employees in the
joint venture SB LiMotive, who are developing lithium-ion battery
technology for applications that will be used in future in electric
cars made for instance by Fiat or BMW.
The Bosch career website
Jrn Kleine is the head of Recruiting Elektro-
www.bosch-career.de
mobilitt at the Bosch Group.
Engineering29
CAREERS AND OCCUPATIONS
Optical technologies
Engineering31
New energy for the future.
Baris Karacay from Turkey studies electrical
engineering at RWTH Aachen University.