Structure of the bachelor’s and master’s programs
The Bachelor’s program is divided into three main areas: computer science, mathematics, and a technical application field. The standard duration of the German-language bachelor’s program is six semesters. Students also have the option of taking courses taught in English. The program is open to anyone with a German university entrance qualification (deutsche Hochschulreife) or an equivalent qualification. In addition to modules in mathematics, computer science, and a technical application field (TAF), students can further specialize by taking technical elective modules. In addition, students must take a seminar and a key qualification course (a freely chosen course, including subjects outside your main field of study), and complete an internship in industry or at the university. The Bachelor’s degree in Computational Engineering is awarded based on a written thesis, the Bachelor’s thesis.
The Master’s program has an international focus and is offered in German and English. It lasts four semesters. In the fourth semester, students mainly focus on writing their Master’s thesis. The program’s structure consists of three areas: mathematics, computer science, and a technical application field (TAF). All students must be admitted to the Master’s program by the admissions committee. Admission to the Master’s program requires an above-average bachelor’s degree.
Technical Application Filed – TAF
Several technical application fields are offered in both the Bachelor’s and Master’s degree programs in Computational Engineering. There is a representative for each technical application field. The qualification objective of the technical application field is to enable students to specialize in a particular area. The education pursues a research-oriented qualification objective by teaching subject-related research methods and acquiring in-depth specialist knowledge. In addition, a large number of elective subjects allows students to sharpen their profile for their desired future career field. In the bachelor’s program, basic skills in the respective technical application subject are taught, while in the master’s program, in-depth and more research-oriented skills are acquired. In the bachelor’s program, the technical application subject is chosen by registering for the first exam in a module from the compulsory modules of the chosen technical application subject. Master’s students must indicate their TAF choice when applying. A detailed description of the TAFs can be found in the Technical Application Fields section.
Technical Elective Subjects
As part of the technical elective modules, students select modules from the computer science elective module catalogs and the elective module catalogs for their chosen technical application subject. The primary qualification objective of the technical elective modules is to deepen the focus chosen within the technical application subject. Secondly, a research-oriented qualification goal is pursued by teaching related research methods and acquiring in-depth knowledge of the subject. The freedom of choice allows students to refine their profiles for their desired future career field.
The ECTS, the credit point system
According to the European Credit Transfer System (ECTS) a course is measured by a number of points, so-called ECTS-points. Typically, a single study module is evaluated with 2,5; 5; 7,5 or 10 ECTS-points. Students need to gather 30 ECTS-points per semester.
Modularity: the Format of Courses
A bachelor or a master program comprises a set of modules. The value of each module is given with the ECST credit point system. A module constitutes a consistent and temporally coherent study unit that is usually but not always concluded with an examination. Examinations are studienbegleitend, that is the written or oral examination takes place during the semester or during the following audit period. A module usually consists of a lecture (Vorlesung) and an exercise class or tutorial (Übung). Therefore, a lecture and the accompanying exercise course or tutorial belong together and cannot be taken as separate classes.