Industrial Engineering B.Sc., Materials and Process Engineering Specialization

 

The study of industrial engineering equally covers topics from economics and engineering courses of study.  The RWTH Aachen course of study in Industrial Engineering with a Specialization in Materials and Process Engineering is unique in Germany.  The emphasis in the industrial engineering portion of the course of study is materials development.  These are materials with defined attributes.  Whether in the development of new storage media, biomedical technology, stadium roof construction, in energy, air and space engineering, or in the automotive industry, function specific materials and material innovation are existential for almost all fields of technology.  Germany is regarded worldwide as one of the leading materials sources, as well as in the research field and in process development to production, manufacturing, and to the recycling of materials.  In addition to the grounded technical knowledge in the field of materials and process engineering, students gain a comprehensive business administrative know-how, so that they are optimally prepared for the cross-sections between technical and economic processes.

 

 

Degree Content

The Bachelor course of study in Industrial Engineering (Materials and Process Engineering) lasts 6 semesters (typical length of study).  It is laid out in modules, meaning that content is condensed into individual units or modules.  In the course of the curriculum, various modules must be satisified. In doing so, a certain number of credits are earned and students can successfully graduate.

The Bachelor course of study in Industrial Engineering (Materials and Process Engineering) is generally outlined in four large sections:

1. Mathematics and Natural Sciences:
In this area, the basics are laid for the engineering and business administration subjects. This includes courses in Mathematics (Differential and Integral Equations, Linear Algebra, and Statistics), Physics, Chemistry (key points), and Materials Chemistry I.

2. Engineering (Fundamentals):
In engineering there courses are completed in Mechanics, Materials Chemistry II, Materials Physics, Dynamic Technical Systems, Transport Phenomena, Development, Design and Efficiency of Facilities, and Programming (Java).

3. Economics:
This area encompasses numerous business administrative and economics courses, e.g.:Introduction to Business Administration, Decision Making, Organization and Personnel, Turnover and Acquisition, Accounting, Introduction to Empirical Economic Reasearch, etc.

4. Electives:
In addition to the three required sections, students also have three courses from the elective section.  This section encompasses engineering subjects.  Choices include e.g.: Materials Engineering (Glass, Ceramics, or Metal), Materials Processing (Casting or Molding), Metallurgy, and Recycling (Non iron or iron and steel). Through this elective component, students have the opportunity to develop their specific interest.

In order to successfully graduate from the Bachelor course of study in Industrial Engineering (Materials and Process Engineering), students must additionally complete a twelve week internship and write their Bachelor thesis, both in the 6^th semester.

The exams of each individual subject take place both at the end of the semester, and in the following lecture free period.

 

Prerequisites

Personal Prerequisite
The ability to think abstractly and analytically, penetrate complex structures, and clearly formulate one's own thoughts, are all helpful skills for studies. Good math skills and knowledge and ability and aptitude for formal, mathematical analyses are recommended.  Good English skills improve the chances for success in one's studies as well as career prospects.

Enrollment Prerequisite

1. Pre-internship
A four week internship in accordance with the guidelines in the appendix of the exam regulations.

2. Two Self Assessemnts
RWTH "Georesources and Materials Engineering" Self Assessment  

RWTH "Economics" Self Assessment

 

Career Prospects

Industrial engineers are qualified for two concentrations, both in practice and in research.  They are prepared for tasks in overlapping fields between engineering and the economy.  Industrial engineers primarily work at the intersection of engineering and economics, e.g. in production design and management, in controlling, in purchasing, as well as in technical production. An occupation exclusively as an economist or engineer is equally possible and not rare.

Because of their double qualifying degree, industrial engineers have a broad career field.  Traditionally they have worked in the production industry. Today their numbers are increasing in service fields- such as consulting and software production- as well as trade, transport and for the state.  Even the positions in companies and other organizations are varied. Industrial engineers frequently work in management positions, especially in production, but also in controlling and IT, logistics and material logistics, in organization and human resource management, research and development, and accounting and manufacturing.

Industrial engineers have particularly good career prospects in the materials field, because this branch is extremely strong in Germany and Europe.  Both the “big players” of the material field and medium-sized companies are lacking young talented workers, which will only get worse in the coming years.  Materials research, production, and recycling are innovative fields that are fundamental for new developments in all fields.  Industrial engineers with a specialization in materials are sought after to help with issues in environmental engineering, automotive technology, energy engineering, and production engineering.

There appears to be no end in sight for good job prospects, despite the continually growing number of new students and graduates.

 

Master's Degree Prospects

Building on this Bachelor, RWTH Aachen offers a Master course of study with the same name.

 

Examination Regulations

Exam regulations regulate academic goals, the course of study layout, and exam procedures.  The appendix to the regulations contains the description of the modules, from which the course of study is composed.

 

Faculty

The Bachelor course of study Industrial Engineering B.Sc., Specialization in Materials and Process Engineering is offered by the Division of Metallurgy and Materials Engineering in collaboration with the S chool of Business and Economics.