Human-Technology Interaction and Communication B.Sc.

 

If technical advances are to live up to their potential and actually benefit people, then highly complex technical content must be made comprehensible and viable with target group appropriate communication.

The quality of communication between users of technology and its developers will, in the future, be one of the most important benchmarks with regard to measuring the quality of technical advances. That which is not geared towards users and is not understood by them, won't be bought, supported or accepted and it won't receive political representation. In short: Whatever is not user-friendly will not be used!

This fact is immediately understood when thinking about those technical developments, whose advantages are not entirely obvious at first glance. For instance, the German energy transition plan is certainly viable from a technical point of view, but only specific target group apropriate communication can lead to its general acceptance and to the political will to make it happen.

This crucial junction, where technology and people come together, is the work-place of professionals with technical as well as communication science know-how. Since problems with technology-related communication can only be solved in interdisciplinary dialog, these specialists have to be well-versed in both worlds of thought – humanistic and technical/scientific – in order to be able to act in a confident manner. They use their knowledge and skills to process technical content for a diverse target audience and for different media and tasks, conveying everything in a way that is specifically geared towards the respective target group and medium.

Unique throughout Germany, RWTH's Technical Communication course of study offers students an interdisciplinary program of study that delivers an excellent education by combining the humanities on one hand with engineering aspects on the other. The structure and orientation of this course of study is based on giving the two subjects – Communication Sciences and Technical Science – equal weight, the latter being subdivided into two different disciplines:

• Fundamentals of Computer Science: The subject Fundamentals of Computer Sciences provides students with the skills to analyze, design, and implement information processing systems.
• Fundamentals of Mechanical Engineering: As a classical form of engineering, Fundamentals of Mechanical Engineering focuses on the development, production, and operation of technical facilities and products on the basis of physical fundamentals.

 

Degree Content

The Bachelor program is oriented towards facilitating technical principles and methods. Already in the second semester, students have the opportunity of choosing specific areas of focus with regard to their professional futures. There is a choice between different advanced modules, which are thematically linked to fields of work such as continuing education or management of communications, media and knowledge. Practical experience – whether within or outside of the university setting – is also part of the course of studies.

Curriculum

Communication Science	Introduction to Linguistics, Introduction to Communication Science, Cognition, Individual and social Environment, Oratory and Discourse Rhethoric, Grammar, Semantics, Pragmatics,Textual Linguistics, History of Technology, Application Fields of Technical-Communication, English
with Computer Science Details	Programming and Data Structures, Basics of Computer Science, Differential and Integral Equations, Linear Algebra, Computer Engineering, Discrete Structures, Practical Computer Science, Operation Systems, Formal Systems, Elective Mathematics, Software Technology, Designing Interactive Systems
with Mechanical Engineering Details	Differential and Integral Equations, Linear Algebra, Mechanics, Materials Science, Machine Design, CAD, Computer Science in Mechanical Engineering, Thermodynamics, Fluid Dynamics, Quality and Project Management, Metrological lab, and Professional Field-Oriented Topic Modules

You can find details about the program layout in the current examination regulations.

Foreign Language

As part of the Human-Technology Interaction and Communication course of study English classes are offered right from the first semester of studies. Participation is mandatory, even if students already posess excellent English language skills. Coursework will not be graded, however.

Practical Experience

Only the combination with Fundamentals in Mechanical Engineering requires documentation of having absolved a pre-internship in order to register for the course of study. All students will complete internships during the further course of study in both a communication science setting – 4 weeks at an institute or as a member of a research project group at RWTH – and in a technical field. Here, requirements vary from one fundamentals subject to another. Details with regard to all the different requirements for internships can be found on the website of the course of study under Praktika.

Programs Abroad

The Human-Technology Interaction and Communication course of study offers a great variety of study abroad programs, because students can profit from the international cooperations of the different faculties. With the help of the EU-mobility program ERASMUS students can take part in subject specific offers at partner universities all throughout Europe. Furthermore, students can visit universities worldwide – in particular with the help of different faculties' own partnership agreements. Many students complete their company internship during their master studies within an international context.

In addition to the exchange programs coordinated by the faculties, students at RWTH also profit from the university's strategic partnership programs with other international universities. They can complete some of their course work during short stays at an IDEA League university, for instance. The UROP Abroad-Program, which is unique in all of Germany, offers the opportunity to take part in research projects at international universities during the bachelor stage of studies already. RWTH promotes and partly funds these stays abroad.

You can find all of RWTH's partnership programs on the website for Study Abroad.

 

Prerequisites

Personal Prerequisites

The willingness to engage in both the world of technology and the world of language/communication, is an essential prerequisite for success in the Technical Communication course of study. Prospective students should have very good math and speaking skills, as well as very good German skills – both oral and written. They should be interested in working with texts and analyzing technical as well as communication-theoretical problems. An independent and egaged work style is expected. Particularly with regard to the technical areas of the course of studies, a thourough refresher in the fields of mathematics and the natural sciences is well-advised. In order to help complete or further step up your knowledge, RWTH also offers a bridge course at the beginning of your studies.

Language Requirements

The courses in this degree program are offered partly in German and partly in English. Therefore, before taking up studies, students must prove that they have English language skills at level B2 according to the “Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR).” As a rule, this proof is provided by the German Abitur certificate.

Enrollment Prerequisites

1. Two RWTH Self Assessments:

• "Humanities, Linguistics, and Communication Studies"
• additionally, for the combination with Fundamentals of Mechanical Engineering, the "Mechanical Engineering" Self Assessment
• additionally, for the combination with Fundamentals of Computer Science, the "Electrical Engineering, Computer Science, and Computer Engineering" Self Assessment
• additionally, for the combination with Fundamentals of Materials Engineering, the "Georesources and Materials Engineering" Self Assessment

2. Pre-internship only for "Fundamentals of Mechanical Engineering"

Six week internship in accordance with the internship guidelines. Detailed information is available from the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering Internship Office. There you can also find out, what to do if you cannot fulfill the pre-internship requirement.

 

Media Library

Do you want more ideas and impressions? Use the diverse ways of getting information! You can find our recommendations in the media library.

 

Career Prospects

Experts in the communication of technical content possess a dual qualification that is in high demand in the fields of industry and economy. Since these experts are competent in both linguistic communication skills as well as in technical know-how, their work-place can be found where language and technology intersect and where they can function in their role of transfer specialists.

RWTH graduates are particularly active in the areas of conceptual design, organization and editorial practices. They plan and regulate the transmission of information on several different levels – from expert to expert or from expert to layperson. Within companies they are positioned at the junction between departments with diverging specialized knowledge – for instance between production and bookkeeping – or they design and conceptualize materials for continuing education or other training courses. In the field of public relations they develop internet portals and communicative web services or they prepare trade-show materials.

In the area of user experience they analyze the user-friendliness of software programs or user interfaces and on the basis thereof develop quality standards. For instance, they conduct so-called usability tests in order to find weaknesses in the design of user interfaces and to then advise product developers about them.

Communications experts are also employed in the fields of technical documentation and specialized journalism.

 

Master's Degree Prospects

Building on a completed Bachelor’s degree, it is possible to continue at RWTH with a Master in Human-Technology Interaction and Communication. Here as well, the proven combination of communication science along with a technical subject plays a predominant role. The field of specialization chosen during bachelor studies is carried on through the master studies. Students can also choose to pursue a Master's degree in the Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Information Technology. This faculty offers a program that builds on the Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering and Information Technology.

In the technical subjects students get to choose between different majors, in communication science they are able to put the focus on individual subjects. In this manner the individual specialization of students continues to be supported by the particular design of the course of study.

 

Module Handbook and Examination Regulations

The module handbook provides a description of all modules of a degree program and offers a comprehensive insight into the program contents.

The examination regulations are comprised of legally binding provisions on learning objectives, prerequisites for study, the course structure and processes, and examination procedures.

Regulations that generally apply to all Bachelor's and Master's degree programs, including information on language proficiency requirements, can be found in RWTH's General Examination Regulations. These general regulations are further specified and complemented by the subject-specific examination regulations.

If two examination regulations are valid for a degree program during a transition phase, the most current version shall apply to students enrolling in the program for the first time.

Please note that only the German examination regulations are legally binding. The English translations of the examination regulations are intended solely as a convenience to international students.

Module Handbook
Subject Specific Exam Regulations
RWTH’s Comprehensive Examination Regulation

 

Faculties

The course of study Human-Technology Interaction and Communication is offered by the Institute of Linguistics and Communication Science of the Faculty of Arts and Humanities in cooperation with those faculties that offer the technical fundamentals:

Faculty of Mechanical Engineering

Faculty of Mathematics, Computer Science and Natural Science

The Institute of Linguistics and Communication Science at RWTH is an institute with an interdisciplinary approach to studies in that it combines the expert knowledge from the two different areas of linguistics and communication science. In both research and in teaching the focus lies on the particular processes of communication and interaction in the context of technology and society.

Areas such as design, use and usability of electronic media or the perception of technology, its acceptance and its communication are at the core of a great number of research projects, which are executed with partners from the engineering sciences and manufacturing.