Business Administration and Engineering: Materials and Process Engineering B.Sc.

 

Sharkskin, bioceramics, enormous stadium roof structures, or ultra lightweight car bodies – about 70 percent of all technical innovations are based on newly developed materials. Engineers are always on the look-out for the perfect material or tailored material combinations.

However developments and innovations cost money. How expensive can it get? Where can savings be made and what technical developments must remain despite cost reductions?

These questions are difficult to answer in practice, as decision makers confront each other with varying goals. On the one side there are engineers, who want to reach the maximum technical potential, and on the other, business experts, who want to spend as little as possible. Two worlds that often don't understand each other!

Materials engineers often form a bridge over this area of tension. They have interdisciplinary training and assume critical management positions at modern companies.

In order to be able to master the split between various business objectives, they acquire skills in both a technical discipline and business administration.

In contrast to comparable courses of study the course of study at RWTH Aachen offers a clearn engineering focus. This focus allows budding engineers to build technical application skills.

Starting in the fourth semester students can select four elective modules from five engineering focuses in order to create their own individual profile:

• Materials engineering – glass, ceramics, metals
• Materials processing – casting or molding
• Metallurgy and recycling – non-ferrous metals or iron and steel
• Transport phenomena
• Plastics engineering

Students can select a specialization during their Master's studies that is independent of their profile in Bachelor's studies and choose from a spectrum of specialization projects.

 

Degree Content

This subject offers a broad combination of basic natural science subjects and engineering fundamentals. Students do not specialize in order to take advantage of the comprehensive and broad fundamental training.

Semester	Engineering Sciences	Mathematics, Natural Sciences	Business Administration
1	Technical Mechanics I	Differential and Integral Equations I, Linear Algebra I, Physics of Crystals, Key Points of Chemistry	Principles of Management, Internal Accounting and Bookkeeping
2	Technical Mechanics II	Differential and Integral Equations II, Materials Chemistry I	Quantitative Methods in Economics,Turnover and Acquisition
3		Materials Chemistry II, Materials Physics	Decision Making, Production and Logistics, Introduction to Economics
4	Dynamics of Technical Systems, Development, Design, and Planning of the Efficiency of Buildings, Elective 1	Statistics Heterogeneous Equal-Weight Elementary	Macroeconomics: Markets and Strategic Decision-Making, Elective Module
5	Introduction to Programming, Transport Phenomena, Electives 2+3		Human Resources and Management for Industrial Engineerings, Investment and Financing, Introduction to Empirical Economic Research
6	Bachelor's Thesis, industry internship – 12 weeks

You can find more information about the degree content on the departmental advising website for this course of study (de).

Practical Insight

In order to enroll in the course of study, students must complete a technical pre-internship lasting four weeks. During the sixth semester students complete an industry internship in either the engineering or business sector. Through excursions and tours students acquire relevant practical experience in industry and the free economy during their studies.

Programs Abroad

Germany is currently a worldwide recognized hotspot for materials development and exports the corresponding expertise. International experience is becoming increasingly important for budding specialists.

The Division of Materials Science and Engineering maintains research and teaching collaborations with a number of European and non-European universities. Student mobility is at the focus of our activities abroad.

The ERASMUS program ERASMUS+ offers students the opportunity to study at another European university for one or two semesters. Over 60 universities on all continents are available to choose from. The Division maintains partnerships with 34 universities in Asia alone. A number of partner universities are located in North and South America and Australia.

Students studying industrial engineering also profit from university partnerships with the School of Business and Economics.

RWTH students profit not only from the Faculty's exchange programs but also from the University's strategic partnerships with international universities. They can, for example, complete short stays at one of the IDEA League universities while completing a term paper. The UROP Abroad program, the only one of its kind in Germay, offers the possibility to participate in research projects at international universities during Bachelor studies. These stays abroad are partially funded by RWTH-specific funding.

All of RWTH's collaborative programs are listed on the webpages about studying abroad. The division also offers its own advising system to help students plan their stay abroad.

 

Prerequisites

Personal Prerequisites

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. To help you intensify and complete your knowledge, RWTH offers a bridge course program before sutdies begin. We highly recommend taking these courses. If you are still deliberating, we especially recommend taking the bridge course Intensive Course in Differential and Integral Equations 1.

Enrollment Prerequisite

1. Pre-internship

In order to enroll in the course of study Industrial Engineering with a Materials and Process Engineering Specialization, stuents must complete a technical pre-internship lasting four weeks. This must be completed in a technical field, that means either a workshop, in which you mill, grind, file, etc. or in a company, in which you learn about the production fof materials and experience different stations. It is important the the business absolutely provides vocational training. Additional information about the pre-internship

2. Two Self Assessements

RWTH "Georesources and Materials Engineering" Self Assessment

RWTH "Economics" Self Assessment

 

Decision Aids

The course of study Industrial Engineering with a Materials and Process Engineering Specialization belongs both to the engineering sciences and business and economics. Your interest in technology and in business concepts is fundamental to successful and happy studies in industrial engineering. If you do not like either the technical or engineering components, you should consider studying either materials engineering business admnistration. The best case scenario is that the combination of technology and business administration address your interests and aptitude.

Studies in materials engineering require a high level of motivation and self-initiative. As in other engineering courses of study, you complete basic studies in mathematics, physics, and chemistry. In comparison to materials science or mechanical engineering, the math is reduced and less demanding. It serves as the foundation for all the subjects afterwards.

If you would like to review your interests, you are welcome to attend lectures as a school student. You can gather initial impressions at the Schüleruni, during the University Visitation Week, or in Sample Studies for Girls.

 

Media Library

Do you want more glances and impressions? Use our diverse information resources! You can find our recommendations in the media library.

 

Career Prospects

There are excellent professional prospects in the materials sector: it is one of the growing branches in Germany. Experts are desparately needed in environmental engineering, automotive engineering, energy technology, and production technology.

Industrial engineers specializing in materials and process engineering are qualified for two subject disciplines. They are predestined for work in the cross-section of engineering and business, both in practice and in research. They are prepared for tasks in overlapping fields between engineering and the economy and primarily work at the intersection of these fields. Their double qualification also grants them access to fields shaped purely by business or engineering.

They primarily work in the production industry but are increasingly finding work in service fields, such as consulting and software production, as well as trade, transport, and public institutions. 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 sales.

The Division's website also offers information about professional possibilities and interesting graduate profiles.

 

Master's Degree Prospects

The diverse specialization options in the Master's program can be selected independent of the focuses chosen during Bachelor's studies. They are oriented towards individual materials or material groups and the corresponding technical processes.

• In the area metals students can choose from metallurgy and metal physics, plastic shaping, ferrous metallurgy, caston, iron and steel metallurgy, or metal recycling.
• Ceramic materials are at the focus of the area glas and ceramic composites well as ceramics and fireproof materials.
• High temperature technology offers a specialization in the process area.

To supplement their technical curriculum they choose one of four economic research areas or the field General Business and Economics and build their own skill profile.

 

Examination Regulations

Regulations that apply for all Bachelor and Master courses of study as well as detailed information about the necessary documentation of required language skills can be found in RWTH’s Comprehensive Examination Regulation. Examination regulations are only published in German as they are legally binding.

Subject Specific 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 Materials Science and Engineering in collaboration with the School of Business and Economics.

The Division of Materials Science and Engineering is one of world's leading innovation centers in materials engineering. In its teaching and research it has created a unique symbiosis between the research of material properties shaped by the natural sciences and the development of materials, processing techniques, and materials applications oriented towards engineering.