Mechanical Engineering

Study Field Outline

Mechanical engineering not only deals with machines in the narrower defini- tion of the word, such as thermal power machines, machine tools, processing machines, automatic machines, and robots, for example, but also with vehi- cles of all kinds, and with areas such as traffic engineering, utilities engineering, process engineering (plant engineering), nuclear and reactor engineering and with precision engineering products (electri- cal and electronic devices of all kinds). In all fields, automation of the production processes and the growing significance of information technologies are playing an ever greater role. This also applies to the field of mechatronics in its capacity as a multidisciplinary field built on the founda- tions of mechanical engineering, electri- cal engineering and computer science. The diversity of the fields has resulted in a strong subdivision of study orienta- tions within mechanical engineering. See

degree courses in printing engineering and technology, automotive engineering, precision engineering, aeronautical and aerospace engineering, mechatronics, pro- duction engineering, materials sciences and engineering, materials technology, plastics and paper technology, metal science.

Over and above this, there are a number of method and task-oriented study fields/ focuses, for example, general mechani- cal engineering, mechanics, construction engineering. Engineering and economics focused contents are above all combined in degree courses in industrial engineer- ing. The basic study stage in mechanical engineering conveys the principles of mathematics, science and engineering and is largely the same in all the various study orientations/branches. Students only begin to specialise after the pre-Dip- lom examination.

Studies at Universities

Standard period of study: 9 or 10 semes- ters; 6 to 8 semesters for a Bachelor’s.

Practical experience/internship: Generally 6 months, of which 2 to 3 are completed before studies commence and the remain- der during the studies and before the main (final) examination.

Basic study stage: Lectures, exercise and practical courses in mathematics, mechan- ics, projective/descriptive geometry, tech- nical drawing, design theory, materials science, machine elements, measurement engineering, chemistry, thermodynamics, physics, electrical engineering, electronic data processing, basic law and economics.

Main study stage: In-depth and extension studies in the common fundamental sub- jects and subdivision into individual study orientations: General mechanical engineer- ing, design engineering, manufacturing engineering, combustion motors, heat/ther- mal engineering, power propulsion engi- neering, materials-handling engineering, machine tools, jet engines, earth-moving and agricultural machines, materials flow engineering, transport and traffic engineer- ing, theoretical mechanical engineering, plus the specialisms mentioned at the out- set, where available.

Degrees:Diplom, Bachelor’s, Master’s.

Programmes in this field

Aachen TH • Bayreuth U • Berlin TU • Bochum U • Braunschweig TU • Bremen U • Chemnitz TU • Clausthal TU • Cottbus TU • Darmstadt TU • Dortmund U • Dresden TU • Duisburg-Essen U (Duisburg) • Erlangen-Nürnberg U (Erlangen) • Freiberg TUBergAk • Hamburg UBw • Hamburg-Harburg TU • Hannover U • Ilmenau TU • Kaiserslautern TU • Karlsruhe U • Kassel U • Magdeburg U • München TU • München UBw • Paderborn U • Rostock U • Siegen U • Stuttgart U • Wuppertal U

Studies at Universities of Applied Sciences

Standard period of study: Generally, 8 semesters incl. 1 or 2 practical semes- ters; generally, 6 semesters for a Bachelor‘s degree.

Practical experience/internships: Several weeks of pre-study practical training in metal processing enterprises, depend- ing on previous educational/professional qualification. During the degree course, practical internships of varying lengths.

Basic study stage: Lectures, exercise, prac- tical courses in fundamental subjects such as mathematics, engineering mechanics, thermodynamics, fluid mechanics, phys- ics, electrical engineering, chemistry, materials science, technical design theory, computer science, business, work theory (ergonomics).

Main study stage: In-depth and extension studies in the fundamentals, including control and automatic control engineer- ing, electrical engineering and electron- ics, thermodynamics, industrial business administration; focuses on power generat- ing and processing machines (piston and

jet machines, devices), transport engineer- ing (materials-handing engineering, vehi- cle engineering), processing and finishing machines (machine tools), automation and control engineering, lightweight engineer- ing, technical design engineering, manu- facturing and operating engineering, heat- ing, cooling and ventilation engineering, agricultural machine engineering as well as the specialisms mentioned at the out- set, although the range of subjects offered will differ greatly from one institution to the next.

Degrees:Diplom, Bachelor’s, Master’s.

Programmes in this field

Aachen FH (Aachen, Jülich) • Aalen FH • Albstadt-Sigmaringen HS (Albstadt) • Amberg-Weiden FH (Amberg) • Anhalt HS (Köthen) • Augsburg FH • Berlin FHTW • Berlin TFH • Bielefeld FH • Bingen FH • Bochum FH • Bochum TFH • Bonn-Rhein-Sieg FH (Sankt Augustin) •

Brandenburg FH • Braunschweig/Wolfenbüttel FH (Wolfenbüttel) • Bremen H • Coburg FH • Darmstadt FH • Deggendorf FH • Dortmund FH • Dresden HTW • Düsseldorf FH •

Esslingen FHTE • Flensburg FH • Frankfurt am Main FH • Furtwangen FH • Furtwangen FH (Villingen-Schwenningen) • Gelsenkirchen FH (Gelsenkirchen) • Gießen-Friedberg FH (Friedberg, Gießen, Wetzlar) • Hamburg HAW • Hannover FH • Heidelberg FH • Heilbronn HHN • Hildesheim/Holzminden/Göttingen HAWK (Göttingen) • Ingolstadt FH • Jena FH • Kaiserslautern FH • Karlsruhe HS • Kempten FH • Kiel FH • Koblenz FH • Köln FH

(Gummersbach, Köln) • Köln RheinFH • Konstanz FH • Landshut FH • Lausitz FH (Senftenberg) • Leipzig HTWK • Leipzig HTWK (Markkleeberg) • Lippe und Höxter FH (Lemgo) • Lübeck FH • Magdeburg-Stendal FH (Magdeburg) • Mannheim FHTG • Mittweida HS • München FH • Münster FH (Steinfurt) • Niederrhein HS (Krefeld) • Nürnberg FH • Offenburg HS • Oldenburg/ Ostfriesland/Wilhelmshaven FH (Emden, Wilhelmshaven) • Osnabrück FH • Pforzheim HS • Ravensburg-Weingarten HS (Weingarten) • Regensburg FH • Reutlingen HS • Saarland HTW • Schmalkalden FH • Stralsund FH • Südwestfalen FH (Iserlohn, Meschede, Soest) • Trier FH • Ulm FH • Vechta/Diepholz FHWT (Diepholz) • Wiesbaden FH (Rüsselsheim) • Wildau TFH • Wismar FH • Würzb.-Schweinf. FH (Schweinfurt) • Zittau/Görlitz HS (Zittau) • Zwickau HS