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Where and how can I study and what does the Technische Universität Kaiserslautern offer?

If you decide to study at the TU Kaiserslautern, then you are studying at a technical university. A Technical University (TU), is a university that focuses on engineering courses (mechanical engineering, process engineering, electrical engineering and civil engineering). However, traditional courses of study are also offered, such as humanities and social sciences. The latter include the economic science courses "Business Administration" and "Industrial Engineering and Management".

The study at a university is scientifically oriented. This means that you will not only learn how to solve problems, but above all you will learn how to recognize problems before they cause great damage, you will learn how to structure problems and learn how to solve these problems with which appropriate methods. For this purpose, a sound basic theoretical knowledge is essential. This also lays the foundation for a doctorate and a further academic career. At the same time, a university education qualifies you for professional work in companies, associations and administrations, etc. A contact to professional practice is continuously established during the studies through internships, study or research projects in cooperation with companies, practical master theses. However, you should be the one or the one who brings new impulses into the business practice, therefore a bachelor thesis is usually not more useful than a practical thesis. Bachelor and master theses are scientific papers and document the success of the studies. Companies cannot award final theses! The learning content is taught in the form of lectures, exercises, seminars and laboratories. In the lectures you sit together with many other students. There are lectures with more than 1000 listeners, although this is rather the exception. The exercises are usually divided into smaller groups, as are the tutorials, in which the subject matter is further deepened in the form of tasks and exercises. At a university you have to take care of your course of study and therefore success mostly by yourself, you must therefore have very good self-organisation skills.

In contrast, universities of applied sciences offer a more highly schooled education. There the groups are smaller and the supervision is more intensive. The tighter organisation of the course of study means that there are far fewer opportunities for specialisation than at universities. The training is more strongly oriented towards professional/business practice. The lecturers are very often practitioners.

The third option is the vocational academies, which have changed their name to dual universities, or the dual courses at universities of applied sciences. Here, practical vocational training in a company is supplemented by theoretical training which should be higher than that offered at vocational schools. As a rule, training here is very company-specific and the ties to the training company are very close. A later transfer to a university is hardly possible.

The following diagram illustrates the differences between the types of training:

The university education does not convey the immediate applicability of what has been learned for professional practice, the task of university education is

  • to use analytical-abstract thinking and scientific methods,
  • to identify and solve tasks and problems systematically and goal-oriented
  • to apply knowledge and skills, including independent acquisition, and scientific knowledge to professional problems.

For pure practitioners can indeed carry things out and possibly judge details, one by one: but general designs, plans and arrangements are left to the best educated people.

Course Structure

The first stage of study is the Bachelor. The Bachelor's degree lasts between six and eight semesters, i.e. between three and four years. All of the types of universities listed above offer a Bachelor's degree. Basically, the Bachelor's degree programmes can be distinguished according to their specialisation. There are very specialized Bachelor's degree programs and Bachelor's degree programs that offer a broad basic education and only few opportunities for specialization.

Specialised courses of study may make it easier to enter the relevant functional area of a company, but it is difficult to change to another functional area of the company. It is also difficult to follow a Master's programme at another university because the necessary basic knowledge is often lacking. The bachelor's programs at the TU Kaiserslautern focus on a broad basic education and thus provide students with a broad but also deep insight into all aspects of business practice.

The bachelor education in Kaiserslautern is one of the most comprehensive and profound study programs in this field in Germany. The specialization is carried out at the TU Kaiserslautern in the master's degree program. The Bachelor in Industrial Engineering and Management is designed for a standard period of study of 7 semesters, the Bachelor in Business Administration and Business Administration with Technical Qualification is designed for a standard period of study of 6 semesters. This is then followed by the respective Master's course of study, which lasts 3 or 4 semesters. From the point of view of the Faculty of Economic Sciences, the Master's degree is the standard university degree. 

Internships and work experience

Internships and professional experience are also of considerable importance for a scientific education. If you are aiming for a degree in economics, practical experience is essential. Therefore, internships are to be completed during the course of study. At the TU Kaiserslautern, some industrial engineering and management courses require a basic technical internship prior to the bachelor's degree. For all fields of study, a minimum of 12 weeks of business / economic internship for business administration (9 weeks internship for WI) is mandatory during the master's degree course.

International experience

A stay abroad is as necessary as an internship. Either you combine the internship with a stay abroad or you study one or two semesters at a partner university. In this case there are no extra tuition fees to be paid by the partner university. The study achievements to be achieved abroad are laid down in a "Learning Agreement" and are then also recognised as study achievements. A more intensive form is offered by the dual or joint degree programmes. At the RPTU there is a Dual Degree Programme. In addition to the Kaiserslautern Bachelor's/Master's degree, you acquire the French degree of ENSGSI Nancy.

Other qualifications required

Foreign languages: English is not a foreign language but English is the language of business and very good to business fluent knowledge is taken for granted. This is a requirement for all Master's programmes. During the course of studies many lectures are held in English. It is expected that you can speak English. If you cannot, you must acquire it yourself. At every university there are advanced English courses, but these are usually not part of the study programme (curriculum). In Kaiserslautern they are not part of the curriculum, but have to be acquired additionally. Therefore, an additional language besides German and English would be desirable.

Soft-Skills: Soft factors or better the handling of people and decisions, such as social competence, ability to solve problems, mobility and flexibility, ability to work in a team, motivation, personal responsibility, time management etc. etc. are besides the hard factors (grade, combination of subjects etc.) of considerable importance in everyday business life as well as in dealing with people in general. Especially students of interdisciplinary courses of study, such as industrial engineering and business administration with technical qualifications have to find their way in different worlds (those of economists and engineers). This is not possible without "soft skills". At the TU Kaiserslautern these are part of the bachelor's degree program.

Extra-curricular activities: Social and community involvement in student organizations (Fachschaft, VWI, Bonding, AIESEC)or in political and social institutions show social competence but also leadership qualities if you hold a leading position there.

Computer skills: Office software (office products such as Word, Excel, PowerPoint) are tools of the trade and are as natural as brushing your teeth every day.

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Business and Technology: Studying at the TUK

 

 

Bachelor Degree Programmes

Business Administration

Business Administration with technical Qualification

Industrial Engineering and Management