Mechanical Engineering international at RWU

Weingarten - The country needs engineers. Not only Germany, but the whole world. To meet the challenges of our time, it needs clever and creative minds that develop innovative ideas. Before they can do that, they need to be trained - at RWU, for example.

International Mechanical Engineering study program

A new study option in Mechanical Engineering started at Ravensburg-Weingarten University of Applied Sciences (RWU) in the summer semester of 2023: International Project Engineering. Nine students, mostly from Asia and Turkey, began their studies. This is an international and English-language variant of the classic Mechanical Engineering course. The prospective engineers are not only taught the fundamentals of mechanical engineering and production technology, but also engineering and business topics as well as digital know-how. The elective options during the course of study offer students the opportunity to prepare for various professional fields in an interdisciplinary manner.

In the first four semesters, the course language is English. Thus, these language skills are also promoted. Students whose native language is not German acquire appropriate German language skills during their time at RWU. Furthermore, intercultural skills are taught, for example through contact and exchange with other students as well as through experiences abroad.

Working world of the future

"The study program was developed in cooperation with three companies, namely Bosch, B. Braun and Osram," says Professor Dr. Ralf Stetter, who heads the study option at RWU. "A special feature is the cooperation with the Penang Skills Development Center (PSDC) in Malaysia." Here, students spend the third and fourth semesters in Malaysia: they complete six months as an internship semester at one of the cooperation companies' locations, and the other six months at the PSDC for courses on digital production and Industry 4.0. As a rule, students complete their internship semester either at a partner company in Germany or in non-German-speaking countries.

"Our goal is to train students not only for the German job market, but for the international job market. Our focus is primarily on factory planning and automation," explains Ralf Stetter. Other key content areas include international project management, manufacturing and assembly processes.

Internationally recognized degree

With its international orientation and English language, the International Project Engineering degree program is aimed not only at international students, but equally at German students who wish to study in English. "Thanks to our practice-oriented teaching, our graduates have the best opportunities not only on the national job market, but also on the international job market," reports Ralf Stetter. After seven semesters, students receive the internationally recognized Bachelor of Engineering degree and thus have the best prospects in numerous industries.

Text: Lisann Gauss