The course is divided into five CP-specific areas.

(1) Compulsories
Students complete five compulsory modules that are distributed over the first three semesters.

(2) Track-Specific Compulsories
Depending on the chosen track, students take four to five compulsory modules in the respective specialization field.

(3) Electives
The elective courses allow students to complete a total of 21 CP according to their individual interests. The elective areas are defined track-specific.

(4) Practical Experience or Electives (Mobility Window)
The third semester includes a mobility window to encourage work experience during studies: Students can use this window to complete a 12-week internship. Alternatively, additional elective modules amounting to 12 CP can be completed.

(5) Language Course and Master Thesis
German Language courses amounting to 6CP (completion of A2.2) are compulsory within the first three semesters. Students who are already proficient in German can instead take another foreign language course (except English).

You can find useful information about internship organization in this section, in case you opt for practical experience instead of elective courses in the mobility window

Formal guidelines
In general, the instructions in the Internship Directives apply. There are no strict guidelines for the layout. Nonetheless, the font size should not exceed 12 points, lines should be maximum 1.5-spaced and the margin should be maximum 2.5 cm. Pictures and charts may be inserted and the report should contain a table of contents. The report must at least be signed and stamped on the last page by the instructor of the internship company.

Content
The report should not include daily accounts, but a coherent text about the individual training sections. It should also include a short description of the company. More detailed information about this is included in the internship directives.

Accreditation of the Internship

Internship Office of the faculty for mechanical engineering

Students have a duration of six months in order to complete their master thesis. Please note that you need to fill in the German "Erfassungsbogen Masterarbeit". As a requirement, students have to complete the at least 85 CP in order to register the master thesis. For further details please see the NPE examination regulations.

Final academic transcripts must be signed by the responsible deans or by the heads of examination boards, which can take some time. As stated in the examination regulations, it can take up to three months before your transcript is ready.

The certificates will be sent to RWTH International Academy by ZPA. The staff will immediately inform students about the receipt of the certificate. Students can then either collect the certificate from the RWTH International Academy office, or have the certificate mailed to a requested address.

See also the website of the ZPA for more information.

RWTH International Academy's Graduation Ceremony
RWTH International Academy organizes an exclusive ceremony in Spring for all the students who have graduated in the past year. The event will be announced well in advance by email to all students in their last semester

Yearbook of your Master's Class
Students of the international master's programs will be invited to submit a picture and to send in a short personal statement about their study experience in Aachen for the yearbook. You will be presented with it during the RWTH International Academy's graduation event or upon request

Alumni Network
International Academy has its own alumni network that helps you connect to  and stay in touch with fellow alumni as well as the Academy.

Alumni Gallery
We would be happy to include your testimonial in our Alumni Gallery. This is a nice way to keep your fellow class members updated and share your experiences with prospective students.

Graduation Event of the RWTH Aachen University
This event is held for students of all disciplines and of all degrees. See the website here.

Please refer to the website of the faculty of Mechanical Engineering for a detailed description how to change your curriculum.

The curriculum change process encompasses all the steps necessary so that you receive a different curriculum from the standard curriculum.
This particularly applies to taking modules in an elective field outside of the elective catalogue in order to create an individual academic profile.

In order to get the curriculum change approved, please fill in the curriculum change form (available in the download section of this page), have it signed and approved by your study advisor and then hand it to the board of examiners in the faculty.

The study advisor is a direct contact person for students at the faculty and helps with all questions regarding the scientific content of the study program. He is available throughout the duration of the students' stay to support them in their planning. He can also be contacted when requesting a change of the study program, or taking up additional courses. As there is no walk-in office hous, please contact him via e-mail to make an appointment.

Mr. Sebastian Schneider, M.Sc.
Fraunhofer Institute for Production Technology IPT
RWTH Aachen University
Steinbachstr. 17
52074 Aachen, Germany
Email: sebastian.schneider@ipt.fraunhofer.de

Study Start
All RWTH International Academy Master's degree programs start in winter semester (early October of each year).

German Academic Year
The academic year is made up of a winter and a summer semester.

Lecture Period
Lectures are held until the middle of February in the winter semester and until the middle of July in the summer semester.

Exam Period
Most exams are held in the lecture-free period (mid February to the end of March/mid July to the end of September).

For more info, check the RWTH Aachen University Academic Calendar.

If you are confronted with a problem, the RWTH International Academy Master Office can help you tackle it. It is our mission to provide thorough support so that nothing gets in the way of your studies. If you are in need of guidance, please get in contact with us.