Academics & Administration

The course structure is divided into five identical and CP-specific areas.

(1) Compulsory Courses - Program Specific
Students complete five compulsory track modules that are distributed over the first three semesters: Mechatronics and Control Techniques for Production Plants | Manufacturing Technology I | Manufacturing Technology II | Production Management B | Quality Management

(2) Compulsory Courses - Track Specific
Depending on the chosen course track, the students take four to five compulsory modules in the respective specialization field; the CP scope remains the same despite the different number of modules.

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

(4) Practical Experience or Elective Courses
To promote and encourage work experience during the study program, the third semester includes a mobility window. Students can use this window to complete a voluntary internship for a total of 12 weeks. Since the internship is not compulsory, additional modules amounting to 12 CP can alternatively be completed from the comprehensive electives.

(5) Language Course and Master Thesis
Since the course of study is mainly aimed at international students, language courses amounting to 6CP are compulsory within the first three semesters. For international students in particular, these language courses are obligatory German courses. Students who are already proficient in the German language can instead gain in-depth knowledge of another foreign language (except English).

In case you opt for practical experience instead of elective courses in block 4 of your curriculum, you can find useful information about internship organization in this section.

Is there a guideline for an internship report?
No. In general, the instructions in the Internship Directives do apply. Also, 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 certainly be inserted. Furthermore, it should contain a table of contents.

Accreditation of the Internship

How does the internship report have to look?
In general, the following applies: no daily reports but a coherent text about the individual training sections. Also a short description of the company should not be missing as well as individual examples that were e.g. manufactured during the internship. The report must at least be signed and stamped on the last page by the instructor of the internship company. More detailed information about this is included in the internship directives.

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" displayed in the download section. 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 examination rules.

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 by the ZPA to RWTH International Academy. Its staff will immediately inform students about the receipt of the certificate. Students can then either collect the certificate from the RWTH International Academy, 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 this 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:

• Stays abroad, during which alternative courses are used
• Taking modules in an elective field outside of the elective catalogue in order to create an individual academic profile
• Taking modules outside of the course of study in preparation for changing a course of study

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.

All RWTH International Academy Master's degree programs start with the winter semester in early October of each year.

The German academic year is made up of a winter and a summer semester. Lectures are held until the middle of February in the winter semester and until the middle of July in the summer semester. 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 it always happy to help you tackle it. It is our mission to provide support from the beginning as best as we can so that nothing gets in the way of your studies. If you are in need of our support, please get in contact with us.