Academics & Administration
This section is intended to provide interested applicants and enrolled master students with important information about academics as for example the course's structure as well as rules and regulations in academic matters.
Internship
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 like?
Detailed information about this is included in the Internship Directives. 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 basic internship. The exact procedure of submitting the report at the Internship Office is described here. The report must at least be signed and stamped on the last page by the instructor of the internship company.
Internship Office of the faculty for mechanical engineering
Master thesis
Students have a duration of four month (students enrolled within the examination rules of 2006) or 22 weeks (students enrolled within the examination rules of 2013) 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 45 CP (92 CP for intake of 2012, 2011 and older) in order to register the master thesis. For further details please see the examination rules.
Academic Calendar
All RWTH International Academy Master's degree programs starts 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.
Winter Semester |
1 October |
31 March |
Exams Winter Semester |
mid February |
end March |
Summer Semester |
1 April |
30 September |
Exams Summer Semester |
mid July |
end September |
Examination Regulations
All courses and examinations at the University are subject to the General Examination Regulation. This legal document together with your course's specific Examination Regulation form the legal basis of any program offered by the University. These important documents determine the scope of your studies and inform about all rules and regulations regarding admission, exams, course structure, master thesis, etc.
You can download the PSE Examination Regulation here.
All matters concerning examinations are dealt with by the ZPA - the Central Examination Office. You can go to the ZPA with questions relating:
Curriculum Changes
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 form on the right, have it signed and approved by your study advisor and then hand it to the board of examiners in the faculty.
PSE Study Advisor
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
Academic Transcripts and M.Sc. Certificate
Final academic transcripts must be signed by the responsible deans or by the heads of examination boards. This 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.
Counseling and Advice
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.
You might want to take a look here, to find out more if you have general questions with regards to everyday university life.
Graduation
- 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 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.