Automotive technology – Sustainable vehicle and drive technology

The course is strongly practice- and project-oriented and therefore specifically geared towards the requirements of professional practice. You will work on the vehicle from the very first semester and work on several projects during the course of your studies, either alone or as part of a team. In addition, you will complete various internships in modern laboratories and workshops alongside your lectures. There are also specific projects with partners from industry, which create valuable contacts for starting your career. The strong practical and project focus of the degree program promotes your skills in project and process management as well as your teamwork and communication skills, optimally preparing you for the demands of the modern working world.

A degree course with in-depth practical experience (PraxisPLUS) offers the opportunity to gain up to 50 percent more practical experience during the course of your studies – without extending the duration of your studies. The prerequisite is a work contract with a company/institution. Students can apply their knowledge from the lecture directly at work. The work in the company is remunerated. This in turn makes it easier to finance their studies.

In the Sustainable Vehicle and Drive Technology branch of the Automotive Technology degree program, you will learn the following basics in the first three theoretical semesters:

• Automotive engineering
• Mathematics
• Mechanics and construction
• Electrical engineering and electronics
• Computer science and programming
• Business administration
• Project management

The second part of the course begins in the fourth semester. The practical semester, which can also be completed abroad, takes place in the fourth or sixth semester. You can therefore design your course of study individually.

In the two theoretical semesters of the second stage of the course (e.g. 4th and 5th semester or 5th and 6th semester) you will deepen your knowledge in your specific field of study.

Contents are for example:

• Electrical drive technology
• Environmentally friendly vehicle concepts
• Thermal management for electric and hybrid vehicles
• Regenerative fuels for combustion engines
• Product development in the automotive industry

By choosing various compulsory elective modules, you can further shape your studies to a large extent according to your wishes. You can choose from the following subjects, for example:

• Battery and hydrogen technology
• Vehicle aerodynamics
• Chassis systems
• Strength simulation

The independent Bachelor’s thesis on site or in industry is integrated into the 7th semester.

Before the start of the practical semester, i.e. before your studies or during the first semester break, you will complete a 6-week basic internship in a company and gain your first practical insights into the automotive industry. The basic internship can be waived in full or in part upon application, for example if you have a degree from a technical college or relevant vocational training. You can find more information in our information sheet on the basic internship. If you have any questions, please contact the relevant internship officer.

You can complete the practical semester in either the fourth or sixth semester. It comprises a continuous period of 20 weeks in a company. Here you can put your skills to the test in industry on an interesting project and make valuable contacts for your career. You will also attend practical courses.

Studying with in-depth practice (PraxisPLUS)

A degree course with in-depth practical experience (PraxisPLUS) offers the opportunity to gain up to 50 percent more practical experience during the course of your studies – without extending the duration of your studies. The prerequisite is a work contract with a company/institution. Students can apply their knowledge from the lecture directly at work. The work in the company is remunerated. This in turn makes it easier to finance their studies.

Cooperative study program (PraxisPLUS)

In the combined study program (PraxisPLUS), you combine the Bachelor’s degree with a suitable vocational training, for example a Bachelor’s degree in Automotive Technology with training as an automotive mechatronics technician.

This variant usually takes one year longer than the regular course of study, as you spend the first year exclusively in the training company and at the vocational school; you only start studying in the second year. From then on, you will spend the lecture period at the university and the lecture-free period as well as the practical semester in your training company. After 2.5 to 3 years, you will take the final examination for your apprenticeship, but will continue to work for your practice partner. You will also agree the topic of your Bachelor’s thesis with them. After 4.5 to 5 years, you will have a vocational training qualification and a Bachelor’s degree.