The Bachelor of Science in the course of study “Mechanical Engineering – Sustainable Engineering” is acquired if all compulsory subjects required by the examination regulations, the specified number of credit points in the elective subjects, and the bachelor's thesis have been successfully passed. In addition, a six-week internship in the industry must be completed and recognised by the end of the 2nd semester. It is recommended to complete the internship before the start of the programme. The standard period of study is 3 years and the programme is offered in German.

We have gathered further information on the application process for you here. You can submit your application easily online via the central application portal of the TU Darmstadt.

The Department of Mechanical Engineering has defined several educational goals that you will achieve during your studies:

Fundamental knowledge

Our students acquire sound knowledge in the mathematical and scientific fundamentals of engineering.

Problem-solving skills

We impart knowledge and skills with which complex problems can be recognised and navigated, engineering approaches can be developed and holistic solutions can be implemented.

Scientific methodology

You will learn to evaluate, apply and further develop scientific methods in order to advance social, technical and scientific progress as an engineer in planning, development, research, manufacturing, production, distribution and consulting.

Digitalisation

In addition to programming competencies, the focus on digitalisation incorporates FAIR principles, mathematical methods of machine learning, and practical applications in the digitalisation internship. This is because the analysis and synthesis of technical systems today is model-based, and the hybrid models have engineering fundamentals and data as their input.

Teamwork

Graduates must be able to work as part of a team.

Responsibility

The Department of Mechanical Engineering is guided by the Sustainable Development Goals. Therefore, you will learn to recognise the social, economic and environmental consequences of engineering activities in order to act responsibly as an engineer in society even beyond the narrower scope of your duties.

Study Content

The educational content of the bachelor's programme includes several subject areas that are essential to working as an engineer. These subjects are covered in a series of lectures over several semesters. The structure of the study programme takes into account that the foundations for further lectures are taught in the previous semesters.

The study programme includes (among others) the following courses:

• Fundamentals of engineering mathematics
• Mechanics of static, elastic and dynamic systems and fluids
• Thermodynamics and heat and mass transfer
• Chemistry, physics and materials science
• Electrical engineering, data processing and metrology
• Digitalisation and FAIR principles
• Construction theory, computer-aided design and measurement technology
• Production engineering
• Systems theory, control engineering and numerical simulation methods

The curriculum is rounded off by a number of project assignments and the course “Introduction to Scientific Work and Writing”, which are designed for students to be able to learn outside of the standard teaching of methodology and in larger groups and organisations. These include the award-winning one-week first-semester project “Introduction to Mechanical Engineering” and the one-month fifth-semester project “Product Design Project”. The “Digitalisation Internship” once again incorporates the important subject of digitalisation.

While the principles of sustainability, safety, and resource-conserving, environmentally compatible action are treated as cross-cutting topics in all subject modules, “Engineering Science and Society” places its focus specifically on the ethical and philosophical foundations in the work of engineers. The common goal is to ensure that graduates from the TU Darmstadt are able to evaluate technical systems and design them in a sustainable manner.

The Department of Mechanical Engineering at the TU Darmstadt has set itself the goal of offering the broadest possible, general and well-founded education that will enable students to carry out their first independent research. Therefore, the general course of study emphasises a systematic, foundational education, which can then be deepened later in the context of master's studies or dissertations.

For admission to the bachelor's degree programme, a preliminary internship must be completed that conveys elementary knowledge of materials as well as their machinability and processability and provides an overview of the manufacturing facilities and processes. Proof of completion of the internship must be submitted by the end of the first year of study. In addition, the department offers a variety of abroad study placements as an optional opportunity.

Support

The Department of Mechanical Engineering values providing comprehensive support for its students.

On average, we have about 300 new undergraduate students per year. Good and close supervision is important to us and is made possible by a highly qualified teaching staff. With a total of more than 600 scientists, we can guarantee a supervision ratio in the low single digits. This is especially noticeable in the mostly small and specialised courses of the higher semesters and in the supervision of projects and student work.

The MechCenter is your office for student affairs and has different support offers.

TheMechanical Engineering Student Committee offers you further support from and for students of the department.

And after your bachelor's degree?

After completing your bachelor's degree, it's best to continue directly with a master's degree at our university – either in mechanical engineering, in our specialised aerospace engineering programme, or in one of our other interdisciplinary programmes such as energy science and engineering!

A degree in mechanical engineering gives you the best qualifications and job prospects for developing solutions to the major challenges of our time – from climate-friendly energy and sustainable mobility to modern production processes. This allows you to make a valuable contribution to actively shaping the future – because the big solutions of the future will be technical.

Employers for mechanical engineering graduates include industrial groups, manufacturers in the aerospace industry, energy companies, monitoring and testing institutions, engineering firms, consulting firms, the automotive industry, and public research institutions such as ESA, DLR, and Fraunhofer Institutes.

But what does that mean in more concrete terms? Here are a few examples for you, although there are many other areas beyond these:

• You shape the mobility of tomorrow: You design components (e.g. turbines, lightweight structures, engines or satellites), simulate their behaviour (e.g. under heat or stress) and build prototypes that you test on test benches.
• You optimise the use of energy and resources: Among other things, you develop strategies and methods to use, store or convert electricity more efficiently, or improve production processes. The development and implementation of circular economy concepts may also be part of your remit.
• You design cyber-physical systems of the future: You develop intelligent systems in which machines, sensors and software work together – from digital twins and automated production facilities to autonomous vehicles. You also work on artificial intelligence that understands data, recognises patterns and enables machines to react in real time.
• You will work on improving health and quality of life: Mechanical engineering also plays an important role in medicine. For example, in 3D printing of implants or tissue, in high-precision procedures for diagnostics and drug testing, or in the development of new medical devices.

Do you share our fascination for mechanical engineering? If you want to find out whether the requirements of mechanical engineering studies match your competencies and your expectations, then use our Online Self-Assessment Mechanical Engineering. You can start your Online Self-Assessment easily through the following link, without registration and of course free of charge: OSA Mechanical Engineering (in German only)