Well networked, multidisciplinary & sustainable

With slightly more than 7,500 students, Bochum University of Applied Sciences is comfortably sized, offering a much more personal atmosphere than the larger universities in the surrounding area. In its original campus in Bochum itself and the new one at Velbert/Heiligenhaus, the university pursues an innovative path in teaching and research. Six departments cover the main focal areas of Construction(architecture, civil engineering, geodesy), Engineering (electrical engineering, informatics, mechatronics and mechanical engineering), and Business. With a good 50 bachelor's courses, the goal is to equip students with the knowledge and skills that will allow them to transition seamlessly into their careers. Part-time study courses stretching over 13 semesters make it possible for people to gain additional qualifications alongside their day jobs. Bochum University of Applied Sciences sees its 15 master's courses not just as opportunities to deepen the academic knowledge gained in bachelor's degrees but as qualifications in fields in which it is especially well versed and where its expertise is sought after.

Collaboration with companies in its home region and beyond is very important to the university, on the teaching as well as the research level. Regular marketplace events offering dissertation or thesis opportunities on engineering or business topics make it possible for companies to research practical issues systematically with a minimum of outlay. More than 150 professors teach and research at Bochum University of Applied Sciences. All of them have spent several years as practitioners in the field, which was a basic precondition for their appointment to the teaching staff.

Master Program: "Geothermal Energy Systems" - completely in English

The securing of a reliable and sustainable energy supply for the next decades will be in the centre of the endeavours of the future academic generations. To be prepared for the future challenges, creative academics are needed, who think beyond their technical boundaries and develop new approaches towards the energy management issue. The broadly based integration of the geothermal energy utilisation into the future energy mix will be realised by specialists and managers of the building, energy and utility industries as well as by the governmental administrations.

The master program “Geothermal Energy Systems“ is offered to prospective graduates of the bachelor programs “Civil Engineering”, “Environmental Engineering” or similar programs. It is a specialization in the master program Environmental Engineering (Umweltingenieurwesen).

For more information regarding the program please contact Mr. Stephan Exner: stephan.exner(at)hs-bochum.de

Since the 1990s, Hochschule Bochum has been building up contacts with universities around the world, but primarily in Europe and Asia. This has resulted in many instances of close collaboration, The forms of interaction are varied, stretching from organising internships and arranging student and lecturer exchanges to joint research projects and study courses offering double degrees. The intensification of international networking in many areas of business also creates new challenges in the working world. The university's aim is to prepare its alumni as best as possible to meet these challenges while itself learning from the ideas and experiences of others involved in teaching, research and organisational matters. It has therefore created study courses that permit stays abroad where students are mentored and looked after by the university's partner establishments in other countries.

At Bochum, innovation in teaching includes introducing new degree courses like architectural media management and geothermal energy or new teaching and learning aids (special coaching in branches of mathematics, e-learning, student jobs at the university, introductory projects for first-semester students). But it also means educating students in skills beyond their core academic disciplines.

The fundamental notion that sustainable development must be a core principle in society and academia has been anchored since 2011 in the Hochschule Bochum development plan. This principle must be evident throughout the organisation - in teaching, research, infrastructure and the conduct of the university. In 2013, this idea was embodied in an interdisciplinary bachelor's degree course entitled "Sustainable Development", which has proved very popular with students.

For many years, the Architecture department has been placed among the Top 5 in the CHE ranking, primarily due to student ratings: All students are allocated their own workspace. Covering an area of 1,200 square metres, the Blue Box offers around 250 state-of-the-art workplaces with PC and notebook hook-ups. The Civil Engineering department has special strengths in the areas of water management and the environment. This is epitomised in the Hydraulic Engineering laboratory and the International Geothermal Centre, whose varied research and teaching activities (headquarters of the International Geothermal Association, geothermal energy network of the EnergieAgentur.NRW, Bochum Graduate School AGES, etc.) are recognised nationally and internationally as intrinsic to the university's reputation.

The Geodesy department with its focus on educating for real life practice is unique in North Rhine-Westphalia.

Core Engineering disciplines at Hochschule Bochum are electrical engineering, informatics, mechatronics and mechanical engineering. And since 1995, the university has offered its courses in these areas as dual study courses with vocational training in a cooperating engineering education programme. At the Velbert/Heiligenhaus campus, this study model is a key feature implemented in close cooperation with local corporations who train apprentices. The successful training of engineers within the region is based on collaboration with the non-profit organisation "Die Schlüsselregion" (the Key Region), a network of local companies and institutions.

Bochum University of Applied Sciences is widely acknowledged for its activities in the field of Electromobility. For many years, students have been building cars driven by solar power with which they have successfully competed in the World Solar Challenge in Australia. This experience is evidenced by solar racers such as SolarWorld No.1, the BOcruiser, SolarWorld GT (which earned an entry in the Guinness Book of Records for its round-the-world trip) or the Powercore SunCruiser, with which Hochschule Bochum garnered 2nd place in the Cruiser class of the 2013 world championships. In 2015, Team Bochum and its ThyssenKrupp SunRiser took 3rd place in this category of vehicles designed specifically for practicality.

Bochum University of Applied Sciences places special value on its international focus. In order to prepare students for increasing cross-border business cooperation already during their studies, Bochum University of Applied Sciences has built up a network with universities abroad. This network has facilitated the setting up of international degree programmes and courses that convey to our students the special experience required for such global cooperation.

What we mean here is the diversity of the people at Bochum University of Applied Sciences studying and working alongside each other. We are all different, e.g. in terms of age, gender, social or cultural origins, world view or circumstances and whether we have a disability or not. What we have in common is that we want to be productive and successful in our studies or our professional activities at the University.

As far as reconciling studying and family commitments is concerned, our community extends beyond the lecture theatre. We have created a framework at Bochum University of Applied Sciences that enables students to choose an individual way of life that suits them. Our “Family-Friendly Bochum University of Applied Sciences” service unit functions as a central contact point for all staff and students at Bochum University of Applied Sciences with questions about studying or working as a parent or carer.

Studying, regardless of which subject, is a particular challenge especially for students with a handicap. We at Bochum University of Applied Sciences are aware of this and help our students with a handicap or chronic disorder as best we can.