Bachelor´s of Mechanical Engineering

Are you interested in how fuel-efficient vehicle engines work? Would you like to develop turbines and generators that supply an entire city with electrical energy? Would you like to know how software systems control manufacturing processes? Would you like to understand how a machine can programmatically manufacture complex-shaped turbine blades? Or look into the finest surface structures with the help of a scanning electron microscope?

These questions hint at the fascinating variety of activities in the field of mechanical engineering. The job market for engineers is very broad and, in addition to traditional mechanical engineering, also includes the industrial sectors of vehicle construction, aerospace, materials technology, chemistry, automation and drive technology or energy supply.

Important fields of activity include research, development, design, engineering, production technology, management, sales and training. Mechanical engineering is the largest industrial sector in Germany. Germany is known worldwide for its high-quality machinery. To keep it that way, the demand for mechanical engineers in the labor market is very high.

We are a small, dedicated institute with very good facilities and offer the mechanical engineering bachelor's degree in three variants:

• As classical full-time study with six semesters
• as a cooperative course of studies in combination with an apprenticeship
• as a part-time course of studies

The bachelor's degree program in mechanical engineering in Gelsenkirchen offers three main areas of study, which allow students to deepen their specialist knowledge of

• design engineering
• production engineering
• automation technology

This is also associated with an orientation of the studies towards specific professional fields of activity.

Is that too fast for you? Don't worry, you don't have to decide on a focus until after three semesters, and you can always change.

Design Engineering

In the area of design engineering, the conversion of an idea into a technical product takes place. During their studies, prospective design engineers learn about the individual assemblies of products, their interaction and their calculation for strength, deformation and service life.

The study of computer-aided design (CAD) and computer-aided calculation and simulation tools (FEM, CFD) is an important part of the training. This includes, for example, the design and simulation of the operating behavior of energy conversion machines, actuators, drives and complete production systems.

Here, a strongly interdisciplinary way of thinking is required. Knowledge from different disciplines such as electrical engineering, computer science, production engineering, measurement and control technology, quality management and materials science must be brought together while incorporating the fundamentals of the natural sciences.

The major in design engineering offers a versatile, application-oriented and practice-oriented education. Graduates can choose from a wide range of careers with good prospects for advancement. Examples include design engineers in mechanical and plant engineering, automotive engineering, pump, compressor and internal combustion engine construction. Other occupational fields include project planning, production, technical consulting and sales.

Service companies and public authorities also offer a wide range of employment opportunities, for example in materials, calibration and testing offices, in technical monitoring, in licensing or in environmental protection authorities.

Production Engineering

The manufacturing technology major is of interest to those students who later wish to devote themselves primarily to production-related activities in companies. The focus is on teaching content that deals with technologies, processes and machines used in manufacturing as well as the planning and control of work processes.

The main task of production or manufacturing engineers is to plan, control and optimize production facilities and processes. This means that they are responsible for a whole range of tasks: for example, for the maintenance of machinery, computer-aided production planning and control, product quality and compliance with schedules and cost plans. They also examine processes for weaknesses with the aim of eliminating them. They are also responsible for the economic use of labor, machinery and natural resources, taking into account collective bargaining, safety and environmental regulations. Together with the development and design departments, they design production facilities up to and including entire factories, implement new findings for manufacturing processes and ensure that the company produces using rational and up-to-date processes. The technical and managerial review of production processes, taking into account delivery times, costs and quality, is a key focus of their work.

Graduates find their jobs in traditional mechanical and plant engineering, but also in numerous other sectors such as vehicle manufacturing or the white goods industry.

Automation technology

Information and communication technology is also increasingly shaping everyday operations in mechanical engineering. Consequently, the economy, for example, demands that bachelor graduates in the field of engineering must also have basic competences in information technology - for example in microcomputer technology, computer organization and software technology.

The aim of the automation engineering major is to train mechanical engineers with particularly extensive knowledge of computer science or information technology. The automation engineer differs from the pure computer scientist on the one hand by high mechanical engineering competence. On the other hand, the corresponding computer science courses each focus on the application of computer science methods to production processes. For example, the knowledge and practical skills are imparted on how production-related data can be recorded, permanently stored, processed across departments and suitably output. For the development, provision and administration of such systems, in-depth knowledge of software development, databases and computer networks is required. The development of such systems should not only be carried out by pure computer scientists; better systems are created when automation engineers can assess the system design from both a technical and an information technology perspective.

Typical fields of application for mechanical engineers with a major in automation technology can be found in the areas of computer-aided production or industrial automation. In computer-aided production, the focus is on software systems that support the various stages of order processing: from the design and development of a product to production planning and control, manufacturing and quality assurance. In industrial automation, the focus is on the computer-aided automation of manufacturing equipment and process engineering systems. For example, robots and machine controls are programmed or automation concepts for large industrial plants are developed and implemented. In order to design and commission such plants, a pronounced systems thinking is required. Production equipment, its controls and higher-level computer systems must be linked and coordinated with each other. Mechanical engineering and information technology skills are indispensable here.

Research reference

Mechanical engineering is a highly innovative discipline whose further development is largely based on application-oriented research. The professors of the Institute of Mechanical Engineering at the Gelsenkirchen site also face the task of fulfilling this mission. In recent years, a large number of research and development projects - publicly funded or financed by companies - have been worked on in the fields of calculation using finite elements, tribology, materials science, surface technology, etc..

Both students within the scope of their final theses and doctoral students are involved in these research projects. The doctoral studies of the PhD students take place in cooperation with universities in Germany and other European countries and are also an important factor in the scientific orientation of the institute.

In the Institute of Mechanical Engineering, a research focus on "Smart Materials" has existed for several years in cooperation with the Departments of Electrical Engineering and Applied Natural Sciences and the Department of Computer Science and Communication. Furthermore, the competence platform "New Materials: Nanoscale Materials and Functional Layers" is publicly funded, a competence platform that brings together the expertise of three universities of applied sciences - Gelsenkirchen, South Westphalia and Münster - in this sector. This applies not only to joint research activities. The three universities are planning to open up their master's degree programs to students from the other universities.

International orientation of studies

The Institute of Mechanical Engineering has numerous international contacts that have a positive impact on both teaching and research. Lecturers from abroad participate in courses. Students are supported in their efforts to complete the practical phase abroad or to write their Bachelor's thesis there.