Interdisciplinary vocational training opens up a variety of occupation fields to our industrial engineering graduates. Their individual profiles and high specialization acquired in their disciplines will give them access to job opportunities such as:

• Strategic product and technology planning:  product planning for future markets
• Research and development
• Production and process automation, conceptualization of future production processes
• Distribution and logistics
• (Technical) marketing
• Quality management
• Plant and company organization
• Management and consulting
• Controlling

Our former graduates are presently employed in both small and medium-sized enterprises as well as in large international companies. Due to their versatile education they are sought after in various sectors of industry. Some typical branches are:

• Automotive industry
• Space and aeronautics
• Electrical and electronics industry (EEI)
• Mechanical and tool construction
• Computer and semiconductor industry
• Medical technology
• Tertiary industry (e.g. management consultancy, marketing agencies etc.)
• Research institutes and universities (academic careers)

Our industrial engineering graduates have a sound education in business studies acquired in simultaneously studying economic and engineering subjects (dual programs). These studies will impart to them the knowledge and competencies they require for designing and implementing business activities in future global markets. The following knowledge is imparted: 

• Expertise in mathematical, scientific, industrial engineering and economic basic subjects
• Expertise in specific industrial engineering and economic subjects
• Vocational expertise in industrial science, economics, law and social sciences as well as in foreign languages
• Competency to recognize and assess technical/economic interrelations, to think in terms of models and systems (abstraction capacity)
• Inventive and creative skills (creativity)
• Interpersonal skills and ability to guide people (reasoning, communication and motivation)
• Ability to critically reflect on one’s own activities and to assume responsibility for work results

The Paderborn industrial engineer is an engineer with an education in economics. He therefore studies economic and engineering subjects simultaneously (simultaneous studies). Through his studies, the Paderborn industrial engineer acquires the knowledge and skills to shape corporate activities in tomorrow's global markets. We impart the following knowledge during the course of study: 

•    Expert knowledge in the basic subjects of mathematics, natural sciences, engineering and economics.
•    Specialist knowledge in special engineering and business subjects
•    Job-related expertise in labour, economics, law and social sciences as well as foreign languages
•    Ability to recognize and evaluate technical and economic contexts, to think in terms of models and systems (ability to abstract)
•    Inventive and design skills (creativity)
•    Skills in dealing with people and in guiding people (reasoning, communication and motivation)
•    Ability to critically reflect on one's own activities and to take responsibility for the results of one's work

The Bachelor degree program Industrial Engineering with 180 ECTS stretches over 6 semesters, at the end of which graduates will be awarded the academic degree B.Sc. – “Bachelor of Science”. The degree program is split into basic studies (semester 1-4 with 120 ECTS) and in-depth studies (semester 5-6 with 60 ECTS), in the course of which credits must be achieved in engineering (60%) and business studies or interdisciplinary courses (40%).

Preparation of the bachelor thesis can be started only after having successfully passed all module examinations in the first bachelor degree’s phase and given proof of the 12 weeks’ practical training. In the transitional period to the master program bachelor students may already participate in master degree program courses.  The governing transitional regulation applies.

The Master in Industrial Engineering is a consecutive program based on the knowledge acquired in the completed bachelor taking 4 semesters and 120 ECTS. Graduates from this program will earn the Master of Science (MSc) degree, which qualifies for admission to PhD studies. The detailed curriculum for the Master program in Industrial Engineering (Electrical Engineering) is listed below:

Bachelor

There is presently free admission to the bachelor degree program in industrial engineering, i.e. there are no entry restrictions. Future students may enrol in summer and will be legally entitled to admission when meeting the formal entry requirements.

The degree program itself always starts in the winter semester (early October)

Formal admission criteria are dependent on the following school graduations:

• Higher education entrance qualification/Abitur: direct admission
• Subject specific university entrance certificate in engineering/economics: direct admission
• Advanced technical college entrance qualification: aptitude test and certain grades required (see more details here.

Master

Basically, all industrial engineering graduates from Paderborn holding a bachelor’s degree may directly enrol in the master’s program. Bachelor graduates of the same degree program or similar programs applying from other universities and/or colleges may also enrol, subject, however, to verification of comparability of qualifications in cases where that is not obvious. Students lacking admission requirements, e.g. when changing majors, are recommended to initially enrol in the local bachelor degree program and to attend missing courses and undergo examinations before being admitted to the master’s program. In general, students may enrol both in summer and winter semester.

During their degree program students will undergo a practical training for a period of 12 weeks, which should be finished at the beginning of semester 3. This training period may be extended but must be completed at the latest before starting the bachelor’s thesis.  

Exemption:  Successfully completed vocational education and training (technical or administrative) is generally accepted in lieu of the mandatory practical training.

Further information about the practical training you find here. Link to Regulations of the Practical training.

What we recommend

Since no credits will be awarded for the practical training performed, students are required to seek placements themselves and to implement the training in their degree study. 

Experience has shown though that it proves extremely difficult to integrate the practical training of 12 weeks into your course of studies, be it in one go or gradually, without delaying the program. We therefore recommend completing the entire or at least the major part of the training before commencing the degree program.

After graduating from school the majority of prospective students have a gap of 4 to 5 months before starting their studies, which can be used to undergo the practical training beforehand.