Electrical Engineering (Bachelor)

Electrical engineering is one of the most important sectors of the German economy. It encompasses the classic fields of energy supply, automation technology, telecommunications, and circuitry. The significance of electrical engineering has increased markedly through the transformation of industry under the banners of “industrial digitalization”, “Industry 4.0”, the “Industrial Internet of Things”, and the shift towards greener energy. The processing and transmission of digital data requires solutions from communications engineering and high-frequency engineering. For future autonomous systems in industry and transportation, research in the fields of instrumentation and automation technology is needed.

Electric vehicles, the shift to digital technologies in industry, and Germany’s energy reforms mean that the job market for electric engineering graduates is rapidly growing. The German electrotechnology association (VDE) expects the number of jobs in its sector to increase by up to 50% in the coming years, without even enough graduating students to fill the existing jobs that will be becoming available. The information technology, automotive technology and power engineering sectors will particularly need well-trained electrical engineers in the future. The electrical engineering degree program trains engineers to engage in research and development in an interdisciplinary way in the areas of general electrical engineering, energy technology, and information technology. This degree program is very well-known and highly regarded among employers, and graduates are especially urgently needed by the industry for the modern technologies of the digital age.

• Electrical engineering is a well-known degree that is highly regarded among potential employers.
• Excellent job prospects: According to current trends, the number of graduates is not even sufficient to cover the number of existing jobs becoming available.
• Electric vehicles, the shift to digital technologies, and the reform of the energy system all require research and development by electrical engineers; for both traditional and new technologies, electrical engineering graduates’ knowledge and skills are in demand.

Through the research focus areas Open Cyber-Physical Systems and Simulation and Sustainable Energy Systems, TU Clausthal deals with core elements of the reform of the energy system and the shift to digital technologies. It offers a wealth of options for industrial placements and final projects. One partner when it comes to electric vehicles, the transformation of the energy system, and the shift to digital technologies is China; its massive urban areas place particular demands on mobility, power generation, and information sharing. German industry needs electrical engineers with an understanding of China. That is why this program includes the option for bachelor’s students in electrical engineering to spend one or more semesters studying in China through a cooperation program with Sichuan University in Chengdu.

The degree program is designed to impart the fundamentals of researching and developing modern technologies for the digitalized world. Its goal is to put students in a position to design technological systems of optimum functionality. This requires foundational knowledge of mathematics, physics and technology, which is taught particularly in the first three semesters. The content taught in subsequent semesters focuses more on expertise in methods, with electives providing the opportunity for students to choose focal areas of their own. The final two semesters also include industrial placements and a final thesis (academic writing). Successful completion of the bachelor’s degree opens up the possibility of a consecutive master’s program, and later doctorate studies.

Focus

• Foundations in the natural sciences (mathematics, physics)
• Engineering fundamentals (electrical engineering, applied mechanics, systems theory, control engineering, power engineering, power generation, electrical functional materials, theory of electromagnetic fields and waves, design of embedded systems)
• Engineering applications (data processing, electronics, instrumentation, mechatronic systems, communications engineering, automation technology)
• Interdisciplinary content (English, knowledge of China, business administration, social skills)

An eight-week pre-study internship is to be completed before the start of the degree program; students must provide evidence of its completion, at the latest, when registering for their bachelor’s thesis. A ten-week industrial placement is to be completed as part of the degree program.