Sustainable Raw Material Production and Recycling (Bachelor)

The study program commences with winter semester 21/22

Raw materials - essential for Germany as a competitive future business location
Products made of primary or recycled raw materials are used every day. Thus, raw materials are the backbone not only of our day-to-day life but also of our economy. At the same time, conservation and sustainable use of resources require the whole of society to rethink in addition to driving technical progress in all areas of resource provision and use.
These topics of tomorrow are covered in the study program Sustainable Raw Material Production and Recycling to create a more sustainable society.

“Smart mining” and “advanced circular economy” are key concepts of the raw material supply of tomorrow; primary raw material production and recycling become more ecologically and socially viable, building resilience and independence. New technologies in primary and secondary raw material production will substantially change raw material supply. Due to the development of highly efficient processes for the production, treatment and recycling of mineral raw materials, natural resources can be used more sustainably. Innovative processes and digitized connected systems will shape the future. Our study program thus trains allrounders with a technical focus and knowledge of ecological and economical connects in response to these increasingly complex challenges.  In industry, research and administration, a great number of skilled employees are required, who might even specialize further by completing a master’s program.

• Recycling and waste management
• Production and treatment of metallic and mineral raw materials
• Basic material production (metals, building materials, plastics)
• Automotive industry, engineering, chemical industry
• Authorities, environmental protection agencies, engineering offices and consulting
• Financial institutions and insurance companies
• Environmental organizations

The teaching of raw material, energy and materials sciences has a long tradition at TU Clausthal. According to TU Clausthal’s guiding principle, these fields are continued to create a resource-efficient circular economy.
With industry- and practice-oriented research and an extensive national and international network, TU Clausthal is optimally equipped to teach the most current scientific and technical findings relevant for both the professional practice and continued research.
By completing the bachelor program Sustainable Raw Material Production and Recycling with its high degree of practice-orientation, graduates obtain their first academic degree and the qualification for a master’s degree program.

The bachelor program comprises two study fields:

• Sustainable Raw Material Production
• Recycling

A number of fundamentals of natural and engineering sciences, business administration and law, accompanied by cross-cutting questions form the basic structure of the study program.
Each field of study is deepened further by technical modules.
After a sufficient orientation and decision period, the field of study is chosen in the third semester.

Field of Study Sustainable Raw Material Production

• Fundamentals of engineering
• Earth sciences
• Extraction technologies in surface mining and underground mining
• Treatment technology
• Geoinformatics
• Soil and rock mechanics
• Automation, data processing and programming
• Occupational safety and health
• Mining and environmental law
• Business administration

Field of Study Recycling

• Fundamentals of engineering
• Materials sciences
• Fundamentals of recycling
• Treatment technology
• Environmental technology
• Automation, data processing and programming
• Fundamentals of environmental law
• Business administration

This practice-oriented study program includes a 16-week industry placement, consisting of a 4-week basic internship (usually completed before the program) and a 12-week specialized internship.  The internship gives you the opportunity to gain valuable insights in the engineering profession and to implement your knowledge.

The Bachelor's degree program in Sustainable Resource Extraction and Recycling can also be studied on a part-time basis. Further details on the requirements, structure and legal consequences of part-time studies are regulated by the"Regulations for Part-time Studies (TzO)" of Clausthal University of Technology in the currently valid version.

Before applying for and taking up part-time studies, a counseling interview with the responsible part-time study coordinator is obligatory. During this counseling interview, the part-time study coordinator agrees on an individual study plan (learning agreement) for the part-time study in consultation with the student.

The form for applying for part-time study (incl. Learning Agreement) can be found here: https://www.tu-clausthal.de/fileadmin/TU_Clausthal/dokumente/Studierende/Studierendensekretariat/Antrag_auf_Genehmigung_eines_Teilzeitstudiums.pdf