Environmental Engineering: Hamburg University of Technology

Teaching the methodology and logic of engineering - "learning to think" - is a key aspect of the TUHH studies. Only in this way can one acquire the knowledge to keep pace with rapid technological change. This sound theoretical foundation is rounded off by a well-balanced mixture of practical application in internships, projects and thesis work. It should be noted that students at TUHH are trained to think and decide for themselves, to learn and to work independently as well as in international teams representing many different academic, national and cultural backgrounds. TUHH promotes interdisciplinary research, teaching and learning. Students will be integrated into research and development projects at an early stage, thus providing a smooth transition to working life.

The Master's programme is devoted to the study of the quality of the environment and to the technology of its conservation. It involves the basic education and training from civil engineering programmes and chemical engineering, microbiology, hydrology, and chemistry in order to broaden the perspective on potential solutions to environmental problems. The programme is designed with some flexibility in order to suit the specific needs of the candidates with respect to their different academic backgrounds.

The standard duration of the course is two years. In the first year students take part in lectures, exercises and laboratory work. During the lecture-free period after the second semester an internship takes place, followed by a project and a subject-specific seminar or a process design course in the third semester. The course of study is completed with a six-month Master's thesis in the fourth semester.

The technological challenges of modern society and the requirements of the globalised labour market call for an excellent engineering education as well as for a sound additional qualification in the fields of business and management, soft skills, and humanities. Therefore, the international Master's degree courses at TUHH include a number of non-technical compulsory elective courses.