Elective Area

The elective track begins with the advanced studies phase in the 5th semester. Thanks to its structure and scope of 155 credit points , it offers excellent opportunities for individual in-depth study and specialization.

Table of contents

1. 1. Basic Structure
   2. Modules
   3. Fields
   4. Profiles
      1. Business Administration and Economics
      2. Business Information Systems
      3. Engineering
      4. Methods and Procedures
      5. Additional Qualifications
      6. Profile Selection
      7. Information Session on Profile Selection

Basic Structure

• The modules in the elective-required track are assigned to subject areas and profiles.
• These subject areas form the flexible foundation of the elective-required track. Different flexible credit limits apply to them.
• The profiles within the fields allow you to further tailor your academic focus.

Modules

You can find the complete list of elective-required modules in the “Elective-Required Modules” table on the Study Documents website.

There you can also see which areas and profiles each module belongs to. Some modules are included in multiple areas and/or profiles at the same time due to the applicability of their content—see the modules highlighted in green or red in the diagram of the basic structure. These modules are primarily assigned to the profile that is thematically closest to them and secondarily to one or more other profiles.

You can find out which content and learning objectives, teaching methods, and assessment requirements the modules include in the module handbook (Appendix 1 to the Study Regulations) on the “Study Documents” website.

Fields

The Industrial Engineering and Management diploma program comprises seven areas: Business Administration and Economics, Business Information Systems, Engineering Sciences, Methods and Procedures, Presentation and Discussion, Research Design, and Supplementary Qualifications.

These areas cover the various learning objectives of your degree program and are designed to give you a great deal of freedom in your course selection. Consequently, the number of credit points required in each area is not strictly fixed. When selecting modules, you need only observe the following flexible minimum credit point requirements:

• 45 credit points in Business Administration and Economics and/or Business Information Systems,
• 45 credit points in engineering,
• 15 credit points in Methods and Procedures,
• 5 credit points in Presentation and Discussion.

In addition, you must earn exactly 10 credit points in the area of research design, which you take in conjunction with your thesis.

You can freely choose the remaining 35 credit points in the required-elective area from these fields or from the supplementary qualifications. This flexibility makes it easy for you to tailor your coursework to your interests.

Profiles

Groups of modules that are thematically well-matched and complement one another form profiles. These profiles allow you to further refine and clarify the focus of your studies.

The following profiles are available in the Industrial Engineering and Management diploma program:

Business Administration and Economics

• Accounting and Finance,
• Learning and Human Resources Management,
• Management and Marketing,
• Operations and Logistics Management,
• Public and International Economics,
• Sustainability Management and Energy Economics.

Business Information Systems

• Advanced Data Analytics,
• Business Processes and Systems.

Engineering

• Work Systems and Organization: Specific issues in mechanical engineering related to work organization, occupational safety, ergonomics, and human resource management,
• Civil Engineering: Specific topics in civil engineering that address building materials, structural design, construction management, hydraulic engineering, geotechnical engineering, steel and timber construction, masonry construction, as well as the statics and dynamics of structural systems,
• Biomedical Engineering: Specific topics in electrical and information engineering that deal with the fundamentals and systems of medical imaging, as well as the application and evaluation of biomedical engineering,
• Electrical Power Engineering: Specific topics in electrical and information engineering that deal with the specific fundamentals and methods of electrical power supply, high-voltage and high-current technology, electrical machines and drives, including power electronic components,
• Electronic Devices and Microtechnology: Specific topics in electrical and information engineering that address specific competencies in the design, construction, and manufacture of electronic components and devices, as well as electronic technologies, quality assurance methods, and the fundamentals of biomedical engineering,
• Energy Engineering: Specific topics in mechanical engineering that address the fundamentals of fluid mechanics, thermodynamics, combustion, heat and mass transfer, building energy technology and heat supply, refrigeration technology, as well as power machines and systems,
• Wood and Fiber Materials Engineering: Specific topics in mechanical engineering that address the fundamentals and processing of wood and fiber materials,
• Hydrosciences: Specific topics in hydrosciences dealing with hydrology and meteorology, Waste Management and Contaminated Site Treatment, as well as municipal and industrial water management,
• Information Technology: Specific topics in electrical and information engineering that deal with circuit design, telecommunications, high-frequency technology, and communication networks,
• Food Technology: Specific topics in mechanical engineering that address technological applications in the production of various foods, incorporating material and technical fundamentals,
• Lightweight Construction and Plastics Engineering: Specific topics in mechanical engineering related to lightweight construction, plastics engineering, and fiber-reinforced composites,
• Aerospace Engineering: Specific topics in mechanical engineering that address the fundamental framework conditions of aerospace, the principles of aircraft design, and the methodological foundations of spaceflight,
• Product Development: Specific topics in mechanical engineering that deal with the design and construction of machines,
• Production and Logistics: Specific topics in mechanical engineering that address production and material flow technology, as well as factory and material flow planning in the context of manufacturing planning and business administration,
• Production Engineering: Specific issues in the manufacturing and production of mechanical engineering products related to the tasks of production planning for manual and automated processes, the application, development, and design of processes, as well as the tasks involved in controlling and ensuring the quality of industrial production,
• Textile Machinery Engineering and High-Performance Materials Engineering: Specific topics in mechanical engineering that address the properties, processing, and products of textile materials; testing technology; and the processes and machinery of textile engineering as well as garment manufacturing technology;
• Processing Machinery and Technology: Specific issues in mechanical engineering that deal with processing operations—particularly for mass-market consumer goods—the machines and systems used in these operations, and the packaging technology employed, primarily with a focus on optimization,
• Transport Engineering: Specific topics in Transport Engineering that address the fundamentals and advanced subject areas of automotive engineering, rail vehicles and railway technology, rail systems and public transportation, aviation and logistics, transportation planning and road traffic, as well as transportation telematics.

Methods and Procedures

• Econometrics,
• Operations Research,
• Statistics.

Additional Qualifications

• Business Education and Management Training,
• Healthcare Management,
• Transport Economics.

In addition, you can choose from a wide range of foreign languages in the required-elective area.

Profile Selection

There is absolutely no obligation to choose a profile! Instead, you simply decide which modules to take in the elective-required area, in accordance with the minimum credit requirements for each field. Once you have completed a sufficient number of modules belonging to a profile, you can have them recognized as a major or minor:

• A major requires modules from the profile totaling at least 30 credit points, of which at least 20 credit points must come from modules primarily assigned to that profile.
• For a minor, modules from the profile totaling at least 20 credit points are required, with at least 15 credit points coming from modules primarily assigned to that profile.

You can therefore earn multiple majors and/or minors—or choose not to pursue any at all.

For modules assigned to multiple profiles, you decide which profile they will ultimately count toward. The module then counts toward the field to which the selected profile belongs.

Information Session on Profile Selection

Each winter semester, an information session is held on selecting profiles within the elective-required area of the Bachelor’s and Diplom degree programs.

The session is designed to be interactive and offers students the opportunity to learn in detail about the various profiles as well as the respective course offerings in the elective-required area. In addition, there is an opportunity to speak with representatives of the individual profiles and clarify individual questions.