Distance learning at the Faculty of Mechanical Science and Engineering

TU Dresden is one of the oldest technical academic education institutions in Germany. It was founded in 1828 as Technical Educational Establishment Dresden and renamed Königlich-Sächsische Technische Hochschule [Royal Saxon Technical College] in 1890. In 1961, it obtained the status of a technical university. After the German reunification, it developed into a comprehensive university by establishing new faculties in the fields of humanities, social sciences, and medicine.

With approximately 36000 students, it is one of the largest universities in Saxony. The Faculty of Mechanical Science and Engineering is one of the oldest faculties of TU Dresden; its origins are to be found in the Mechanical Department of Technical Educational Establishment Dresden. Notable scholars, such as Johann Andreas Schubert (designer of the first German steam locomotive "Saxonia"), Gustav Anton Zeuner (founder of technical thermodynamics) and George Berndt (founder and nestor of industrial length metrology and precision measurement technology in Europe) are connected with the history of the Faculty of Mechanical Science and Engineering. Today, the Faculty of Mechanical Science and Engineering is one of the largest faculties of TU Dresden and covers the entire spectrum of general mechanical engineering - from general engineering to aircraft technology. Currently, about 6,000 students are enrolled at the faculty, about 400 students alone in distance learning.

Experience in university distance learning at TU Dresden dates back to the 1950s. Since the beginning of winter semester, 1993/94 TU Dresden has offered a newly designed distance learning programme: University distance learning for technical subjects (Dresden model). This means, on the one hand, that a long-standing tradition is continued, and on the other hand, that for the first time in whole Germany a comprehensive distance learning course in mechanical engineering could be implemented at a traditional university.

The possibility of a meaningful combination of work and study makes the technical distance learning based on the Dresden model particularly attractive. The requirements of distance learning are the same as for traditional learning; they are high, but manageable with the appropriate motivation. Many distance learning students have successfully completed their studies in parallel to their professional activity.

The Faculty of Mechanical Science and Engineering offers distance learning in the study programme of Mechanical Engineering in a total of 4 disciplines:

• General and Constructive Mechanical Engineering
• Energy Technology
• Aerospace Engineering
• Production Technology

The working group “Distance Learning” provides support for students in the following fields:

• Student advisory service
• Contact persons for the establishment of a contact for study-related questions of students
• Teaching materials
• Information about Study and Examination Regulations
• Support with exam registration and de-registration
• Issuance of transcripts of results, certifications and official documents, etc