Before Arrival

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  1. Course selection
  2. Learning Agreement
  3. Language Requirements
  4. Bachelor or Master Theses
  5. General questions

 

1.  Course Selection

In principle, you are completely free in your selection of courses. You may choose any courses from Bachelor's and Master's programs (Mechanical Engineering, Material Sciences and Mechatronics) that best fit with your studies. When choosing your courses, however, please note that there are courses such as exercises, (block) seminars or internships which only accept a limited number of participants. Furthermore, if you are enrolled in the KIT-Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, you should choose at least 70% of the courses from the course catalogues of the Mechanical Engineering Department. However, you are free to supplement your Learning Agreement with up to 30% of courses of other KIT faculties (e.g. economics, chemistry, electrical or civil engineering, computer science, etc.).

We assume that our international exchange students take at least 20 - 30 ECTS per semester, including any language courses (German; all other languages) or any general education courses at the Center for Applied Cultural Studies and Studium Generale ZAK and House of Competences HOC.

When searching for English taught courses, you can also consult the alphabetical listing of English course offerings.

Furthermore, it is advisable to take a look at the KIT Lecture Translator, since some courses in mechanical engineering are also translated simultaneously.

 

Module Handbooks

An overview of all courses offered at the KIT-Faculty of Mechanical Engineering can be found in our module handbooks. Bachelor and Master courses for exchange students: Module Handbook for Exchange Students (without degree).

Please focus first on this Module Handbook. The courses listed there are all available for exchange students via the Campus Management System. This simplifies internal administrative procedures, such as the online registration for exams or the independent printing of your transcripts of records

Furthermore, courses can be chosen from all other faculty programs: Bachelor and Master of Mechanical Engineering, Bachelor and Master of Materials Science and Bachelor and Master of Mechatronics. Students of Mechatronics can also attend the lectures of the Faculty of Electrical Engineering.

 

Information on our Bachelor's in Mechanical Engineering:
Attention: The examination in some courses includes the material of the complete module (= teaching contents of the winter and summer semester) or builds on the knowledge of the previous course. Although it is possible to write the examination on the complete teaching content in each semester. However, exchange students who are only at KIT for one semester must either have previous knowledge of the subject matter or acquire the teaching contents of the missed semester on their own, which means a considerably increased learning effort. The following courses are concerned:

  • Fluid Mechanics I (summer semester) and Fluid Mechanics II (winter semester)
  • Materials Science I (winter semester) and Materials Science II (summer semester)
  • Thermodynamics I (winter semester) and Thermodynamics II (summer semester)

In addition, some courses require preliminary work during the semester, which is a prerequisite for the examination and also takes place over two semesters. Therefore, these courses can only be attended by exchange students who spend a complete academic year at KIT. Essentially, the following courses in the Bachelor's program are affected:

  • Machine Design I (winter semester) and Machine Design II (summer semester)
  • Machine Design III (winter semester) and Machine Design IV (summer semester)
  • Technical Mechanics III (winter semester) and Technical Mechanics IV (summer semester)

 

Mechanical Engineering International MEI:

Please note: The Carl-Benz-School/International Department offers the international Bachelor's degree program Mechanical Engineering (International), which is taught exclusively in English. Admission to this course is limited and participation in the English course offer is only possible in a few exceptional cases for exchange students. As an international exchange student (ERASMUS or Overseas) you can try to register directly with the lecturer for courses marked with a 3xxx code. The decision about participation is made by the respective lecturer according to availability of places. You should therefore contact the lecturer of your preferred course early and ask for admission.

 

Language courses are offered by the KIT Language Center.

General education courses can be found at ZAK and HoC.

2.  Learning Agreement

Please note the following when creating your Learning Agreement:

  • Please only use the official form for the Learning Agreement.
  • Insert the title as well as the ECTS credits and the semester of your chosen courses
  • It is absolutely necessary and obligatory to insert the code number (=LV number or preferred T-MACH-xxx) of your chosen courses. We will not process Learning Agreements that do not have code numbers.
  • Information on the number of ECTS points per course, the language of instruction and the semester in which the course takes place can be found at the top of the course description in our module handbooks. Please do not look in the course catalogue when searching for ECTS credits.

3. Language Requirements

We expect you to have sufficient language skills in order to pursue your studies at the KIT-Faculty of Mechanical Engineering.

  • You need a B1 level in German if you want to attend courses that are taught in German.
  • We expect a B2 level in English if you want to attend courses exclusively in English.
  • We expect a B2 level in English if you intend to write your Bachelor's or Master's thesis during your exchange.

However, we strongly recommend that you acquire a good basic knowledge of German before you start your studies in Karlsruhe, which will make your daily life much easier, e.g. finding a room, shopping, social contacts.

4. Bachelor's or Master's Thesis

If you intend to write a bachelor's or master's thesis during your stay at KIT, you have to find a supervisor at the institute where you wish to write the thesis. Please note that you have to find both your topic and your supervisor independently and without support from ISIM or IStO. A list of all projects/work offered at Bachelor or Master level can be found here.

Please be aware: These pages are currently only available if you are already enrolled in the KIT Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and have access to the MACH-intranet. If this is not the case, please check the homepages of the institutes to see which projects/works are currently being offered. Please select the institute you are interested in and click through to the offer of "Studies and Teaching" up to the offer of "Studies/Theses".

If you find a suitable project, write an e-mail to the contact person, asking about the conditions such as content, language, ECTS credits ... Normally, the KIT Faculty of Mechanical Engineering awards 15 ECTS for Bachelor's theses and 30 ECTS for Master's theses. In exceptional cases, the assignment of tasks and the ECTS number can be adapted to the requirements of your home university. Please discuss this directly with your supervisor at the institute. In any case, both your supervisor at KIT and the responsible person at your home university must agree with the project you have chosen.

5. General Questions

For all general questions regarding application, admission, room search, enrolment, orientation week, intensive language courses etc. please visit the homepage of the International Students Office