The high-tech machinery and plant construction industry is one of Germany's largest sectors, and a reliable source of employment for the future. The combination of mechanical engineering with electronics, metrology, steering technology and control engineering has created entirely new products and processes. In today's increasingly globalized marketplace, graduates with a Master's in mechanical engineering have a global and wide-ranging choice of careers. These include managerial positions not just in major corporations but also in the SME sector, where the opportunities for growth and career advancement are substantial. Entry-level graduates are particularly sought after. The most innovative sectors, and where specialists are particularly in demand, include robotics, sensory and laser technology, and software. The automotive sector and construction firms continue to offer good opportunities, while other employers can be found in aerospace and astronautics, electrical engineering, telecoms, medical technology and the chemical and pharmaceutical industries. Master's degree holders can also expect to find work in universities, research institutes and the public sector.  

The Mechanical Engineering M.Sc. is divided into seven study profiles, each offering a different focus.

The General Mechanical Engineering profile provides a wide-ranging education in general mechanical engineering without concentrating on any particular area. The curriculum offers students the breadth of a traditional mechanical engineering education, with the technical part of the course comprising a set of compulsory core subjects as well as three catalogues.

The Mechatronics profile combines classical mechanical engineering with electrical engineering and information technology. The interplay of mechanical, electrical and electronic system components, together with their functional and local integration into general modules, gives rise to completely new functions and manufacturing processes. This option offers students a thorough grounding in the methods that lay the foundation for the development and manufacture of mechatronic systems. Students will also have the opportunity to broaden and deepen their knowledge of special areas through a wide range of advanced lectures. The diversity and depth of the research interests of the various teaching posts enables students to devote their Master's thesis to the latest application areas, such as robotics, automotive technology and biomechanics, while taking advantage of the most advanced knowledge available in these areas. The increasingly globalized nature of the marketplace means that graduates of this option have a wide range of international careers to choose from. These include managerial positions not just in major corporations but also in the SME sector, where the opportunities for growth and career advancement are substantial.

The ever-increasing globalization of the economy means that manufacturing today takes place on a worldwide basis, thereby requiring new and comprehensive commodity flow systems. This in turn has led to an increasing need for production and logistics engineers in a wide range of sectors, opening up a wide range of career options for the suitably qualified. The Production and Logistics profile covers the methods and techniques for the development and management of production and logistics processes in the value chain. It combines the various strands of technology with commercial, administrative and logistical requirements, thereby bringing design into play with planning and management processes.

Against a background of climate change and global resource depletion, energy and environmental engineering is becoming increasingly important. The efficient production of energy that does not contribute to climate change, and the reduction of earth, water and air pollution, are central challenges for the 21st century. Engineers have a crucial contribution to make, developing not just resource-efficient facilities, but also technologies for neutralizing harmful substances. Energy and environmental engineering is an innovative high-tech sector and one of Europe's fastest-growing industries. With the increasing globalization of the economy, graduates of this Master's program will be highly attractive to employers around the world. Leadership roles await, not just in large corporations but also especially in the innovative SME sector.

Germany is home to Europe's largest supplier industry for shipbuilding, with mechanical engineering companies implementing innovative solutions for a globalized market. Moreover, the switch to renewable energy has led to increased research and development in the field of green energy, alternative drive systems, and the end-to-end optimization of maritime systems. All this activity has created one of the largest supplier industries for offshore wind technology. The Ship and Offshore Technology profile caters to the resulting need for highly qualified engineers in this area. It builds on the basic principles of general mechanical engineering by focusing on the maritime and offshore technology sectors. Encompassing hydrodynamics, construction, structural integrity and numerical and experimental procedures, it provides the knowledge and skills required for addressing technical maritime and offshore issues in a mechanical engineering context. The modules are structured in such a way as to ensure students gain knowledge and skills appropriate to mechanical engineering in general and maritime and offshore technology in particular. Electives can be chosen from a wide selection of engineering disciplines, thus allowing students to focus on their individual needs and interests.

Maritime systems belong to the most complex large-scale structures and facilities created by human kind. Passenger ships and production units for the oil and gas industry are relevant examples. Those facilities have in common to contain a large amount of specific and interconnected subsystems that are to be operated at a high level of efficiency but face the harsh environmental conditions at sea. Maritime systems must be capable of resisting those environmental conditions while remaining operable. The inevitable protection of the crew, the environment and goods demands high requirements to the quality of the structure. The profile Maritime Systems Safety within the master course Mechanical Engineering of the study program International Studies in Engineering considers the major topics related to the safety of maritime systems. Based on a Bachelor degree in engineering, it addresses the safety-related topics of ship and offshore technology as well as risk assessment, functional safety, systems’ diagnosis, system reliability, control theory and process control engineering. During their studies, the students get detailed knowledge in ship and offshore technology as well as on the conception and safety-related assessment of processes in the maritime context. Graduates from the studies are capable of analyzing safety-related issues of maritime systems as well as of designing facilities with respect to safety.

Turbomachinery imparts knowledge of engineering with a focus on energy engineering and process engineering. This knowledge is required for the design, construction and manufacturing as well as for other relevant topics of operation and maintenance of machines for energy conversion. This programme focuses on physical principles of energy conversions in the form of shaft power which is used for the generation of electric power (regenerative/ fossil). Moreover, also the transportation of mediums will be of particular interest during the course of studies. The programme also encompasses product development using the latest manufacturing methods as well as the thermodynamic, aerodynamic and rotordynamic design of turbomachinery using current tools of development and research. Besides combustion, this also includes heat and mass transfer processes. The course of studies qualifies graduates for activities in the industrial fields of energy conversion technology, e.g. the fluid mechanics industry (thermal, hydraulic) as well as related industrial fields, such as the aviation industry or the chemical industry.

Study plan

Study plan

You can find the examination regulations for your study program here: Examination regulations according to study programs

Study plans as well as information about the modules in the study program can be found in the module database VDB: 

Information material

Prospective students will find an overview of the study program here.

Study plans as well as information about the modules in the study program can be found in the module database VDB: 

• Mechanical Engineering (Energy and Environmental Engineering)
• Mechanical Engineering (General Mechanical Engineering)
• Mechanical Engineering (Maritime Systems Safety)
• Mechanical Engineering (Mechatronics)
• Mechanical Engineering (Production and Logistics)
• Mechanical Engineering (Ship and Offshore Technology)
• Mechanical Engineering (Turbomachinery)​

Admission

Admission requirements

• completion of a Bachelor's degree in the ISE program with an overall grade of 2.5 or better or
• equivalent degree from another German or foreign university with an average grade of 2.5 or better. The assessment of equivalence is made by the examination board.

If the admission requirements are not fulfilled according to paragraph 2 or if a change of the field of study within the study program "ISE" takes place during the transition from Bachelor to Master, the examination board can combine the admission to the Master program with the condition to prove certain knowledge until the registration of the Master thesis. The type and extent of these requirements are determined individually by the examination board on the basis of the course content completed as part of the previous degree. The extent of the requirements is up to 2 courses.

Further information regarding admission requirements can be found on the pages of the study program "ISE".

Admission

Provided that the admission requirements are met, this Master study course has unrestricted admission (number of student places is not limited). Enrollment takes place during the enrollment period at the student registrar’s office at Campus Duisburg. [forms and further information]

For national applicants the following applies until further notice:
National applicants for the ISE Bachelor's or ISE Master's program should submit their Abitur/Bachelor's or comparable degree certificates to the ISE Examination Committee for confirmation of the special enrollment requirements and foreign language skills. This certificate must be presented at the time of enrollment.

ISE Examination Board

University of Duisburg-Essen
Faculty of Engineering 
SG 182
Geibelstr. 47057 Duisburg
pa-ise@uni-due.de

Prospective students from non-EU countries should apply at the International Office of Campus Duisburg by 15.07. for the winter semester and by 15.03. for the summer semester.

Language Skills

Upon enrollment, student applicants must provide proof of English and German language skills corresponding of a completed B2 level of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR).

Study-related stays abroad

For students who have acquired their university entrance qualification at a German institution, a stay abroad of three to six months is obligatory.
For students who have already completed this stay abroad as part of their ISE Bachelor's program at UDE, a further stay abroad is optional (§ 11 PO).