RWTH Aachen University is a research university of technology

RWTH Aachen University

RWTH Aachen University Rheinisch-Westfälische Technische Hochschule Aachen
Motto	Zukunft denken
Motto in English	Thinking the future
Established	10 October 1870
Type	Public
Budget	€692 million (2010; including university hospital) -State: €412 million -Third-party funds: €258 million Tution fees: €22 million
Rector	Prof. Dr. Ernst M. Schmachtenberg
Academic staff	480 professors + 4,492 academic staff
Admin. staff	2,346 (including university hospital)
Students	35,813 (WS 2011/12
Location	Aachen, NRW, Germany
Campus	Urban
Colors	Blue and White
Affiliations	Domestic: DFG, Excellence Universities, TU9 International: ALMA, CESAER, IDEA League, SEFI, TIME, UNITECH International, PEGASUS
Website	www.rwth-aachen.de/lang/en

RWTH Aachen University is a research university of technology (comparable to an institute of technology in the American system) located in Aachen, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany with roughly 35,000 students enrolled in 126 study programs.

RWTH Aachen has achieved recognition in several fields of engineering and science, especially mechanical engineering, chemical engineering, electrical engineering, industrial engineering, computer science, physics and chemistry. The university maintains close links to industry and accounts for the highest amount of third-party funds of all German universities in both absolute and relative terms per faculty member. In its 2011 and 2012 surveys amongst human resources officers, the Wirtschaftswoche business magazine consistently ranked RWTH Aachen the first in Germany in mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, industrial engineering and natural sciences, with computer science being ranked third in 2011 and second in 2012. It also ranked in the (internally not differentiated) top group of universities in Germany in the aforementioned fields of engineering and computer science in the 2010 and 2011 CHE University Rankings published by DAAD.

In 2007, in the line of the excellence initiative, RWTH Aachen was chosen by DFG as one of nine German Universities of Excellence for its future concept RWTH 2020: Meeting Global Challenges and additionally won funding for one graduate school and three clusters of excellence.

In 2012, RWTH Aachen was selected again as a University of Excellence and altogether financially endowed for one graduate school and two clusters of excellence. RWTH Aachen is one of only six German universities which retain their status as Universities of Excellence from the previous funding period of 2007 - 2012.

RWTH Aachen is a founding member of IDEA League, a strategic alliance of five leading universities of technology in Europe. The university is also a member of TU9, DFG (Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft)

and the Top Industrial Managers for Europe network.

History

On 25 January 1858, prince Frederic William of Prussia, the later German emperor, was presented a donation of 5,000 talers  for charity, raised by the Aachener und Münchener Feuer-Versicherungs-Gesellschaft, the precursor of the AachenMünchener insurance company. In March, the prince chose to use the donation to found the first Prussian  institute of technology somewhere in the Rhine province. The seat of the institution remained undecided over years; while the prince initially favored Koblenz, the cities of Aachen, Bonn, Cologne and Düsseldorf  also applied, with Aachen and Cologne being the main competitors. Aachen finally won with a financing concept backed by the insurance company and local banks.  Groundbreaking for the new Polytechnikum  took place on 15 May 1865 and lectures started amidst the Franco-Prussian War on 10 October 1870 with 223 students and 32 teachers. Its primary purpose was to educate engineers, especially for the mining industry in the Ruhr area; there were schools of chemistry, electrical and mechanical engineering as well as an introductory general school that taught mathematics  and natural sciences and few social sciences.

Main building of RWTH Aachen University

The first years were characterized by the unclear position of the new Prussian polytechnika (which officially were no universities). Their reputation in society was low and the number of students decreased. This began to change in 1880 when the early RWTH, amongst others, was reorganized as a Royal Technical University, gained a seat in the Prussian House of Lords and was finally granted the right to bestow PhD (1898) degrees and Diplom titles (introduced in 1902). The same year, over 800 male students had been enrolled; the first women were admitted in 1909. World War I, however, was a serious setback for the university. Many students voluntarily joined and died in the war and parts of the university were shortly occupied or confiscated.

While the (then no more royal) TH Aachen flourished in the 1920s with the introduction of the more independent faculties, several new institutes and the general students' committee, first signs of nationalist radicalization were also visible within the university. The Third Reich's Gleichschaltung of the TH in 1933 was met with relatively low resistance from both students and faculty. Beginning in September 1933, Jewish and (alleged) Communist professors (and from 1937 on also students) were systematically persecuted and excluded from the university. Vacant Chairs were increasingly given to NSDAP party members or sympathizers. The freedom of research and teaching was severely limited and institutes important for the regime's plans were systematically established, existing chairs promoted. Shortly closed in 1939, the TH continued courses in 1940, although with a low number of students. On 21 October 1944, when Aachen capitulated, more than 70% of all buildings of the university were destroyed or heavily damaged.

After World War II, the university recovered and expanded quickly. In the 1950s, many professors who had been removed because of their alleged affiliation with the Nazi party were allowed to return and a multitude of new institutes were founded. By the late 1960s, the TH had 10,000 students, placing it on top of all German technical universities. With the foundation of a philosophical and a medical faculty in 1965 and 1966, respectively, the university became a bit more "universal". It was especially the newly-founded faculties that began attracting new students, and the number of students almost doubled twice from 1970 (10,000) to 1980 (more than 25,000) and from 1980 to 1990 (more than 37,000). Today, the average number of students is around 30,000, with exactly one third of all students being women in the winter term of 2007/2008. By relative terms, the most popular study programs are mechanical engineering (23.6%), medicine (9%), electrical engineering (8.8%), computer science (7.1%), economics (5.1%) and architecture (5%).

Recent developments

"Red lecture hall" at the central campus

In December 2006, RWTH Aachen and the Sultanate of Oman signed an agreement to establish a private German University of Technology in Muscat. Professors from Aachen aided at developing the curricula for the currently five study programs and scientific staff took over some of the first courses.

In 2007, RWTH Aachen was chosen as one of nine German Universities of Excellence for its future concept RWTH 2020: Meeting Global Challenges, earning it the connotation of being an elite university. However, although the list of universities honored for their future concepts mostly consists of large and already respected institutions, the Federal Ministry of Education and Research claimed that the initiative was aimed at promoting universities with a dedicated future concept so they could continue researching on an international level. Having won funds in all three lines of funding, the process brought RWTH Aachen University an additional total funding of € 180 million from 2007-2011. The other two lines of funding were graduate schools, where the Aachen Institute for Advanced Study in Computational Engineering Science received funding and so-called "clusters of excellence", where RWTH Aachen managed to win funding for the three clusters Ultra High-Speed Mobile Information and Communication (UMIC), Integrative Production Technology for High-wage Countries and Tailor-Made Fuels from Biomass (TMFB).

Campus

The RWTH is not a campus university. Instead, its buildings are spread over some parts of the city. There are two core areas (midtown and Melaten district), though they are not very distinct. The Main Building and the Kármán Hall are 500 m away from the city centre with the Aachen Cathedral, the Audimax (biggest lecture hall) and the main refectory are 200 m farther. Other points of interest include the university's botanical garden (Botanischer Garten Aachen).

The RWTH has external facilities in Jülich and Essen and owns, together with the University of Stuttgart, a house in Kleinwalsertal in the Austrian Alps.

Main Building of the RWTH Aachen

The university is currently expanding in the city center and Melaten district. The SuperC, the new central service building for students, was opened in 2008. The groundbreaking for the new Campus-Melaten was in 2009.

SuperC

Internationality

Double degrees and student mobility are promoted with other technology universities through the TIME (Top Industrial Managers for Europe) network. Furthermore the RWTH is member of the IDEA League, which is a strategic partnership among five of Europe's leading research universities, including TU Delft, Imperial College London, ETH Zürich and ParisTech and was the first German university starting an Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program in 2008.

Compared to other German universities the RWTH Aachen received the highest amount of funds granted by third-party donors in the last years.

Almost 5,200 international students are currently enrolled within the undergraduate, graduate or PhD programme. Compared to other German universities the portion of international students at the RWTH Aachen is higher-than-average. The proximity of Aachen to the Netherlands, Belgium, and Luxembourg combined with the subsequent exposure to a variety of cultural heritages has placed RWTH Aachen University in a unique position with regards to the reflection and promotion of international aspects and intensive interaction with other universities.

Rankings

On the national level, two prominent German newspapers, “Handelsblatt“ and “Wirtschaftswoche“, currently rank RWTH Aachen the first place in Germany in the fields of mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, industrial engineering, and computer science. In the latest ranking published by DAAD together with Centre for Higher Education Development and Die Zeit, RWTH Aachen also stands on top among other German universities in the aforementioned fields of engineering and computer science.

In 2011 QS World University Rankings ranked the university 140th in the world. Its global subject rankings were: 35th in Engineering & IT, 330th in Life Sciences & Biomedicine, and 82nd in Natural Sciences.

Ranking	2011	2010	2009	2008	2007	2006	2005	2004
THES-QS Rankings (2003–2009) QS Rankings (2010-) (Technology)	35	39	57	70	83	39	28	38
THES-QS Rankings (2003–2009) QS Rankings (2010-) (Natural Sciences)	-	59	136	151	147	81	86	-
Research Performance Index (Engineering)	-	96	-	-	-	-	-	-
Research Performance Index (For Pure, Natural, and Mathematical Sciences)	-	79	-	-	-	-	-	-
Academic Ranking of World Universities (Mathematics)	-	77-100	76-101	-	-	-	-	-
THES-QS Rankings (2003–2009) QS World University Rankings (2010-) (World)	140	158	182	216	182	172	172	184
The Times Higher Education World University Rankings (World)	168	182	-	-	-	-	-	-
Academic Ranking of World Universities (World)	201-300	201-300	201-302	201-302	203-304	201-300	203-300	201-300

Organisation

Organizational Structure

 

RWTH Aachen is run by the federal state of North Rhine-Westphalia. Since the summer semester of 2004 the state of North Rhine-Westphalia allowed universities to request a maximum of 500€ per semester as tuition fees. Since the summer semester of 2007, all students enrolled at the RWTH Aachen have to pay these 500€, if they are not exempt for one of several reasons put forth by the State of North Rhine-Westphalia. In the past, tuition fees applied solely for long-term students and second studies. Almost all basic lectures are held in German, but an increasing number of master programs require proficiency in English for admission.

Institute for physical chemistry

The RWTH is divided into nine (previously ten) faculties:

F 1 - Faculty of Mathematics, Computer Science and Natural Sciences

F 2 - Faculty of Architecture

F 3 - Faculty of Civil Engineering

F 4 - Faculty of Mechanical Engineering

F 5 - Faculty of Georesources and Materials Engineering

F 6 - Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Information Technology

F 7 - Faculty of Arts and Humanities

F 8 - School of Business and Economics

F 10 - Faculty of Medicine

Faculty nine was pedagogical sciences, but it was abandoned in 1989. Teacher education, however, continued.

Klinikum Aachen (University hospital)

Faculties and Institutes

• Mathematics, Computer Science and Natural SciencesFaculty 1

• ArchitectureFaculty 2
• Civil EngineeringFaculty 3
• Mechanical EngineeringFaculty 4
• Georesources and Materials EngineeringFaculty 5
• Electrical Engineering and Information TechnologyFaculty 6
• Arts and HumanitiesFaculty 7
• Business and EconomicsFaculty 8
• MedicineFaculty 10 

Institutions

• University Library
• RWTH Center for Computing and Communication
• Central University Administration
• All Institutions

Course of Study

  Automotive Engineering  

Civil Engineering   Business Administration   Education and Knowledge Management 

Biology   Chemistry   German   Energy Engineering   English   Waste Management   European Studies   Automotive Engineering   Manufacturing Technology   French   History   Structural Engineering   Computer Science   Catholic Theology   Teaching and Research Logopaedics   Machine Technology   Materials Science   Mathematics   Metallurgical Engineering   Communications Technology   Philosophy   Physics   Psychology   Software Systems Engineering   Sociology   Spanish   Technical Communication   Environmental Science   Economic Geography   Economics   Dentistry   Media Informatics   Supply Engineering   Computational Engineering Science   *** Wirtschaftsingenieurwesen Maschinenbau (679) ***   Biomedical Engineering   Comp. Aided Conception/Production in Mech. Engin.   Medicine (Modellstudiengang)   Business Administration and Engineering: Civil Engineering   Business Administration and Engineering: Electrical Power Engineering   German and General Literature   Mineral Resources Engineering   Georesources Management   English Studies   Linguistics and Communication Studies   Business Administration and Engineering: Materials and Process Engineering   Combustion Engines   Production Systems Engineering   Materials Engineering   Automation and Control   Logopaedics   Urban Planning   Wood Technology   Political Science   Structural Engineering   Computer Engineering   Mechanical Engineering   Simulation Science   Electrical Engineering (Vocational College)   Electrical Engineering, Information Technology, and Computer Engineering   Energy Engineering   Development and Design Engineering   Automotive Engineering and Transport   *** Gesellschaftswissenschaften ***   Plastics and Textile Technology   Lasers in Dentistry   Literary and Linguistic Studies   Logistics   Logopaedics   Aeronautical Engineering and Astronautics   Mobility and Transport   Biotechnology   Sustainable Energy Supply   Nuclear Safety Engineering   Ecotoxicology   Political Science   Production Engineering   Redevelopment Design und Management   Textile and Clothing Engineering (Vocational College)   Underground Engineering   Environmental Engineering   Process Engineering   Economics   *** Wirtschaftswissenschaften/Politik Berufskolleg ***   General Mechanical Engineering   Applied Geography   Applied Geosciences   Applied Geophysics   Architecture  

-->

Degree

Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of Science Master in Redevelopment Master of Arts

Master of Science Staatsexamen 

-->

Current Courses of Study

• Aeronautical Engineering and Astronautics M.Sc.  Master No  NC for WS 2012 Winter Semester, Summer Semester
• Applied Geography B.Sc. Bachelor NC for WS 2012 Winter Semester
• Applied Geography M.Sc. Master NC for WS 2012 Winter Semester
• Applied Geophysics M.Sc. Master No NC for WS 2012 Winter Semester
• Applied Geosciences B.Sc. Bachelor NC for WS 2012 Winter Semester
• Applied Geosciences M.Sc. Master No NC for WS 2012 Winter Semester (recommended), Summer Semester

• Architecture B.Sc. Bachelor NC for WS 2012 Winter Semester
• Architecture M.Sc. Master No NC for WS 2012 Winter Semester, Summer Semester
• Automation Engineering M.Sc. Master No NC for WS 2012 Winter Semester (recommended), Summer Semester
• Automotive Engineering and Transport M.Sc.Master No NC for WS 2012 Winter Semester, Summer Semester
• Automotive Engineering M.Sc. Master No NC for WS 2012 Winter Semester
• Automotive Technology B.Sc., Vocational School Teacher Bachelor NC for WS 2012 Winter Semester
• Biology B.Sc. Bachelor NC for WS 2012 Winter Semester
• Biology B.Sc., Gymnasium and Gesamtschule Teacher Bachelor NC for WS 2012 Winter Semester
• Biology B.Sc., Vocational School TeacherBachelor NC for WS 2012 Winter Semester
• Biology M.Sc. Master No NC for WS 2012 Winter Semester (recommended), Summer Semester
• Biomedical Engineering M.Sc. Master No NC for WS 2012 Winter Semester
• Business Administration & Engineering: Electrical Power Engineering B.Sc. Bachelor NC for WS 2012 Winter Semester
• Business Administration & Engineering: Electrical Power Engineering M.Sc. Master No NC for WS 2012 Winter Semester (recommended), Summer Semester
• Business Administration & Engineering: Mechanical Engineering, M.Sc. Master No NC for WS 2012 Winter Semester (recommended), Summer Semester
• Business Administration B.Sc. Bachelor NC for WS 2012 Winter Semester
• Business Administration M.Sc. Master No NC for WS 2012 Winter Semester (recommended), Summer Semester
• Catholic Religious Education B.A., Gymansium and Gesamtschule Teacher Bachelor NC for WS 2012 Winter Semester
• Catholic Religious Education B.A., Vocational School Teacher Bachelor NC for WS 2012 Winter Semester
• Chemistry B.Sc. Bachelor NC for WS 2012 Winter Semester
• Chemistry B.Sc., Gymnasium and Gesamtschule Teacher Bachelor NC for WS 2012 Winter Semester
• Chemistry B.Sc., Vocational School TeacherBachelor NC for WS 2012 Winter Semester
• Chemistry M.Sc. Master No NC for WS 2012 Winter Semester, Summer Semester
• Civil Engineering (Hochbau) B.Sc., Vocational School Teacher Bachelor No NC for WS 2012 Winter Semester
• Civil Engineering B.Sc. Bachelor NC for WS 2012 Winter Semester
• Civil Engineering M.Sc. Master No NC for WS 2012 Winter Semester (recommended), Summer Semester
• Combustion Engines M.Sc. Master No NC for WS 2012 Winter Semester
• Commercial Geography M.Sc. Master NC for WS 2012 Winter Semester
• Communications Engineering B.Sc., Vocational School Teacher Bachelor No NC for WS 2012 Winter Semester

• Computational Engineering Science B.Sc.Bachelor NC for WS 2012 Winter Semester
• Computational Engineering Science M.Sc.Master No NC for WS 2012 Winter Semester, Summer Semester
• Computer Aided Conception and Production in Mechanical Engineering M.Sc. Master No NC for WS 2012 Winter Semester
• Computer Engineering B.Sc., Vocational School Teacher Bachelor No NC for WS 2012 Winter Semester
• Computer Science B.Sc. Bachelor NC for WS 2012 Winter Semester, Summer Semester
• Computer Science B.Sc., Gymnasium and Gesamtschule Teacher Bachelor NC for WS 2012 Winter Semester (recommended), Summer Semester

• Computer Science M.Sc. Master No NC for WS 2012 Winter Semester, Summer Semester
• Dentistry, Staatsexamen Medicine/Dentistry NC for WS 2012 Winter Semester
• Development and Design M.Sc. Master No NC for WS 2012 Winter Semester, Summer Semester
• Economics B.Sc., Vocational School TeacherBachelor NC for WS 2012 Winter Semester
• Economics M.Sc. Master No NC for WS 2012 Winter Semester, Summer Semester
• Economics/Political Science B.A., Vocational School Teacher Bachelor NC for WS 2012 Winter Semester
• Ecotoxicology M.Sc. Master No NC for WS 2012 Winter Semester (recommended), Summer Semester
• Education and Knowledge Management M.A.Master No NC for WS 2012 Winter Semester (recommended), Summer Semester

• Electrical Engineering B.Sc., Vocational School Teacher Bachelor No NC for WS 2012 Winter Semester

• Electrical Engineering, Information Technology, and Computer Engineering B.Sc.Bachelor NC for WS 2012 Winter Semester

• Electrical Engineering, Information Technology, and Computer Engineering M.Sc. Master No NC  for WS 2012 Winter Semester, Summer Semester
• Energy Engineering M.Sc. Master No NC for WS 2012 Winter Semester, Summer Semester
• Energy Management M.Sc. Master No NC for WS 2012 Winter Semester
• English B.A., Gymnasium and Gesamtschule Teacher Bachelor NC for WS 2012 Winter Semester
• English B.A., Vocational School Teacher Bachelor NC for WS 2012 Winter Semester
• English Studies M.A. Master No NC for WS 2012 Winter Semester (recommended), Summer Semester
• Environmental Engineering B.Sc. Bachelor NC for WS 2012 Winter Semester
• Environmental Engineering M.Sc. Master No NC for WS 2012 Winter Semester, Summer Semester
• European Studies M.A. Master No NC for WS 2012 Winter Semester

• French B.A., Gymnasium and Gesamtschule Teacher Bachelor NC for WS 2012 Winter Semester
• French B.A., Vocational School Teacher Bachelor NC for WS 2012 Winter Semester
• General Mechanical Engineering M.Sc. Master No NC for WS 2012 Winter Semester, Summer Semester
• Georesources Management B.Sc. Bachelor NC for WS 2012 Winter Semester
• Georesources Management M.Sc. Master No NC for WS 2012 Winter Semester (recommended), Summer Semester
• German and General Literature M.A. Master No NC for WS 2012 Winter Semester (recommended), Summer Semester

• German B.A., Gymnasium and Gesamtschule Teacher Bachelor NC for WS 2012 Winter Semester
• German B.A., Vocational School Teacher Bachelor NC for WS 2012 Winter Semester
• History B.A., Gymnasium and Gesamtschule Teacher Bachelor NC for WS 2012 Winter Semester
• History M.A. Master No NC for WS 2012 Winter Semester (recommended), Summer Semester
• Industrial Engineering B.Sc., Civil Engineering Specialization Bachelor NC for WS 2012 Winter Semester
• Industrial Engineering B.Sc., Materials and Process Engineering Specialization Bachelor NC for WS 2012 Winter Semester
• Industrial Engineering B.Sc., Mechanical Engineering Specialization Bachelor NC for WS 2012 Winter Semester
• Industrial Engineering M.Sc., Civil Engineering Specialization Master No NC for WS 2012 Winter Semester (recommended), Summer Semester

• Industrial Engineering M.Sc., Materials and Process Engineering Specialization Master No NC for WS 2012 Winter Semester (recommended), Summer Semester
• Lasers in Dentistry M.Sc. Master No NC for WS 2012 Winter Semester
• Linguistics and Communication Studies M.A. Master No NC for WS 2012 Winter Semester (recommended), Summer Semester
• Literary and Linguistic Studies B.A. Bachelor NC for WS 2012 Winter Semester
• Logistics M.Sc. Master No NC for WS 2012 Winter Semester
• Logopedics B.Sc. Bachelor NC for WS 2012 Winter Semester
• Logopedics B.Sc., Dual Course of Study Bachelor No NC for WS 2012 Winter Semester
• Machine Technology B.Sc., Vocational School Teacher Bachelor NC for WS 2012 Winter Semester
• Manufacturing Technology B.Sc., Vocational School Teacher Bachelor NC for WS 2012 Winter Semester
• Materials Engineering B.Sc. Bachelor NC for WS 2012 Winter Semester
• Materials Engineering M.Sc. Master No NC for WS 2012 Winter Semester, Summer Semester
• Materials Science B.Sc. Bachelor No NC for WS 2012 Winter Semester

• Materials Science M.Sc. Master No NC for WS 2012 Winter Semester (recommended), Summer Semester
• Mathematics B.Sc. Bachelor NC for WS 2012 Winter Semester, Summer Semester
• Mathematics B.Sc., Gymnasium and Gesamtschule Teacher Bachelor NC for WS 2012 Winter Semester (recommended), Summer Semester
• Mathematics B.Sc., Vocational School Teacher Bachelor NC for WS 2012 Winter Semester (recommended), Summer Semester
• Mathematics M.Sc. Master No NC for WS 2012 Winter Semester, Summer Semester
• Mechanical Engineering B.Sc. Bachelor NC for WS 2012 Winter Semester
• Media Informatics M.Sc. Master No NC for WS 2012 Winter Semester

• Medicine Staatsexamen, Model Course of Study Medicine/Dentistry NC for WS 2012 Winter Semester
• Metallurgical Engineering M.Sc. Master No NC for WS 2012 Winter Semester
• Mineral Resources Engineering B.Sc. Bachelor NC for WS 2012 Winter Semester
• Mineral Resources Engineering M.Sc. Master No NC for WS 2012 Winter Semester, Summer Semester
• Mobility and Transport B.Sc. Bachelor NC for WS 2012 Winter Semester
• Mobility and Transport M.Sc. Master No NC for WS 2012 Winter Semester, Summer Semester
• Molecular and Applied Biotechnology B.Sc. Bachelor NC for WS 2012 Winter Semester

• Molecular and Applied Biotechnology M.Sc. Master No NC for WS 2012 Winter Semester (recommended), Summer Semester

• Nuclear Safety Engineering M.Sc. Master No  NC for WS 2012 Winter Semester

• Philosophy M.A. Master No NC for WS 2012 Winter Semester (recommended), Summer Semester
• Physics B.Sc. Bachelor NC for WS 2012 Winter Semester
• Physics B.Sc., Gymnasium und Gesamtschule Teacher Bachelor NC for WS 2012 Winter Semester
• Physics B.Sc., Vocational School Teacher Bachelor NC for WS 2012 Winter Semester
• Physics M.Sc. Master No NC for WS 2012 Winter Semester, Summer Semester
• Plastics and Textile Technology M.Sc. Master No NC for WS 2012 Winter Semester, Summer Semester
• Political Science B.A., Vocational School Teacher Bachelor NC for WS 2012 Winter Semester
• Political Science M.A. Master No NC for WS 2012 Winter Semester (recommended), Summer Semester
• Power Engineering B.Sc., Vocational School Teacher Bachelor No NC for WS 2012 Winter Semester
• Process Engineering M.Sc. Master No NC for WS 2012 Winter Semester, Summer Semester
• Production Engineering M.Sc. Master No NC for WS 2012 Winter Semester, Summer Semester
• Production Systems Engineering M.Sc. Master No NC for WS 2012 Winter Semester
• Psychology B.Sc. Bachelor NC for WS 2012 Winter Semester
• Psychology M.Sc. Master NC for WS 2012 Winter Semester

• Redevelopment Design & Management   No NC for WS 2012 Winter Semester
• Simulation Sciences M.Sc. Master No NC for WS 2012 Winter Semester, Summer Semester
• Social Sciences B.A. Bachelor NC for WS 2012 Winter Semester
• Sociology M.A. Master No NC for WS 2012 Winter Semester (recommended), Summer Semester
• Software Systems Engineering M.Sc. Master No NC for WS 2012 Winter Semester
• Spanish B.A., Gymnasium and Gesamtschule Teacher Bachelor NC for WS 2012 Winter Semester
• Spanish B.A., Vocational School Teacher Bachelor NC for WS 2012 Winter Semester
• Structural Engineering B.Sc., Vocational School Teacher Bachelor No NC for WS 2012 Winter Semester
• Supply Technology B.Sc., Vocational School Teacher Bachelor NC for WS 2012 Winter Semester

• Sustainable Energy Supply M.Sc. Master No NC for WS 2012 Winter Semester, Summer Semester
• Teaching and Research Logopedics M.Sc. Master NC for WS 2012 Winter Semester, Summer Semester
• Technical Communication B.Sc. Bachelor No NC for WS 2012 Winter Semester
• Technical Communication M.Sc. Master No NC for WS 2012 Winter Semester (recommended), Summer Semester
• Textil Technology B.Sc., Vocational School Teacher Bachelor NC for WS 2012 Winter Semester
• Underground Engineering B.Sc., Vocational School Teacher Bachelor No NC for WS 2012 Winter Semester
• Urban Planning M.Sc. Master No NC for WS 2012 Winter Semester, Summer Semester
• Waste Management Engineering M.Sc. Master No NC for WS 2012 Winter Semester, Summer Semester
• Wood Technology B.Sc., Vocational School Teacher Bachelor No NC for WS 2012 Winter Semester

Fraunhofer-Institutes

The university cooperates with the Fraunhofer-Institutes situated in the Melaten district of Aachen. The institutes offer workshops, courses and lectures for the students of RWTH Aachen.

Fraunhofer-Institute for molecular biology and applied ecology

• Applied Information Technology (FIT) Sankt Augustin and Aachen
• Fraunhofer-Institute for Laser Technology ILT
• Fraunhofer-Institute for Production Technology IPT
• Fraunhofer-Institute for Molecular Biology and Applied Ecology

Julich-Aachen Research Alliance (JARA)

The Jülich-Aachen Research Alliance (JARA) was founded by the RWTH Aachen and Forschungszentrum Jülich in 2007. Four sections are coordinated by the research facilities:

• JARA-Brain (Diagnosis and therapy of neurologic sickness)
• JARA-Fit (Fundamentals of future information technology)
• JARA-Sim (Simulation Sciences)
• JARA-Energy (Energy research)

Associations

• RWTH Aachen - North American Alumni Association Prof. Dr. Burkhard Rauhut, former president of the RWTH, and Prof. Dr. Laszlo Baksay, President of the newly founded "Association of Alumni, Friends and Supporters of RWTH Aachen University in North-America" signed the founding statement for a new branch of the RWTH Alumni Community in Melbourne (Florida) in May 2006. Ever since, the association has proven to be a valuable source of job and internship offers as well as a reliable organizer of entertaining yet informative alumni meetings in the USA, Canada, and Mexico.
• AStA (Students' Union)
• AISA (Assoc. of Indian Students in Aachen)
• GATS (Association of Thai Students in Aachen)
• Pakistan Student Association.
• Flugwissenschaftliche Vereinigung Aachen (abbreviation: FVA, English: Flight Research Association Aachen). The FVA academic flying group is closely affiliated with RWTH Aachen and overseen by IDAFLIEG (Interessengemeinschaft deutscher akademischer Fliegergruppen e.V.).

Future

RWTH Aachen University plans a fundamental enlargement and restructuring of its campus for the close future. The new campus areas shall provide space for clusters of research institutions and industry partners to offer a better integration of research and technology. Approximately 10,000 new jobs are prospected to be created. Current plans state that construction activities shall begin in 2009. The total investment is roughly € 2 billion.

Research

Doctoral Studies

Your Master's is behind you, the future before you: Those interested in working research after they graduate often go on to complete a doctorate.  At RWTH Aachen, completing a doctorate is seen as the first step in professional life and for this reason is very application oriented.  The faculties determine the formal prerequisites for completing a doctorate and are in charge of the doctoral studies process.  All of this is written in the faculty's guidlines for doctoral studies.

Goal of Your Doctoral Studies

You independently research and develop new knowledge in your field and illustrate your findings in your dissertation.  In doing so, you prove that you can conduct research in your discipline and are qualified for the job market.  At the moment, interdisciplinary skills are increasingly being sought.  Thus, the Center for Doctoral Studies at RWTH Aachen (CDS) offers doctoral students numerous workshops and seminars, with which they can expand their breadth of interdisciplinary knowledge during their doctoral studies.

What is the Center for Doctoral Studies?

The Center for Doctoral Studies (CDS) is the center for providing continuing education and transferable skill training opportunities for doctoral candidates.  Our staff organizes, plans, and hold courses for doctoral students to expand their interdisciplinary skills.  Methodological and social skills are particularly valued.  One of RWTH Aachen's goals is for its young researchrs not only to possess excellent subject oriented skills but also a broad range of skills outside of their discipline.
The acquisition of key qualificationes can be recorded in the RWTH Aachen Doctorate Supplement (Link).

Who is the Center for Doctoral Studies intended for?

•    All doctoral students in Faculties 1 through 8
•    Doctoral students in Faculty 10, pursuing the degrees "Dr. rer. medic." or "Dr. nat. med."
•    Participants in the structured RWTH Aachen doctoral program (Graduiertenkollegs)

Research Funding

You are looking for external funding to realize your research ideas?  Are you seeking assistance with completing a project proposal? Do you need background information on funding opportunites? Or are you looking for support with administrative tasks surrounding the acquisition and implementation of large-scale DFG or EU projects? In these and other questions concerning external funding our team at the Research Funding Division will be glad to assist you. 

Consultancy Services and Funding Database

With our assistance you will identify appropriate calls for proposals and sources of funding to support your research ideas. We invite you to make use of our basic advising services or the ELFI Project Database (de).

Support with Writing Proposals for National and EU Research Funding

In the proposal writing process we assist you with meeting the formal requirements of the call or program. We provide guidelines on

national research funding and
EU Research funding

opportunities thah are specifically tailored to the needs of RWTH reseachers.

We offer assistance in reviewing your proposal and provide you with feedback on whether it complies with requirements of the call or funding program.

EU Projects and Coordinated DFG Programs

We provide special support for EU programs coordinated by RWTH institutions as well as for the coordinated funding programs by the German Research Foundation (DFG), such as

Collaborative Research Centers (SFB)
Research Units and
Graduate Research Training Groups.

We support you in the entire process from the first outline of ideas through the application and reviewing process to the realization of the project. For approved EU-funded projects and Collaborative Research Centers, we provide administrative project management services.

Seminar Program

In our seminars we provide support and training for university staff seeking to bid for external research grant funding.

Hands-on workshops with different thematic priorities train you to create successful project proposals.

Furthermore, we provide researchers at RWTH with information on current research funding programs and calls for proposals.

DFG Programs 

The funding measures of the German Research Foundation, summarized under the heading of “DFG Programs,” seek to enhance cooperation and structural development at and between universities. They promote national and international collaboration and facilitate the pooling of scientific resources at universities.

The programs by the German Research Foundation (DFG) promote cooperation and structural development by encouraging national and international collaboration in cutting-edge, often multi-disciplinary, research areas and by pooling the scientific potential available at a university. The involvement of other local research institutions is encouraged.

Collaborative Research Centers
Collaborative Research Centers (SFB) are established  to advance and deeply strengthen an innovative research focus at a selected university through the concentration and coordination of university's resources, which makes it possible to conduct demanding long-term research projects. While SFBs are located at one university, the so-called "Transregional SFBs" (or SFB/Transregio) support the collaboration of scientists from different research institutions.

Research Units
A research group is composed of multiple outstanding researchers who are working together on a particular research task.  The collaboration should give them the opportunity to devote their attention to current, pressing questions in their subject fields and to establish innovative work methods.

Priority Programs
Priority Programs provide support for promising research topics in order to promote advancements in cooperation and methodolody, espcially in emerging fields of research. They support multi-disciplinary collaboration and the establishment of networks between the involved researchers.

(International) Graduate Research Training Groups
DFG Graduate Research Training Groups also receive funding from the German Research Foundation. For further information on these educational institutions, which provide a well-structured qualification of doctoral candidates in a defined area of research, please visit our web pages concerend with Structured Doctoral Programs(http://www.rwth-aachen.de/go/id/ohl/lidx/1).

Notable faculty and alumni

RWTH Aachen University has educated several notable individuals, including some Nobel laureates in physics and chemistry. The scientists and alumni of the RWTH Aachen played a major role in chemistry, medicine, electrical, and mechanical engineering. For example, Nobel laureate Peter Debye received a degree in electrical engineering from RWTH Aachen and is known for the Debye model and Debye relaxation. Another example, Helmut Zahn and his team of the Institute for Textile Chemistry were the first who synthesised Insulin in 1963 and they were nominated for Nobel Prize.

Trivia

Together with the lord mayor and the cathedral provost of Aachen, the rector of RWTH Aachen University is one of three automatic members of the board of directors of the International Charlemagne Prize of Aachen. The prize is awarded annually for exceptional contributions towards European unity and ranks amongst the most prestigious European prizes.

Photo of University