Internships

 

Pre-study internship for Bachelor’s degree programs

The six-week pre-study internship is a requirement for enrolment in the bachelor's degree programs in “Mechanical Engineering”, “Business Administration & Engineering: Mechanical Engineering” and “Technical Communication with principles of Mechanical Engineering”. No pre-study internship is required for bachelor's degree program “Computational Engineering Sciences.”.

It is strongly recommended that areas of the basic internship (Grundpraktikum) be completed during the pre-internship to gain a basic insight into craft aspects and operational activities. The intended work areas and requirements for internship positions can be found in the respective guidelines of your study programs .

Students must provide proof of internship during enrolment. During the enrolment procedure, it is only checked whether the internship has been completed; accreditation does not take place at the same time. The Internship Office of the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering carries out the accreditation at a later stage.

The Internship Office must receive the corresponding application for recognition, including proof of practical experience, no later than the last day of the first semester (usually 31.03.). We strongly recommend an early submission of the documents.

If, for valid reasons, it is not possible to complete a pre-study internship, you should contact the   immediately after receiving your admission letter.

As an example, an unexpected acceptance to RWTH or a last-minute decision for the study program in question are no valid reasons. On the other hand, participation in a voluntary social year or federal voluntary service, completion of vocational training, as well as a contractually regulated employment relationship prior to the beginning of your studies, are accepted.

Once the relevant documents have been checked, you will be sent a certificate by e-mail that you can use to enrol in the program even if you do not have proof of a completed pre-study internship. The pre-study internship must then be completed at the very latest by the time you complete your bachelor's degree.

 

Mandatory internships during studies

The examination regulations for the Bachelor's degree programs of the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering require, in addition to the pre-study internship, various amounts of practical work experience:

Mechanical Engineering, B. Sc. 14 weeks
Business Administration & Engineering: Mechanical Engineering, B. Sc. 14 weeks
Computational Engineering Sciences, B. Sc. 12 weeks
Technical Communication, B. Sc. 4 weeks

 

 

 

 

 

In internships during the course of studies, study contents are to be deepened and applied practically. Detailed information on internships in the individual degree programs, particularly requirements for content and internship location, can be found under You are studying... .

The deadline for submitting applications for accreditation and the associated documents is 6 months after completion of the internship. If the mandatory internship is followed by a voluntary part (e.g. in case of longer internships than six months), the date of the end of the entire internship applies.

A suspended pre-study internship can also be completed in conjunction with the internship in the course of studies.

 

Vocational training, prior work experiences

Recognition of technical work experience prior to studies, particularly vocational training, is possible after verification of the relevant evidence, provided that the work areas required by the guideline were part of the practice.  For this purpose please contact the Internship Office by .