(see also: Degree Program Change, Study Plan Change)

You can make a request for recognition of exams that you successfully completed in a previous degree program. For this you need a stamped unmodified transcript of records (containing your failed exam attempts) as well as the respective module descriptions. After the formal pre-check, you have to contact the respective lecturers who will check the content. Applications can be submitted via e-mail, sent to the faculty by mail, or dropped in the "red mailbox" (Eilfschornsteinstraße 18, 52062 Aachen, first floor). The original document should not be submitted additionally if the application as already been sent to the examination board vie e-mail. Digitally submitted applications must be signed or digitally signed.

All results regarding the applications will be communicated to the applicants after the decision of the respective examination board. For this purpose, a decision letter will be sent via e-mail.

A placement in a higher semester based on the recognition of academic achievements can be applied for at the responsible examination board and is connected with an application for the corresponding semester. 

All exams that are being taken as part of a stay abroad need to be granted beforehand by means of a study plan change request. After your stay abroad you simply need to show your transcript of records as well as the completed last page of the study plan change form to a study adviser during the consultation hours of the study advice service or the study abroad advice service.

(see also: Examination Board)

If you have a request that concerns the regulations of your degree program, such as the extension for the deadline of a scientific work, you can make a request to the respective examination board. There are specific forms for standard requests in the download area. Otherwise you can make a free text request using our online input mask.

Please note that reasons need to be provided for requests and that requests need to be supported by documents to be successful. If a request lacks reasons or if it discriminates other students, it cannot be granted. A request always has to be signed by you in order to be further processed.

Applications and protests should be submitted to the respective examination committee at least two weeks before the respective meeting date so that they can be prepared accordingly. It is possible that a case that is received in good time before a meeting will not be discussed until the following meeting. No influence can be taken on this. The students concerned will be informed of the date of the meeting in good time.

Applications can be submitted via e-mail, sent to the faculty by mail, or dropped in the "red mailbox" (Eilfschornsteinstraße 18, 52062 Aachen, first floor). The original document should not be submitted additionally if the application as already been sent to the examination board vie e-mail. Digitally submitted applications must be signed or digitally signed.

All results regarding the applications will be communicated to the applicants after the decision of the respective examination board. For this purpose, a decision letter will be sent via e-mail.

Mailing Address
RWTH Aachen University
Faculty of Mechanical Engineering
Examination Board [add Mechanical Engineering/Business Administration and Engineering/CES]
52056 Aachen

Address
RWTH Aachen University
Faculty of Mechanical Engineering
Examination Board [add Mechanical Engineering/Business Administration and Engineering/CES]
Eilfschornsteinstraße 18
52062 Aachen

(see also: Illness, Exam Regulations)

If you are unable to take a registered examination due to illness, you must submit a medical certificate so that the examination attempt is not evaluated. This must be obtained immediately and submitted to the Central Examination Office in the original or by e-mail within three working days at the latest. If you submit the medical certificate by e-mail, please keep the original, as the examination board may subsequently request it.

This medical certificate must meet certain content and formal requirements, which are listed in the handout on disease-related incapacity to take examinations in the context of the Handbook for Studies and Teaching. If it does not meet these requirements or if it is submitted late, it will be forwarded to the relevant examination board, which will decide on the evaluation.

Please therefore take note of the handout, read them carefully and draw the attention of your attending physician to the requirements!

(See also: Application, Exam Regulations, Central Examination Office (ZPA))

If you are applying for a restricted Master degree course with a limited amount of places at the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, your qualification will be evaluated by the respective examination board. As part of this evaluation, based on the access requirements of the respective Master regulations, additional requirements (“Auflagen”) can be determined in case of a deficit regarding the required basic knowledge (“Grundlagen”). This means that for completion of the Master degree program, the respective exams will have to be passed in addition to the regular Master exams. If too many “Auflagen” would be required, the application is rejected. “Auflagen” will not be listed on the final transcript but must be completed before the Master thesis can be registered. “Auflagen” subjects cannot be replaced by subjects that were already taken into account during the evaluation process of the Master application.

Additional requirements (“Auflagen”) must be registered directly via RWTHonline, like any other module required for the degree. Individually specified additional requirements must be discussed with the Master's program supervisor before being approved via an application for a curriculum change (“Antrag auf Studienplanänderung”). Thereupon, the modules are integrated into the respective curriculum by the Central Examination Office and can then be registered via RWTHonline.

(see also: Record Sheet, Examination Board, Exam Regulations)

The bachelor thesis is a written work at the end of your bachelor studies. In this work you show that you are capable of independently working on a topic taken from the respective degree program.

For the degree programs Mechanical Engineering and Business Administration with Mechanical Engineering, there is a time limit of ten weeks for completing the thesis, whereas for Computational Engineering it is twelve weeks. The earliest submission date is after eight weeks. The deadline can be extended informally by two weeks in the Central Examination Office (ZPA). A further extension of a maximum of two weeks must be applied for at the respective examination board with valid justification and approval of your internal supervisor, i. e. the supervising chair. Further information regarding the bachelor thesis can be found in your respective examination regulations.

If you plan on writing an external bachelor thesis, you need to find a supervisor, i.e. a point of contact at the company/institution where you are planning to write your thesis who will support you and keeps track of your progress. This person needs to hold an academic title of at least the title you are pursuing, e.g. a Bachelor of Science (B.Sc.). Dipl.-Ing. or Dr. Ing. are suitable alternatives.

The bachelor thesis can be registered using the respective record sheet.

(see also: Standard Period of Study)

The Federal Training Assistance Act (Bundesausbildungsförderungsgesetz, short Bafoeg) governs financial support of students by the government. Support is dependent on the parent's or the spouse's income or on the amount of personal assets. The maximum period of support is the standard period of study of a given course. Bachelor and Master degrees are considered separate courses. Half of the amount of support is a subsidy, the other half is awarded as an interest-free student loan. Further information can be found at the Department for Training Assistance of the Studierendenwerk.

In order to bundle the large number of different enquiries, the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering provides various advice services with the focus on:

• Study advice
• Study abroad advice
• Advancement of women
• Internship Office
• Mentoring
• Psychological counselling
• Ombudsman for academic affairs

All advice services are free of charge.

Further information can be found here.

(See also: Occupational Field Mentoring and Master's Program Coordination, Specialization)

The occupational field is a specialization that can be chosen within the Bachelor’s degree in  Mechanical Engineering, Business Administration and Mechanical Engineering, or Computational Engineering Science. The occupational field is selected by registering an exam from the occupational field via the Curriculum Support in RWTHonline or alternatively by checking the desired occupational field in the Curriculum Support in RWTHonline.

The prerequisites for the choice of the occupational field depend on the study program and the examination regulations:

•  Mechanical Engineering (PO11): Either 90 CP or 5^th semester
•  Business Administration and Mechanical Engineering (PO11): Either 60 CP from natural sciences and   engineering fundamentals or 5^th semester
•  Business Administration and Mechanical Engineering (PO20): 60 CP from natural sciences and engineering   fundamentals
•  Computational Engineering Science (PO16): 5^th semester

Within these occupational fields a first deepening of personal interests takes place, which is usually continued in the Master's program. Within some occupational fields, it is also possible to decide on an additional specialization. In several Master's programs, such a choice is possible as well. This Master's specialization must also be selected in RWTHonline as described for the occupational field above.

(see also: Occupational Field, Specialization)

Occupational field or Master's degree supervisors are professors who supervise the occupational fields or Master's degree programs. These supervisors are responsible for the approval of content within the occupational fields or Master's degree programs.

(see also: Exam Regulations, Examination Board)

In addition to the exam regulations, for each degree program there is a list of decisions taken by the respective examination board. It contains general decisions that supplement and extend the exam regulations. These decisions are as binding as the exam regulations as such, and it is therefore the students' duty to read all regulations concerning their study program, both in the exam regulations and in the list of decisions.

The lists of decisions can also be found in the download area of the homepage of the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering.

Certifications for examination performances can be downloaded from RWTHonline via the application "Documents". If a certificate is also required, a request can be sent to bescheinigung@fb4.rwth-aachen.de stating the type of certificate. Name, address, matriculation number, course of studies and specialisation should be given.

Certificates for external employment/companies will only be signed by the study counselling/examination board if the required information does not result from other certificates or examination regulations. For example, it is not confirmed that the Bachelor's degree programe in Mechanical Engineering has 210 credit points or that the thesis and internship are mandatory. This information can be found in the respective examination regulations. In particular, no certificates can be issued or signed if they are to confirm an event in the future, e.g. the end of the course of study in the case of examinations that are still open (forecasts). An exemption from this is the Certificate of Study Progress (see Certificate of Study Progress) for students with temporary residence permits.

Should you require a certificate within the framework of a stay abroad/exchange programe, you can contact international@fb4.rwth-aachen.de. Information on certificates for internships can be found hier. If you need a certificate for the Studierendenwerk (BAföG, Abschlussdarlehen), please contact the mentoring team mentoring@fb4.rwth-aachen.de.

(See also: Registrar's Office, Exam Regulations)

The study programs of the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering all have specific admission requirements and partly have restricted admission, which means that you need to apply in order to be able to enroll. You can find further information, e.g. about the required documents for your application and enrollment can be found in the descriptions of the individual study programs and on the pages of the Registrar' Office. If your application was successful, you will receive an admission letter, which you need to enroll. All applications need to reach the Registrar's Office within the specified deadlines.

Applications to the Master degree programs with specific admission requirements are forwarded to the respective examination board for evaluation of whether the prerequisites are met. Processing of these applications takes place in the two months following the deadline. You will be informed about the result of this evaluation process by an admission or a rejection letter.

Further information about the application for a Master's program of the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering can be found here.

All important documents such as request forms, study plans and exam regulations can be found in the download area of the Faculty's homepage.

(see also: Recognition)

The European Credit Transfer System serves to make your academic achievements comparable within the European Higher Education Area and to allow for recognition in case of a (cross-border) change from one university to another.

Every semester an orientation week is offered for the new first-year students comprising various events and information for the so-called “Erstis”. It aims to facilitate the initial phase at university and provides an opportunity to make contacts.

The week usually starts with a welcoming event by the rector and the student councils, followed by presentations about the different degree programs as well as a city rally. In addition, smaller groups are formed that are accompanied by a tutor to the week's events. Tutors are also available for questions. Many institutes offer public tours.

Further information about the orientation week can be found on RWTH Aachen University’s homepage.

(see also: Registrar's Office, Placement Certificate and Certificate of Good Standing)

On enrollment, also known as matriculation, you become a member of the university with all rights and obligations. Enrollment usually takes place in person and at specified times in the Registrar’s Office.

If you have previously undertaken studies, you have to proof your good standing with regard to exam regulations, i.e. that you have not accumulated three fails in a relevant exam which would cause you to lose the right to take further examinations in the desired degree program. An affirmation in lieu of an oath is required for this, which you can find in RWTHonline. If you have a final failed performance in a previous study program, you need a clearance certificate.

(see also: Enrollment, Degree Program Change, Higher Semester, Accreditation)

The Placement Certificate is required for submission to the Registrar's Office if you change from another university/faculty to the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering or if you change degree programs within the faculty and have applied for a higher semester. This must be submitted to the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering before the enrolment. The application will be used to check whether and in which higher semester you can be placed.

You must enter all your previous subjects and examination achievements in the application form. In addition, the application must be accompanied by a stamped and unadjusted (i.e. containing all unsuccessful attempts) original overview of grades for each course of study in which you have studied so far. Classification is subject to reservation and you are not entitled to the actual recognition of the subjects. Recognition takes place in a separate procedure, which you can start after enrollment.

If you are planning to change to a Master degree program, we will also check whether you meet the entry requirements, i.e. whether you meet the technical requirements in the Master exam regulations.

We recommend to hand in the documents well in time, as the process may take several working days, especially during the enrollment phase.

Applications can be submitted via e-mail, sent to the faculty by mail, or dropped in the "red mailbox" (Eilfschornsteinstraße 18, 52062 Aachen, first floor). The original document should not be submitted additionally if the application as already been sent to the examination board vie e-mail. Digitally submitted applications must be signed or digitally signed.

All results regarding the applications will be communicated to the applicants after the decision of the respective examination board. For this purpose, a decision letter will be sent via e-mail.

The upgrading within a study course also requires an application for the higher semester, which must be made within the current deadlines of the RWTH. The current deadlines can be found here.

(see also: Project Work, Bachelor Thesis, Master Thesis)

The record sheet is required to register a project work or your thesis work. Signatures need to be collected in the order specified on the sheet. If you are writing you project/thesis work externally, you need the approval of the examination board. This can be done anytime, independently of the examination board meetings. For this you need a fully completed (i.e. each designated field needs to have been signed by the respective designated person) record sheet. The record sheet can be found in the download area of our faculty’s website. IApplications can be submitted via e-mail, sent to the faculty by mail, or dropped in the "red mailbox" (Eilfschornsteinstraße 18, 52062 Aachen, first floor). The original document should not be submitted additionally if the application as already been sent to the examination board vie e-mail. Digitally submitted applications must be signed or digitally signed.

All results regarding the applications will be communicated to the applicants after the decision of the respective examination board. For this purpose, a decision letter will be sent via e-mail.

Finally, bring the record sheet form to the ZPA immediately so that your thesis can be registered in the Campus Management system and the submission date can be announced.

The student council comprises all students belonging to a faculty. However, a lot of the time the word student council also refers to the staff members of the student council who represent all students in university committees and organize information events and free time activities such as the city rally for first-year students or the summer festival. Approximately 100 out of the 13000 students of the faculty are involved in representing student interests in committees, providing study advice and organizing events.

The student council is divided up into a student representative body called “Fachschaftsvertretung, the highest decision-making committee within the student council, and the “Fachschaftsrat”, which deals with day-to-day business.

(see also: Advice Service, Record Sheet, Authorization)

The study advice service of the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering offers you support and advice in all formal matters regarding your studies and that cannot be answered by reading this glossary and/or your exam regulations. You can easily book a ticket online for one of the three consultation periods offered every week. In addition, you can use such an appointment to have your external scientific work approved by the examination board on the spot and take the record sheet back home immediately. If you cannot turn up to an appointment in person, you can authorize another person to arrange affairs for you.
.
Please note that without a ticket and in case of high demand we cannot guarantee a slot during the consultation hours and you may have to face long waiting times. We therefore recommend to book a ticket beforehand.

Please note that a face-to-face counseling in presence is not possible without an appointment ticket. Booking an appointment is therefore recommended. For study abroad counseling, it is possible to book an instant ticket in the foyer, depending on availability.

(see also: Placement Certificate and Certificate of Good Standing, Enrollment)

If you were enrolled at another university/faculty/degree program before studying at the faculty of Mechanical Engineering, it may be possible for you to enroll in a higher semester provided that there are places available (to be asked at the Registrar's Office) and that you have successfully completed relevant exams. To be eligible for enrollment in a higher semester, you need to make a request for a Certificate of Good Standing which then needs to be handed in to the Registrar’s Office.In addition, for admission-restricted programs, places must be available in the corresponding semester.

Please also note that enrollment in a higher semester always requires an application for the higher semester. This also applies if you are already enrolled in a degree program and would like to be upgraded due to an extensive accreditation process.

If you are planning to change to a Master degree program, we will also check whether you meet the entry requirements, i.e. whether you meet the technical requirements in the Master exam regulations.

(see also: Registrar's Office, Enrollment)

(see also: Medical Certificate and Assessment Accomodations)

If you are ill and therefore cannot take part in an exam, you immediately need to get a medical certificate and take it to the central examination office.
See Medical Certificates

If you are suffering from a chronic disease or a disability that may affect you when writing an exam, you have the possibility to make a request for assessment accommodations to the examination board.
See Assessment Accomodations

A performance rating is a document that grades your examination performance in comparison to your fellows in your subject semester and therefore makes a statement as to how your study performance is to be assessed. The CP status and preliminary overall grade are considered. We issue these classifications once a year in January.

Such a certificate can be requested at bescheinigung@fb4.rwth-aachen.de .

(see also: Record Sheet, Examination Board, Exam Regulations)

The Master thesis is a written work at the end of the Master studies in which you show that you are capable of independently working on a topic taken from the respective degree program by respecting a certain time limit and scientific methods.

The normal time limit for working on this thesis is 22 weeks, the earliest date for submission being after 18 weeks. An extension of 2 weeks can be requested informally at the Central Examination Board. A further extension of a maximum of four weeks must be applied for at the respective examination board with valid justification and approval of your internal supervisor, i. e. the supervising chair. Further important information regarding your Master thesis can be found in your respective exam regulations.

If you wish to write your Master thesis externally, you have to look for an external supervisor, i.e. a person in the company/organization where you are writing your thesis, who supports you and monitors your progress. The following regulation applies exclusively to the master Automation Engineering: This person needs to have at least the academic title that you are aiming to achieve, i.e. a Master of Science (M.Sc.). Alternative titles would be Dipl.-Ing. or Dr. Ing.

Registration Master Thesis:

For the registration of your master thesis you need the registration form, which you can find in the download area of the website of the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering. To register, you must obtain the required signatures in the order specified on the form:

1. First, you must be admitted to the ZPA to write your final thesis.
2. If the formal prerequisites are fulfilled, the topic can be output. This is documented in the second step by the signature of the professor, the research assistant and your own signature.
   Important: Your processing time begins with the date of your supervising professor's signature.
3. Next, you can obtain permission from your Master's supervisor.
4. If you write your work externally, in this case approval must be obtained from the examination board. This is done generally outside the meetings of the examination board. To do so, you need the completely (i.e. all previous fields must be completely signed) completed registration form. Applications can be submitted via e-mail, sent to the faculty by mail, or dropped in the "red mailbox" (Eilfschornsteinstraße 18, 52062 Aachen, first floor). The original document should not be submitted additionally if the application as already been sent to the examination board vie e-mail. Digitally submitted applications must be signed or digitally signed.
   
   All results regarding the applications will be communicated to the applicants after the decision of the respective examination board. For this purpose, a decision letter will be sent via e-mail.
5. Finally, bring the entry form to the ZPA immediately so that your thesis can be registered in the Campus Management system and the submission date can be announced. Afterwards, the registration form remains in the ZPA until the Master's thesis is submitted.

If the final thesis is submitted to the ZPA in due time, the registration form and the master thesis will be sent to the chair or the supervising persons for evaluation. There, the note is entered on the entry form and sent back to the ZPA for registration.

Here you will find an overview of the content and the fields to be filled in on the entry form for master theses:

Page 1

• Personal data, details of the course of study
• Topic of the Master thesis (in German and English)
• Information on the performance of the Master's thesis (incl. supervising persons)

Page 2

• Topic of the Master thesis (in German and English)
• Task and context

Page 3

• Planned work process

Page 4

• signature fields
• Approval (ZPA)
• Issue of the topic, confirmation of the structure and schedule (signatures: students or supervising persons): Start of processing time
• Approval (Master's supervisor)
• Approval of external master theses (4b, examination board)
• Submission of entry form and master thesis (ZPA: Registration in the Campus Management System, extensions if necessary, and actual submission date) 

 
Page 5

• Sheet for external work: Signature field 4a (students or students and supervisors sign)

Page 6 (to be filled in by the chair)

• Evaluation of the Master thesis (examiners in block letters, signatures of the supervising persons and grade).

(see also: Study Plan)

Modules that are part of one of the consecutive Master programs of the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering can be pre-scheduled after completion of 120 CP (normally). These courses cannot be registered online in RWTHonline.
You can only pre-schedule modules that are part of the regular module catalogue of your desired Master program.

If you are in the last semester of your Bachelor’s degree program and want to pre-schedule Master’s modules in the current semester, it is necessary that you register for the exams before registering your last Bachelor's grade. After the completion of the Bachelor's degree, a regular registration of Master’s exams via RWTHonline is no longer possible.

Students aiming for either General Mechanical Engineering M.Sc., Automation Engineering M.Sc., Computational Engineering Science M.Sc. or Business Administration and Engineering: Mechanical Engineering – Specialization Textile Technology M.Sc. have to hand in a study plan approved by their Master program coordinator.

(see also: Exam Regulations)

A “Ministerversuch” (or often short “Minister”) refers to the last possible exam attempt before the exam is considered as irrevocably failed (“endgültig nicht bestanden”).

According to the current exam regulations, three exam attempts per module are allowed, including an oral supplemental exam in case of a failed third attempt. Thus, the “Ministerversuch” refers to the third written exam attempt including an oral supplemental exam if needed.

If the “Ministerversuch” is failed, the respective exam – and consequently the entire study program - is considered as irrevocably failed. So this final attempt is of great importance.

If you are facing a “Ministerversuch”, we strongly recommend to make use of our advice services, e.g. consultation hours with lecturers or psychological counseling offered by the faculty (e.g. regarding exam nerves). Quite often, the different chairs offer so-called minister seminars or workshops to prepare you for a “Ministerversuch”. Consulting the student council may also be useful.

(see also: Exam Registration, Exam Participation Subject to Approval of the Examination Board)

According to article 13, paragraph 3 of the matriculation regulations, students have a duty to cooperate. This duty mainly applies to the automatic business processes used within the university, such as registration for lectures and exams. Actively making use of the code each student receives at the time of enrollment and the subsequent activation of an e-mail address forms the basis for this cooperation duty.

For instance, essential information from your study advice service and the central examination office is regularly sent to your RWTH e-mail address, which means that downloading and reading these e-mails is very important for your studies.

If you do not wish to use your RWTH e-mail address for private purposes, we strongly recommend to activate the address anyway and configure automatic forwarding of all incoming e-mails to your regular e-mail account. Otherwise you risk to miss relevant information for your studies.

Please also note that in addition, it is also your duty to inform yourself about regulations, processes and deadlines.

(see also: Exam Regulations)

After the second repeat exam, i.e. the third written exam attempt (“Ministerversuch”), you have the right to an oral supplemental exam. 

You need to specify the date for the oral supplemental exam during the post-exam review. If you cannot attend this review, you can authorize someone to replace you.

The oral supplemental exam will then take place within the six weeks following the post-exam review.
If you have to cancel the oral supplemental exam, you can arrange a new date within the six weeks following the post-exam review, as long as this can be managed/organized by the chair. You will be informed about this date by the examination board and not by the chair. You then have to keep the appointment for that exam. If you do not attend, you do not have a right to receive an alternative appointment for the oral exam.

In case of oral supplemental exams, marking can be carried out by just one examiner. You can find further information in your exam regulations and your subject-specific and your general exam regulations.

(see also: Request to the Examination Board)

The instrument of disadvantage compensation compensates for a permanent health impairment of a student. The granting of equalisation of disadvantages thus serves to secure equal opportunities in studies. 

When disadvantage compensation is granted, it must be ensured that there is no overcompensation as a result of the specific design of the disadvantage compensation. The student must not be overprivileged, as this in turn would constitute a violation of equal opportunities to the detriment of the other examination participants.

Prerequisites for the granting of compensation for disadvantages are the following proofs 
- a chronic illness or disability, and
- the resulting impairment of the ability to represent actual performance.

Students can apply to the examination board for compensation for disadvantages. The application for disadvantage compensation should be submitted at least six weeks before the first examination date in the semester so that the application can be processed and the chairs informed in good time. 

The application must be accompanied by a certificate from a specialist doctor or an expert opinion from a specialist doctor which proves both the chronic illness or disability and the resulting impairment of the ability to demonstrate actual performance. 

In order for the examination board to be able to advise on possible compensation for disadvantages, it also needs a recommendation for the design of measures to compensate for disadvantages from the treating specialist within the framework of an individual expert opinion. 

It is recommended that the counselling centre be consulted on the subject of studies with disabilities and chronic diseases to visit your doctor about this disease.

Information on exam adjustments can be found here.

The chairs should have been informed by the students at least two weeks before an examination date about compensations for disadvantages.

The General Student Committee AStA has published an information sheet entitled "How to Disadvantage Compensation" with further information.

(see also: Standard Study Period)

If all exams have been passed within the standard study period, the worst of all weighted module grades is not counted – with exception of project or thesis work. If several of these weighted exams have the same weighted module grade, you need to tell the Central Examination Office which module should not be counted using a request form. You can receive the request form in the Central Examination Office.

Your subject-specific exam regulations provide information about this process.

(see also: CAMPUS Office)

The transcript of records gives you an overview of all passed exams. You can print it yourself on CAMPUS Office or get a signed version at the Central Examination Office (ZPA).

A so-called unmodified transcript of records also contains your failed exam attempts. You can get this transcript only at the Central Examination Office.

(see also: Internship)
The Internship Office of the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering is responsible for the recognition of compulsory internships of all degree programs of the Faculty.

Exception: In the degree program Business Administration and Mechanical Engineering, the supervisors for internships at the Faculty of Business and Economics are responsible for the recognition of internships in the field of business administration. Reports about internships in the field of business administration may be submitted to them directly.

(see also: Internship Office, Bachelor Thesis)

One or several internships, comprising a total of 20 weeks, form part of the degree programs B.Sc. Mechanical Engineering or B.Sc. Business Administration and Engineering (Mechanical Engineering), according to the internship regulations of the respective study program. In general, 6 of the 20 weeks are carried out before your studies, i.e. as a pre-study internship. The remaining 14 weeks are done as part of the technical internship later during your studies. For accreditation of the internship, an internship report needs to be written and handed in at the internship office. The topic of the Bachelor thesis may only be given to the student when 180 CP (including the internship of 14 weeks) or 166 CP (excluding the internship of 14 weeks) have been reached. In addition, a presentation needs to be held for one of the professors of the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, or The Faculty of Business and Economics in case you study Business Administration and Engineering (Mechanical Engineering).

(see also: Record Sheet)

The project work is a mandatory component of the B.Sc. Mechanical Engineering and consists in working independently on a specific scientific problem and a written documentation of the results in a report. The aim of the project work is to show ability to select and utilize task-specific project management tools, to practice ability to work in a team, self-organization and group organization. In addition, technical knowledge is to be put into practice. The project work is done in groups of 2 to 5 persons, except if it is done abroad (in which case it may also be done alone).

The project work needs to be registered using the respective record sheet.

(see also: Orientation Phase De-Registration, Withdrawal, Duty to Cooperate, Conditional Exam Participation)

For participation in an exam, a registration in due form is required. Without such a registration you are not allowed to take the exam. Without such a registration you are not allowed to take the exam. Therefore, you should out in due time when and how to register your exams.

The following text describes the most common types of registration. If you are unsure of how to register for a specific exam, please contact your study advice service in due time. We also recommend to carefully read the information e-mail regarding exam registration sent out by the Central Examination Office (ZPA) every semester.

Normal procedure: Registration via RWTHonline

Normally, registration is carried out via RWTHonline. Your registration is then transmitted to the exam administration system of the Central Examination Office on a certain date. Only after that date you are duly registered for the exam.

If you de-register the exam in RWTHonline before the transmission date (orientation phase de-registration), you will not be registered for the exam.

(see also: Request to the Examination Board)

The examination board consist of professors, scientific assistants and students.

It is the examination board’s task to make sure that the examination regulations are complied with and that exams are held according to the rules. In particular, it also deals with objections to its decisions. The board meetings are not open to the public.

(see also: List of Decisions, Examination Board)

There are individual exam regulations for each degree program that have been specified by the faculty council. They contain all regulations regarding the respective degree program.

By enrolling, you commit yourself to comply with the exam regulations and they should therefore be your first source of information in case of uncertainties.

You will find the currently valid exam regulations in the download area of the Faculty’s homepage as well as in the list of official announcements of RWTH.

Note that the list of announcements contains additional binding regulations that supplement the exam regulations.

Each degree programme in RWTHonline has a unique code, the study ID or programme ID. For instance, the Bachelor's programme in Mechanical Engineering has the programme ID 82104. In addition to the programme ID, the version of the examination regulations in RWTHonline is also given. The version is named after the year in which it was introduced. For example, the Bachelor's degree programme in Mechanical Engineering has the examination regulations version 2011 (PO11). Some degree programmes have several examination regulations versions. In order to find the respective valid study plan and examination regulations, it is necessary to know in which examination regulations version you are studying. You can find the correct examination regulations version in Curriculum Support in RWTHonline.

(See also: Registration for examination, obligation to cooperate, declaration of reservation)

In principle, a proper registration is always a prerequisite for taking part in an examination. You are not entitled to take the examination without proper registration. Therefore, please check all your examination registrations as soon as you receive the information mail from the Registrar's Office at the end of the registration phase and report any errors or ambiguities immediately to the student advisory service. 

According to the decisions of the examination boards, subsequent registration for examinations after expiry of the prescribed period is not possible without stating a valid reason or clear proof of the confirmation of registration. A self-inflicted omission is not a valid reason. Students are generally obliged to plan their availability for university purposes in such a way that sufficient time and the technical possibilities for a proper registration are ensured. Valid reasons are usually present if external, unforeseeable and/or unforeseeable circumstances which are not the fault of the examiner have contributed significantly to the fact that it was not possible to file an examination in a large part of the application phase. For example, stays abroad and the associated obstacles when registering for an examination are not a valid reason. 

The only way to clearly prove that you have registered for an exam is to submit the confirmation e-mail from RWTHonline, which you will receive automatically after you have registered. If you have not received such an e-mail, you are not registered and proof is usually no longer possible.

(see also: Advice Services)

The psychological counseling at the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering offers assistance to all students of the faculty who for various reasons have problems achieving their study goals.

The reasons may be learning difficulties, examination nerves, fear of speaking, time management difficulties, but also burdening circumstances in the personal surroundings.

In a confidential conversation the situation will be analyzed and solution ideas will be developed together. The counseling is free of charge.

(see also BaföG, Additional Requirements („Auflagen“))

The standard period of study describes the time period it should ideally take to complete a degree program. Consequently, this period depends on the study program.

(see also: Exam Registration, Orientation Phase De-Registration, Duty to Cooperate, Medical Certificates, CAMPUS Office)

The Central Examination Office differentiates between regular exam cancellation and withdrawal due to illness.

Regular exam cancellation:
According to exam regulations there is no limit to the number of times students may cancel an exam without giving reasons. However, such an exam cancellation without giving reasons needs to be done at least three days before the day of the exam and is done online via the VZPA within RWTHonline.
If you do not keep this deadline and do not take part in the exam, the exam attempt will be counted as 5.0 due to absence.

Withdrawal due to illness:
If you fall ill, you may withdraw from an exam due to illness. For this you need to hand in a medical certificate. Please note the handout about medical certificates which specifies the requirements for a medical certificate and the deadlines which are to be met.

If you do not keep this deadline and do not take part in the exam, the exam attempt will be counted as 5.0 due to absence.

RWTHmoodle is the learning and teaching platform of RWTH Aachen. In L²P lecturers can offer virtual learning rooms for each of their events. A learning room contains learning materials and relevant information about the lecture or exercise. If you have not been given access to the learning room, contact the chair’s responsible assistant.

In Campus Management System RWTHonline, students can view, among other things, their achievements as well as module descriptions and course structures. In addition, enrolment and cancellation for courses and examinations can be done via RWTHonline.

Bei der Anerkennung von extern erbrachten Prüfungsleistungen aus einem Auslandsstudium kann eine Skalierung notwendig sein. Dies kann in zwei Fällen erforderlich sein:

1. wenn eine externe Masterarbeit geplant ist, dürfen nur 15 CP aus dem Ausland anerkannt werden.
2. wenn im Wahlpflichtbereich nur eine bestimmte Anzahl an Credit Points erbracht werden darf. Leistungen können auch mit Überhang anerkannt werden, d. h., dass der Bereich „überbucht“ wird. Dies gilt allerdings nur dann, wenn der Überhang sich lediglich auf ein Modul bezieht und dadurch kein bestandenes Modul in diesem Bereich überflüssig wird.

Bei einer Skalierung werden alle zu anzuerkennenden Auslandsmodule anteilig skaliert. Bei äquivalenten Anerkennungen (d.h. RWTH-Fächern) und Zusatzmodulen erfolgt keine Skalierung. Nach einem abgeschlossenen Anerkennungsprozess ist eine nachträgliche Skalierung nicht mehr möglich.

(see also: Application, Placement Certificate (“Einstufung”), Unbedenklichkeit, Higher Semester )

If you come from another higher education institution/university/faculty or another degree programe and cannot be placed in a higher semester, you must apply in due time via RWTHonline for a place in the first semester. The application deadlines for the first semester of the Bachelor's and Master's programes can be found on the respective linked pages.

If you have already successfully passed relevant examinations, it may be possible to be placed in a higher semester of the desired degree programe. Please see the information under "Higher Semester".

If you change to a Master's programe, you must check whether you meet the admission requirements for the respective programe.

Do you receive BAföG funding or similar benefits? Or is your right of residence restricted (students from non-EU countries)?

If so, please clarify the conditions for a change of degree programe with the responsible authorities in advance, e.g. with the BAföG-Amt/Studierendenwerk or the immigration office of your place of residence, in order not to lose any claims.

(see also: Study Plan Change)

The study plan is an overview of the modules in a study program. They are listed by semesters with their number of lectures and exercises (contact hours per week per semester, SWS) and with their credit points (CP). In Bachelor degree programs you will usually find the basic subjects in the first four semesters. They form part of the overall core subject section. From semester five onwards, you will see placeholders for the occupational fields. Within this sections you have the option to select both compulsory subjects from the occupational field and one or two compulsory elective courses. The latter can be chosen from the entire overall compulsory electives section, including from outside the recommended sections. For this selection you do not need to make a request for a study plan change. The Master degree programs are also divided into overall compulsory subjects and electives. Some Master degree programs also have additional compulsory subjects for each specialization.

If you are studying General Mechanical Engineering M.Sc., Automation Engineering M.Sc., Computational Engineering Science B.Sc./M.Sc. or Business Administration and Engineering: Mechanical Engineering – Specialization Textile Technology M.Sc. respectively, you need to create an individual study plan from the provided module catalogs. You need to submit the prepared individual study plan to the examination board at the beginning of the fifth semester (B.Sc) or at the beginning of the Master's program, however no later than six weeks before the end of the respective examination registration period in the fifth or first semester. Before you can register for an examination from the occupational field (B.Sc.) or the Master's program, your individual study plan has to be approved. This also applies to early master's examinations.

Changes to these study plans may be approved by the occupational field mentors or the Master program coordinator on an individual basis, provided that a study plan change has been requested.

(see also: Personal Exam Registration Phase)

A study plan change serves to integrate subjects that are not foreseen in your curriculum/study plan. This allows you to integrate e.g. subjects taken abroad or subjects from other degree programs.

Please read the information page on the curriculum change on the homepage of the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering thoroughly.

You can send the request to our faculty either by post or by fax or put it directly into the red letter box (Sammelbau Maschinenwesen,Eilfschornsteinstraße 18, ground floor). We cannot accept requests by email.

Study plan changes are not dealt with in the meetings of the board of examination, as they are rule cases. This means that you are not bound by the examination board deadlines. Please note, however, that the examination board may take two to three weeks to process, but in exceptional cases it may take longer, depending on the workload. Therefore, please refrain from inquiries regarding your processing status. After processing, the application will be returned to you by post at the address indicated on your application. In the case of RWTH internal curriculum changes, a copy will always also be sent to the Examinations Office so that the curriculum change can be implemented in RWTHonline. You can then register via RWTHonline.

In urgent cases, you can request a personal pick-up of the edited curriculum change in an additional letter and will be informed as soon as the documents are ready for pick-up.

It is also possible to authorize someone to collect the decision letter and to do the exam registration (authorization letter, copy of ID card or copy of Blue Card required).

International students, who received a visa to study in Germany, are required by the Foreigners' Office in the Aachen City Region to submit an academic progress certificate after the typical length of studies has passed. On the academic progress certificate, the university confirms that the student is completing studies as scheduled and provides a prognosis on the expected academic degree. Please write to bescheinigung@fb4.rwth-aachen.de to get an academic progress certificate.

(see also: Degree Program Change, Higher Semester, Matriculation, Enrollment)

The Registrar’s Office is responsible for enrollments and degree program changes as well as re-enrollment, leave of absence and termination of enrollment.

Furthermore, the division is responsible for the admission and enrollment of German students and international students with a German secondary education certificate. The Registrar's Office is also responsible for the admission and enrollment of applicants from other European Union member states or members of European Economic Area, EEA, in degree programs with restricted admission.(see also: Degree Program Change, Higher Semester, Matriculation, Enrollment)

The respective applications for degree programs of restricted admission are therefore to be sent to the Registrar’s office.

This document proves that you have not lost the right to take further examinations in the desired degree program.

The document is usually required for a change of degree program. You can find all information here. 

(see also: Registrar’s Office)

Applications for a leave of absence can be submitted to the Registrar's Office during the re-enrollment period if you wish to interrupt your studies and resume them later. During a leave of absence the number of semesters does not increase. However, you are nevertheless allowed to take exams.

(see also: Occupational Field)

A specialization can either refer to a sub-specialization within an occupational field of a Bachelor degree program, or to a specialization within some of the Master degree programs.

(see also: Exam Registration, Project Work, Bachelor Thesis, Master Thesis)

A letter of authorization authorizes a specific person to do something on your behalf. This may concern personal exam registration, getting approval for an externally written scientific work or the collection of documents. If, for instance, you cannot do these things in person due to illness or e.g. a stay abroad, you may write an authorization letter (no official form required) stating the name and matriculation number of the person who will do them on your behalf. Please sign the letter and attach a copy of your ID card. In exceptional cases a printed scan of the authorization letter may be sufficient, provided that the signature on authorization letter and on your ID card are clearly visible. The authorized person will also need to present their Blue Card or ID card in addition to the authorization letter.

(See also: Registration for Examination, Duty to Cooperate, Post-Registration for Examination)

In principle, a proper registration is always a prerequisite for taking part in an examination. You are not entitled to take the examination without proper registration. (see also Registration and Late Registration)

If you find at the beginning of an exam that you are not on the registration list but can prove beyond any doubt that you must be registered for the exam, the examiner may decide to allow you to take the exam with reservation.

If the examiner has no doubts about your registration and you have written it down, you must sign a so-called declaration of reservation, which serves as an application for verification of the registration or subsequent registration and evaluation of the examination. At the same time, you are obliged to submit proof of your registration for the examination or other documents relating to your application to the relevant examination board within one week of the examination without being asked to do so. Please use the corresponding email addresses provided by your study advice service. The examination board decides on the evaluation of the examination performance.

It should be noted that an examination taken with reservation will not be considered if the application for examination cannot be proven or if no documents are submitted.

The only way to clearly prove that you have registered for an exam is to submit the confirmation e-mail from RWTHonline, which you will receive automatically after you have registered. If you have not received such an e-mail, you are not registered and proof is usually no longer possible.

(see also: Study Plan)

Study plans of the various degree programs are divided up into overall (compulsory) core subjects and overall compulsory core electives as well as the core subjects of the respective occupational field (if applicable). A certain number of CPs/exams need to be obtained in order to successfully complete the degree program. Shifting of CPs amongst the different categories in not authorized.

Decision letters from the examination board always contain instructions on your right to appeal, stating whether you can file an objection against the decision. If you have received a respective decision letter that gives you the option to appeal, you generally have the option to file an objection.

Should you decide to file an objection, you should note the following:

•  The opposition proceedings is a pre-litigation procedure and induces costs that may be charged to you.
•  Objections must always be submitted in writing in the original with signature (by postal mail or personally in the red mailbox).
•  It is not sufficient to state that you are dissatisfied with the decision of the examination board. Objections must ALWAYS be substantiated with NEW arguments and, if necessary, further evidence.
•  An objection must always be filed within one month of the receipt of the decision letter.

(see also: Medical Certificate, Additional Requirements (“Auflagen”), Occupational Field, RWTHonline, Early Master’s Work, Transcript of Records, Personal Exam Registration Period, Exam Registration, Study Plan Change)

The Central Examination Office (ZPA) of RWTH Aachen University is responsible for the administration of exam registrations and the recording of exam grades for all degree programs. Medical certificates for withdrawals from exams due to illness have to be handed in to the Central Examination Office within three working days. Transcripts of record are also generated by the Central Examination Office. Registration of regular exams is done via RWTHonline in the first weeks of each semester (usually the last but one Friday of the month of May/November). The data are then transferred to the Central Examination Office and no further registrations are then possible. A regular exam cancellation without submitting any reasons can be done up to three business days before the exam date via RWTHonline.


You can contact the Central Examination Office during the official opening hours. Please note, however, that late registrations for exams are not carried out by the Central Examination Office but instead have to be decided upon by the examination boards. Late registration is only possible in very rare, well-justified exceptional cases.

(See also: Study Plan, Recognition, Study Plan Change)

Students can take examinations in further, freely selected modules ( supplementary modules). Examination achievements that are not included in the curriculum of the course of study in question will be included with their results in the certificate as additional performance upon application, but will not be included in the determination of the overall grade.

Before taking an supplementary module, the corresponding guideline (DE) of the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering must first be filled out digitally and the result presented to the position identified there. If modules from the curriculum or modules outside a study course are to be taken as an additional service, the responsible lecturer must be informed in order to inquire whether there are still places available in the examination and whether the lecturer is registering for the examination. Chairs can decide for themselves whether they want students to take part in the exams for additional services or not.

Registration must take place within the regular registration phase for examinations. The regular registration phases are announced on the website of the Student Examination Office (ZPA).
Once the examination has been completed, the chair will issue a certificate of achievement. Subsequently, this certificate must be accompanied by an application (Aufnahme von Zusatzleistungen auf das Zeugnis) to the ZPA for admission to additional services on the certificate, so that this examination service is recognised as an supplementary module.
This declaration must be submitted in writing to the ZPA no later than one week after the announcement of the examination result of the last examination results of a course of study.
If modules are taken prophylactically for a planned change of degree course or an application for a Master's degree course, the certificate of achievement can be enclosed with an application for recognition or the Master's application so that the achievements are taken into account.

Supplementary modules that are not taken at the RWTH but, for example, in a semester abroad, should be applied for in advance via an application for a study plan change.