HAW goes USA HAW goes USA

Since 2011, there has been regular student exchange in the field of aeronautical engineering between HAW Hamburg and Virginia Tech. For this purpose, core subjects in the aeronautical engineering degree programme are offered in English and have been articulated for credit by Virginia Tech. VT students 2014; VT students 2017

Since 2020, a complete semester at HAW Hamburg has been recognised as part of the Virginia Tech curriculum under the title "Junior Spring Semester Abroad". Virginia Tech students can complete a semester abroad and still finish their studies without extending time to graduation.

At the same time, a large number of aerospace classes at Virginia Tech has been approved for credit transfer to Hamburg, so that HAW Hamburg students can complete a full (30 ECTS) semester in Blacksburg. They can focus on aeronautical engineering courses or build a new area of expertise with the “space minor”. Since 2018 they have been completing their semester abroad with ISAP scholarships from the DAAD: Article

Since 2014 there has also been a collaboration as part of the 'Senior Capstone Design Project' at Virginia Tech. Each year a team of students from both universities works over a period of nine months on a joint project to design an aircraft according to an exact specification. This project prepares the students for a career in the global aerospace industry, where international project management and intercultural communication are core elements of daily work life. They learn to organise themselves and successfully complete an international project across time zones. The project is part of the curriculum and is supported by professors from both universities.

As a result of this project a joint paper 'International Collaborative Design Projects' was presented at the 2016 30. Congress of the International Council of the Aeronautical Sciences (ICAS). In 2020 a joint team was awarded 2nd place for its aircraft design by the American Institute of Aeronautics & Astronautics (AIAA). Article.

Master students at HAW Hamburg also have the opportunity to complete their Master thesis as part of a research team at Virginia Tech. There are also plans to develop the opportunity for excellent Hamburg students to do their doctoral thesis in collaboration with Virginia Tech.

In the winter semester 2021/22 and 2022/23, an online course was offered by Virginia Tech at HAW Hamburg. Prof. Pat Artis shared his great expertise in booster design (Generation SpaceX) as part of his eight-week course "Space & Trade Spaces". The course is credited as an elective module at HAW Hamburg. Read article. 

In the winter semester 2025/26, an online module in astromechanics was offered by Virginia Tech professor Dr Riley Fitzgerald. The eight-week course consisted of two weekly videos and weekly sessions with discussion and assignments. The weekly assignments were graded. At the end of the module, students submitted a project, which was also graded. Read article

Guest visits have taken place at both universities since 2014. Each year colleagues from different fields within aerospace have the opportunity to talk about their particular areas of expertise in lectures, to network and strengthen the partnership between the universities. The worldwide reputation of Virginia Tech strengthens the teaching profile in Hamburg and the collaboration is also a platform for new ideas in research.