Automotive Engineering

The Department of Automotive and Aeronautical Engineering at HAW Hamburg has its roots in the city‘s Wagenbauschule, established in 1896. In the course of this long tradition, we have built up an outstanding network of expertise spanning the entire automobile industry, in which most of our lecturers have many years of hands-on experience.

This Master’s degree course is designed for Bachelor’s or Diplom (or equivalent) graduates in automotive engineering who are keen to expand their existing knowledge and skills to encompass expertise in acquiring, furthering and applying scientific methodologies or to qualify for doctoral studies or higher management positions in the automotive industry. Graduates in other engineering specialisms are invited to apply, but will need to study additional content in order to catch up at the beginning of the course.

The degree course is three semesters in duration and offers the following focal areas:

• Automotive body engineering
• Powertrain and chassis systems

Alongside advanced studies in these focal areas, the degree course delivers in-depth expertise in systems management, business administration and general engineering sciences. The modules' content is centred around fundamental principles of engineering and aligned with the process of automobile design and creation.

Students can choose from an extensive range of modules, allowing them to define their own specialisms and foci.

Essential:

• Successfully completed Bachelor's or Diplom (or equivalent) degree (of at least three and a half years' duration, worth at least 210 credit points)
• Diploma Supplement/Transcript of Records
• International applicants are required to demonstrate proficiency in the German language at level C1 (Common European Framework of Reference for Languages) or above via a recognised language test, which should be one of the following: Goethe Institute C1, TestDaF 4, telc C1 Hochschule, DSH2, Deutsches Sprachdiplom issued by the KMK (Kultusministerkonferenz), or Kleines or Großes Sprachdiplom issued by the Goethe Institute.
• Proof of English skills at level B1 (Common European Framework of Reference for Languages) as demonstrated by
  1. German higher education entrance qualification demonstrating three years of English instruction directly prior to graduation; the average grade for the final two years must be at least 4 (satisfactory) or a minimum of 5 points or
  2. International English Language Testing System (IELTS) Academic test; min. 4.0 or
  3. Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) Internet-based test; min. 42 points or
  4. School-leaving certificate (higher education entrance qualification) from a school in an English-speaking country or
  5. Proof of at least two years of successful study at a university in an English-speaking country
  6. In individual cases, applicants whose qualifications are comparable to those listed in 1 to 5 may be considered.

An admissions committee considers all applications. Students who have completed or are completing the Bachelor’s degree in Automotive Engineering in the Department of Automotive and Aeronautical Engineering, but who have yet to receive their certificate of examinations for the Bachelor’s degree (Bachelorzeugnis), should submit a grade overview and proof of having registered their thesis topic. Successful applicants from this group will be provisionally enrolled; full enrolment is conditional upon presentation of their certificate of examinations, alongside the fulfilment of the other requirements for full enrolment.

The admissions committee reserves the right to decline to admit graduates of other degree courses or from other institutions whose degrees contain core subjects that do not adequately match or reflect those of the Automotive Engineering degree at HAW Hamburg.

N.B.: Applicants whose Bachelor’s degrees are equivalent to 180 credit points are required to attain a further 30 credit points in order to enrol fully in this Master’s degree course. The department will provide information on the examinations and courses required. If this applies to you and your application is successful, you will be enrolled for an initial fixed period of one semester in order to attain the required credit points. Your application for full enrolment will be considered at the end of this semester. Your standard course duration may increase by no more than one semester due to meeting this requirement.