Mechanical Engineering B. Sc.

In the basic part of the course, students are introduced to mathematics, mechanics and technical electricity. Students should be able to independently describe processes both qualitatively and mathematically and quantitatively and apply laws and formulas to defined problems.

This is supplemented by basic subjects specific to mechanical engineering: technical mechanics teaches students the ability to independently formulate and solve mechanical problems at an abstract mathematical level. As part of the fundamentals of machine drawing and machine elements, this knowledge is transferred to complex technical drawings so that students can develop solutions for the production-, load- and assembly-oriented design of components, select suitable machine elements and represent them using CAD systems. In addition to elementary basics of information technology such as computer architecture, the analysis of real-time systems for given control systems and the C programming language are also part of the course. 

The ability to model engineering problems taking uncertainties into account is trained on the basis of probability theory. The foundation course is completed with the modules materials science, control engineering, fluid mechanics, thermodynamics and heat transfer. With this sound knowledge of scientific principles, theories and methods, students are able to successfully work on specific problems in mechanical engineering with a clear solution path. For example, students are able to make a pre-selection of suitable materials based on specific material requirements, describe a machine as a thermodynamic system and design dynamic, actively influenced systems.

More Information: Degree program documentation

After completing the foundation course, you will be able to

• understand essential basic concepts of mathematics, physics, chemistry and electrical engineering, describe processes both qualitatively and mathematically-quantitatively and apply laws/formulas to defined problems
• use your knowledge of mechanical engineering-specific basic subjects such as technical mechanics, machine drawing, machine elements and information technology to independently formulate and solve questions in engineering problems (e.g. determination of real-time systems for given control systems, design of components suitable for production, load and assembly, modeling of uncertainties)
• apply the methods and concepts of materials science, thermodynamics, heat transport phenomena, fluid mechanics and control engineering (e.g. development of material properties, analysis of heat transport and technical flows, design of dynamic actively influenced systems)

After completing the individually selected subjects in the 5th and 6th semesters, depending on your specialization, you will be able to apply the methods you have learned there and, if necessary, independently developed solutions in practice (e.g. application of mechanisms of industrial real-time bus and operating systems, characterization of novel electrified concepts in motor vehicles, development and evaluation of thermal solar collectors and photovoltaic systems).

If you decide to pursue a vocational career after completing your Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering, this will open up prospects in many different areas. These include mechanical, plant and vehicle engineering as well as the aerospace industry or supply and service companies.

Study Structure

The standard period of study for the bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering is six semesters. This is divided into basic studies (1st to 4th semesters) and specialized studies in the 5th and 6th semesters. In the basic studies, there is a fixed timetable for each semester with lectures and exercises, which can be extended by tutorials – small learning groups with individual support. 

In the 5th and 6th semesters, students choose their courses from an extensive catalog according to their interests and inclinations. The path to the desired specialization or to a broad engineering education is now open. From a catalog of subjects, they choose industry-specific courses according to their interests or put together a fundamentals-oriented, cross-industry schedule of classes:

• Energy and process engineering
• Development and design
• Vehicle and drive technology
• Aerospace engineering
• General mechanical engineering
• Theoretical mechanical engineering
• Management in mechanical engineering
• Mechatronics and robotics
• Medical technology and assistance systems
• Nuclear engineering
• Production and Logistics

Course Content

The 1st semester builds on school knowledge that will be expanded throughout the academic year:

• Mathematics (e.g., systems of linear equations, vectors and matrices, differential and integral calculus, matrix factorizations, multidimensional calculus).
• Chemistry (e.g., atomic structure, bonding, chemical reactions, metals, nonmetals, organic chemistry)
• Physics (e.g. mechanics, electricity, optics)

Parallel to this, students delve into the fundamentals of 

• Electricity theory (basics of drive technology as well as electronics)
• Engineering mechanics (bodies at rest in statics and elastostatics, time-independent deformations and stresses)
• Information technology (linking the fundamentals of electrical engineering with those of computer science to solve problems in mechanical and plant engineering)
• CAD and mechanical drawing (creation, understanding and analysis of technical drawings)
• Modeling uncertainties and data in mechanical engineering (probability theory, performing statistical tests, describing engineering problems in the presence of uncertainties)
• Soft skills in the student environment (workshops on how to start studying and how to organize the daily study routine in a goal-oriented way.

In the 3rd and 4th semesters, the following knowledge is taught on the basis of these fundamentals:

• Mathematics (Fourier series as well as Fourier and Laplace transforms, differential equations and integral transforms)
• Technical mechanics (kinematic systems)
• Control engineering (application of mathematical knowledge to the description of stability or damping as well as amplitude and phase frequency responses)
• Materials science (e.g. classification of materials, properties of materials)
• Machine elements (e.g. strength and design calculations, design of a gearbox)
• Fluid mechanics (e.g. behavior of liquid and gaseous media, conservation laws for mass, momentum and energy)
• Thermodynamics (e.g. main laws of thermodynamics, descriptions of states, circular processes)
• Heat transport phenomena (e.g. heat transport mechanisms, calculation of heat flows).

While the four-semester basic studies consist of compulsory modules, only elective modules are offered in the 5th and 6th semesters with the exception of the modules "Mathematical Tools" (translation of engineering problems into mathematical problems and their solution by application-oriented modeling) and "Bachelor's Thesis with scientific papers".

More Information: Curriculum

All applicants who prove their eligibility will be admitted to the program. Criteria for suitability are:

• the average grade of the university entrance qualification, e.g. Abitur (high school diploma)
• subject-specific individual grades (mathematics, German and at least one science or computer science continued until the Abitur)
• extracurricular qualifications (e.g. apprenticeship, internships, participation in competitions)

• Higher Education Entrance Qualification
• Proof of German Language Proficiency
• Statement of purpose (Letter of Motivation)
• Complete and Current Résumé
• Passport
• if applicable: Proof of Internships or Professional Experience (optional)
• Preliminary Documentation (VPD) by uni-assist - for international applicants only

An essential part of the application for aptitude testing is your written statement of reasons for choosing the course of study and for choosing the TUM as your university. This letter of motivation should not exceed two DINA4 pages and must be written in German. It must – as you confirm with your signature on the application form – be written independently and without the help of others. Among other things, you should explain in it which skills, specific talents, interests and career ideas make you particularly suitable for the intended course of study at TUM. Additional information about your personal background or special qualifications such as extracurricular activities can also contribute to this (please enclose supporting documents).

We may require additional documents depending on your educational background and your country of origin. Complete the online application to receive a comprehensive list of the required documents. 

Please consider the specific requirements for documents for application and enrollment at TUM.

• Application for Enrollment (signed)
• Higher Education Entrance Qualification (authentic document)
• Most Current Photo (as for ID)
• Digital notification of your health insurance status from a German public health insurance provider (requested by applicant)

We may require additional documents depending on the type of educational background you earned and your country of origin. After accepting an offer of admission in TUMonline, you will receive a list of documents you must submit to TUM in hardcopy for enrollment.

Please consider the specific requirements for documents for application and enrollment at TUM.

Preliminary math course

For your degree program, the lecturer of the Higher Mathematics 1 lecture offers a preliminary math course together with the student council at the beginning of your studies (end of September/beginning of October, usually two weeks before the start of lectures). Here you have the opportunity to make initial contacts with fellow students, review the math material from school and get to know the first aspects of higher mathematics. You will be informed about the date and registration by e-mail during the admission procedure.
 

Introductory event for Bachelor students - SET (SemesterEinführungsTage)

The introductory event SET usually takes place on the first two lecture days in the winter semester in lecture hall MW0001. Students from higher semesters and Study Office staff will explain the most important points you need to know for your studies (timetable, examination and study regulations, contact persons, etc.).

You will find the lecture hall after the main entrance on the left on the first floor of the faculty building, Boltzmannstraße 15, 85748 Garching, see map. Information from previous years can be found on the student council website.
 

POWER - Personal Orientation Week for first semester students of the student council:

During the preliminary course, the student council's Personal Orientation Week for first-semester students POWER takes place for you. This program is intended to give you the opportunity to get to know nice people, Munich and the university before the official start of lectures and to have a lot of fun at the same time. The student council hopes that a large part of the events can/will take place in Munich as usual. If not, there will definitely be an online alternative program. Registration is not required, the current planning status can be found on the student council website.

Here you can find the general dates and deadlines at TUM.

Binding examination dates for your degree program can be found in TUMonline.
The exam registration for your degree program usually takes place during the following periods:

May 15 – June 30 for exams following the summer semester
November 15 – January 15 for exams following the winter semester

Here you will find all relevant documents relating to your degree program:

• General Academic and Examination Regulations
• Program-Specific Academic and Examination Regulations
• Aptitude Assessment
• Internship Guidelines: See Attachment 2 of FPSO
• Degree Program Documentation: Select degree program → Information on Degree Program → Program Profile
• Module Catalog
• Timetable for the 1st subject semester
• Timetable for the 2nd subject semester
• Timbetable for the 3rd subject semester
• Timetable for the 4th subject semester
• Timetable for the 5th and 6th subject semester: For these subject semesters there is no fixed timetable. You choose your modules according to your own preferences from the current offer in TUMonline.
• Recommendations for the choice of Bachelor Modules
• Guidelines for Safeguarding Good Scientific Practice and for Dealing with Scientific Misconduct (only available in German)

If you have completed examinations from a previous degree course that are equivalent to the achievements of your current degree course, you can have it checked whether recognition is possible. The prerequisite for the recognition of credits is that there are no "significant differences with regard to the acquired competencies (learning outcomes)" (BayHSchG, Art. 63, Lisbon Convention Art. V1).
 

For Starting the Study Programme till including Summer Semester 2024
(Applies to Study and Examination Regulations-Version 20171 and Study and Examination Regulations-Version 20201)

There are two ways to apply for recognition of courses or credits. The recognition of examination achievements is only possible if the maximum credits to be earned in the individual elective sections (within the area of elective modules), as defined in Annex 1 of the FPSO, have not yet been fulfilled.

There are two ways to apply for recognition of courses or credits. The recognition of examination achievements is only possible if the maximum credits to be earned in the individual elective sections (within the area of elective modules), as defined in Annex 1 of the FPSO, have not yet been fulfilled.

1. Previous studies:
You can submit an application for 1:1 recognition of examination and study achievements. You can find further information in our recognition guide.

2. Semester abroad:
You can submit an application for 1:1 recognition of examination and study achievement (s.a.) or/and apply for a maximum of two supplementary subjects for general recognition. In the case of recognition of supplementary subjects, there has to be an engineering-related connection to the degree program and the work completed abroad has to correspond to at least 3 ECTS credits each. For supplementary subjects from the semester abroad, 3 ECTS are credited (even if you have completed more than 3 ECTS abroad).
 

When Starting the Study Programme from Winter Semester 2024/2025
(Applies to Study and Examination Regulations-Version 20241)

There are different ways to apply for recognition of courses or credits. The recognition of examination achievements is only possible if the maximum credits to be earned in the individual elective sections (within the area of elective modules), as defined in Annex 1 of the FPSO, have not yet been fulfilled.

1. Previous studies:
You can submit an application for 1:1 recognition of examination and study achievements. You can find further information in our recognition guide. 
Please also note the point number 3 “Area of general-forming / interdisciplinary skills”.

2. Semester abroad:
You can submit an application for 1:1 recognition of examination and study achievements. 
Please also note the point number 3 “Area of general-forming / interdisciplinary skills”.

3. Area of general-forming / interdisciplinary skills:
Individual recognition is possible for modules from the Pre-study program as well as for modules from the semester abroad.
Exception: If you have previously studied the same or a related degree program at another university and are continuing your studies in the Bachelor's degree program in Mechanical Engineering at the Technical University of Munich, this study is not valid as Pre-study program.

Individual recognitions and language courses (not German as a foreign language, not English with level A1+A2) can be recognized from 2 ECTS after appropriate verification. A maximum of 3 ECTS can be recognized for a module from the Pre-study program or the semester abroad.

Please contact the secretary of the Bachelor's Examination Board in Mechanical Engineering for an application or advice (see box on the right side of the screen for contact details). All necessary forms can be found here. The processing of an application for recognition usually takes about twelve weeks. During this time, we ask you to refrain from inquiries about the processing status. When processing is complete and your recognitions have been entered, you will see them in your TUMonline transcript of records.

If you have any further questions, please also check our Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs).

Your degree program includes a so-called "industrial internship". It is divided into two parts:

1. Manufacturing internship

Eight weeks are mandatory as a production internship, ideally before the start of your studies. 

2. Engineering internship or research internship

A nine-week engineering internship can also  be completed during the course of study and is rewarded with 12 credits. Alternatively, instead of the engineering internship as part of the elective area "Project Work", a research internship of 12 credits can also be completed.

The Mechanical Engineering Internship Office of the TUM School of Engineering and Design decides on the recognition of successfully completed vocational training or an equivalent performance as an engineering internship. There you will also receive advice on all questions relating to the topic of internships (see contact Student counseling).

The detailed internship guidelines with all information on deadlines, scope and required evidence can be found in Appendix 2 of the Subject Examination and Study Regulations (FPSO) that apply to you.

If you have any further questions, please also check our Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs).

Admission

If you start your studies up to and including the summer semester 2024 (applies to SPO version 20171 and SPO version 20201)

• The prerequisite for admission is that at least 120 credits have been achieved in the degree programme, of which at least 105 credits are from the compulsory subjects of the basic studies). In order to be admitted to the thesis, the pre-study internship (production internship) must also have been completed and recognized.
• If the production internship has been completed and examinations have already been published but not yet validly set, students can be admitted to the final thesis, provided that at least 120 ECTS credits have been achieved with the already published examinations, of which 105 credits are from the compulsory subjects of the basic studies (admission subject to reservation).
• Registration takes place via the ED portal. The student must confirm in the ED portal that the necessary admission requirements are met. Final Theses in the ED-Portal

Upon commencement of studies from winter semester 2024/2025 (applies to SPO version 20241)

• The prerequisite for admission is that at least 119 credits have been achieved in the degree programme, of which at least 99 credits are from the compulsory subjects of the basic studies). In order to be admitted to the thesis, the pre-study internship (production internship) must also have been completed and recognized.
• If the production internship has been completed and examinations have already been published but not yet validly set, students can be admitted to the final thesis, provided that at least 119 ECTS credits have been achieved with the already published examinations, of which 99 credits are from the compulsory subjects of the basic studies (admission subject to reservation).
• Registration takes place via the ED portal. The student must confirm in the ED portal that the necessary admission requirements are met. Final Theses in the ED-Portal

Registration

Registration takes place via the ED portal. You must confirm in the ED portal that the necessary admission requirements are met. You can find all the important information in the wiki of the ED-Portal. The supervising chair will register you for your thesis. You will then receive an e-mail asking you to confirm the submission of the thesis and the data provided in the portal. Only then will the registration be reviewed by the examination board and you will then receive the approval or rejection of the topic by e-mail. All e-mails from the portal will be sent to your TUM e-mail address.

Scope

The scope of work of a scientific paper is reflected in the credits. A Bachelor's thesis (incl. seminar) includes

• 12 credits = 360 working hours = approx. 2.2 months of full-time employment
• Processing time = 6 months

Please note that in the course of the Bachelor's Thesis module, the seminar Key Competencies for Scientific Practice 1 must be completed with the preparation of an exposé. You can get more information directly from the Center for Key Competencies. For the preparation of the exposé (submission), please also note the points "Requirements for theses that are registered before the introduction of the ED-Portal (registration of theses in TUMonline)" and "Requirements for theses that are registered after the introduction of the ED-Portal (registrations of theses via ED-Portal)". You can also find the relevant information in these FAQs under the item thesis (then select the appropriate subheading).

Submission

Please refer to the ED portal for the processing period. The submission of your thesis must be made within your submission deadline. If the deadline (submission deadline for thesis) falls on a Saturday, Sunday or a public holiday, the deadline for your thesis will be extended to the next working day. Please note: In order to submit your thesis, you must be enrolled in any case. If the enrollment expires at the weekend, the thesis may not be submitted on the next working day or the enrollment must be extended. This also applies to exchange students. The written elaboration of the thesis is submitted digitally via the ED-Portal. For more information, see the wiki of the ED portal.
 

Cooperation with a company

A final thesis may be carried out in cooperation with a company, but there is no entitlement to supervision of an externally written thesis by a TUM examiner . The supervision is always carried out by an expert examiner at TUM. If you would like to work on an interesting thesis in a company, please contact the relevant chair (= thesis supervisor) at an early stage to find out whether a thesis can be written externally. In summary, please note the examination regulations:

• The thesis supervision is always carried out by the expert examiner who is an expert in accordance with APSO §18 paragraph 4, sentence 1 and sentence 3.
• Thesis supervisor can offer students the opportunity to do the thesis externally, e.g. in cooperation with a company.
• Under no circumstances can students approach the examiners with a thesis already provided by an external partner and request supervision from the university.
• A thesis is an examination and is therefore subject to the regular examination procedure. Examiners must be able to view the thesis in its entirety and be able to assess it.
• The written assignment must not contain a declaration prohibiting the publication of the coursework or parts thereof. (Confidentiality clauses are not permitted. Faculty Board in force as of WS 17/18).)
• Guidelines on copyright/right of use (contact: Till von Feilitzsch): There is no obligation to publish student theses. The copyright remains with the student.

If you have any further questions, please also check our Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs).