- Ruhr-Universität Bochum

Since 2007, our students have had the opportunity to participate in a double master’s program with the Chinese German University College (CDHK) at Tongji University in Shanghai. In 2022, a double bachelor program has been added in cooperation with the Vietnamese German University (VGU) in Ho Chi Minh City. Both programs offer our students the chance to gain experience abroad at attractive locations at a level that goes beyond the usual stays abroad – they acquire two internationally recognized degrees with one study program.

Our double degree program for Bachelor students

Since 2022, the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering at RUB offers together with the Vietnamese German University (VGU) a double degree program for mechanical engineering students of both universities. The VGU is a university built on the German model with support from the DAAD in the immediate neighborhood of Ho Chi Minh City – one of the two flagship projects of German university exports in Asia.

The bachelor’s program “Mechanical Engineering” at VGU is a 7-semester full-time program with 210 ECTS credits (CP), designed along the lines of the program “Mechanical Engineering” at Ruhr University. Approximately 20 percent of the program content is taught by lecturers from the Ruhr University, the rest is taught by lecturers from VGU.

In order to be awarded with the academic degree of the respective other university, students in the double bachelor program must acquire at least 45 CP at the host university. The bachelor thesis can be supervised by lecturers from both universities to the extent of 12 ECTS – in practice, a double degree for students of the Ruhr-Universität thus requires a Vietnam stay of at least one semester.

Our double degree program for Master students

As a joint institution of the DAAD and Tongji University, the Sino-German University College (CDHK) has been the most successful project in the academic exchange between the two countries since it was founded in 1998 – the second flagship project of German university exports in Asia. Over a period of two to three years, students from all over China earn master’s degrees at the CDHK at departments of electrical engineering, mechanical engineering, economics and business law. For the mechanical engineering program, the Ruhr University coordinates the German activities.

Since 2007, the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering at the Ruhr University Bochum has offered a double master’s degree for students at the CDHK.

Offer for Chinese Master students

CDHK students admitted to the double master will usually study 3 semesters at CDHK and 3 semesters at the Bochum faculty, where they will also write their master thesis in German and Chinese. In Bochum, the specialization in production engineering is currently offered as a double master.

Offer for German Master students

There are a total of 15 places per year at the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering to study at the School of Mechanical Engineering (SME) or CDHK of Tongji University.

The places are allocated by the programme partner (the Chair of Production Systems). Due to the nomination via the partner programme, there are currently no tuition fees at Tongji/ CDHK.

The technical majors of the CDHK are production engineering and automotive engineering. You also have the opportunity to take courses at other Tongji schools during the semester abroad. Credit for courses from CDHK and Tongji is possible in principle. In the area of technical and non-technical electives, recognition is relatively easy.

The compulsory elective modules must be related to the study focus. Profile modules are to be heard in Bochum.

You can either do a semester abroad or a double master’s programme in Shanghai. Currently, double master’s programmes are offered for design engineering, automotive engineering and energy engineering with the CDHK and the Schools. For the double master, they must have passed all examinations of the 1st and 2nd master’s semester. They then write their Master’s thesis in China in cooperation with a Bochum professor and take further courses there.