Your questions, our answers

No, the study program is free of admission.

There is no admission restriction, but it must be checked whether applicants have acquired the necessary prior knowledge in their previous studies. Missing modules as well as the pre-study internship may be assigned as requirements. There is an admission limit of 45 CP, so students who exceed this admission limit will be rejected.

The application documents should be complete and legible. The title of the program as well as the ECTS (conversion factor to CP from previous studies, if applicable) must be indicated. When applying, the supplementary sheet should also be filled out completely and correctly and the proof of internship (40 working days) uploaded. Please also be sure to upload a module handbook from your previous studies.

If you receive an admission after a successful application via RWTHonline, you must first accept the study place. After that, the rest of your data will be collected and you will have to upload an application for enrollment. Enrollment takes place online and you will be informed which documents you need for enrollment based on your personal data. The Student Secretariat is responsible for the enrollment of German students. For international students the International Office of RWTH Aachen University takes care of the enrollment. You can find all important information about enrollment here.

For the Master's programs "Sustainable Energy Supply" and "Mineral Resources Engineering" the deadlines for admission-free Master's programs apply. The enrollment deadlines are listed in the download section of the following link. Note that different enrollment deadlines apply to international students.

If you are studying at RWTH in the Bachelor's program, you can bring forward subjects up to a total of 30 CP, depending on the regulations of your Bachelor's program. If necessary, you will have to submit a corresponding application to your examination board. Please contact the student advisor of your study program. If you are in the Bachelor's program "Sustainable Resources and Energy Supply", you can use the " Application to bring forward Master's subjects ".

A clearance certificate is only required if students have already definitively failed a course of study at RWTH Aachen University or at another university. For more information and the corresponding form for the clearance certificate, please visit the following link.

Information about the study contents and the course can be found on the pages of RWTH Aachen University and the Division of Mineral Resources and Raw Materials Engineering. The subject-specific examination regulations contain all important information about the respective study program. If you have any questions, the departmental student advisory service will be happy to help.

General regulations for all Bachelor's and Master's degree programs at RWTH Aachen University are regulated in the comprehensive examination regulations (ÜPO). Some points from the ÜPO are specified in the subject-specific examination regulations. Both documents can be found in the official announcements on the RWTH websites.

The module handbooks provide detailed information on the module contents in the study program and are published in the RWTHonline system.

The residence permit can be extended if the purpose of residence has not yet been achieved. This requirement is checked by the Foreigners' Registration Office in some cases and after a certain duration of study. The extension of the residence permit should always be done at least six weeks before the expiration. Certain certificates must be submitted with the application for extension of residence if the standard period of study has been exceeded at the time of application for extension of the residence permit or if a change of subject or university is still being undertaken after the third semester.

These certificates include:

• A study progress certificate from the student advisor (you can find this here).
• and/or a certificate from the International Office
• and/or a certificate from the supervising university lecturer.

RWTH has a field office of the International Office in the SuperC. Appointments can be booked online via the appointment tool. If you have any questions or in urgent cases, please contact the Foreigners' Office of RWTH Aachen University.

RWTHmoodle is the central, web-based teaching and learning platform of RWTH Aachen University. Students are automatically added to a learning room as soon as they have been assigned a fixed place for the corresponding course in RWTHonline. Registration for courses can be done in RWTHonline e.g. in Curriculum Support. Students receive their access data to RWTHmoodle and RWTHonline after enrollment. Here you can find instructions on how to use RWTHmoodle.

In general, with a few exceptions, there is no compulsory attendance in the courses. Attendance is compulsory, for example, for the module Excursion, Scientific Writing and Presenting, Technology Assessment and the Case Study or the Planning Seminar. The compulsory attendance is regulated in the module descriptions/handbooks.

The student advisor is available for questions concerning the organization of the study program. For this purpose, you can contact us both during office hours and by e-mail, so that we can answer all questions concerning the course of studies, examination regulations, internships, final theses, etc. In addition, the student advisor of the Division of Mineral Resources and Raw Materials Engineering organizes information and introductory events for the study programs of the division at regular intervals.

The student advisor team consists of student advisors and student tutors.

To make an appointment for a consultation, it is mandatory to book an appointment via the scheduling tool on our homepage.

The student advisor is the mediating authority between the students and the examination board. Scientific papers are approved on behalf of the examination board. Applications to the examination board are forwarded by the student advisor to the examination board. Furthermore, the student advisor is responsible for issuing certificates of academic progress.

The mentoring is a supplementary offer to the student advisor and is aimed at Bachelor students of the study program "Sustainable Resources and Energy Supply".

Mentoring takes place in individual, confidential and comprehensive one-on-one meetings. The aim is to support students in recognizing their potential and achieving their study goals.

Mentoring appointments can be booked through our website.

The Internship Office is responsible for the recognition of internships within the scope of studies and helps with questions regarding requirements and recognition formalities.

Contact persons and further information can be found on our website. 

At the Division of Mineral Resources and Raw Materials Engineering, Mrs. Sabine Backus is responsible for the coordination abroad. She offers consultation appointments by prior arrangement.

The central examination office is responsible for questions concerning registration and deregistration of examinations as well as certificates and diplomas. In addition, the central examination office is responsible for the administration of grades and for the registration of examinations and theses.

The current contact persons for students of the division can be found here.

On the website of the Division of Mineral Resources and Raw Materials Engineering, topic-specific applications to the examination board are stored for each degree program in the form cabinet: BSc Sustainable Resources and Energy Supply, MSc Mineral Resources Engineering and MSc Sustainable Energy Supply.

There is no obligation to complete your studies within the standard period of study. It is up to you to comply with the standard period of study of 4 or 6 semesters, but you should strive to do so. However, for some awards (such as Dean's List), completion in standard study time is a mandatory requirement.

No, there is a separate registration for the lecture/exercise and the exam. Registration is done via RWTHonline. Registration for exams as well as registration for repeating exams within a semester can also be done on RWTHonline.

A module is considered to have been selected as soon as the student registers for the corresponding examination.

Event registration via RWTHonline (without registering for the examination) is not yet sufficient to decide on an elective.

Several professors provide lectures/exercises in the form of video materials via RWTHmoodle. However, this is not the case for all courses.

Applications are currently signed and submitted as a scan via e-mail to the student advisor. You can find the e-mail addresses here.

The specialization of this bachelor's degree program can be changed once upon application to the responsible examination board.

Freely selectable modules within the compulsory elective area of the specializations can be replaced twice if the examination performance of the module in question has not been assessed as "insufficient" (5.0) and this is permitted by the relevant module handbook. It is not possible to change compulsory modules.

Students have the possibility to exceed the CP limit in the respective elective area with the last selected module. A final 180 CP will be displayed on the transcript.

All non-technical subjects at RWTH Aachen University (such as language courses) can be credited. The application form can be found in the form cabinet.

• The field trip consists of a min. four-day excursion and an examination performance.
• 1-day excursion can be credited for 0.5 CP. Thus, students must have participated in at least 4 days of excursion during their studies (in one piece or spread over the course of studies).
• The students must pass an examination once. This consists of the submission of a written report of approx. 5 pages.
• The exact topics are determined/named by the institutes. Topics may also be assigned more than once. Group performances can also be planned. The examination performance will be adjusted accordingly.
• The examination performance is ungraded ("passed" or "failed").
• The student receives a certificate from the institute stating that he/she has passed/failed the examination performance.
• An examiner must be present during the examination. The examiners must have the necessary expertise as defined in § 12 ÜPO.
• Students can have the excursion recognized by applying to the examination board for a grade report and a certificate of achievement from the institute.

If all module examinations of the bachelor’s program have been completed within the standard period of study, a maximum of two weighted module grades amounting to a maximum of 15 CP can be deleted from the area of engineering fundamentals in accordance with § 10 Para. 13 ÜPO. The application to the ZPA can be found here.

The Master's program in Sustainable Energy Supply is composed of four areas: Mineral Resources, Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, and Non-Technical Content. Within the areas, both compulsory and elective subjects must be completed in varying numbers.

No, there are no specifications for the design of schedules. Students are expected to work independently on their study content and plan both their courses and exams.

If you believe that you have already completed equivalent examination requirements in your Bachelor's degree program, you may submit a "Request for Review of Requirements" to the Examination Board. Please be sure to include a transcript of grades as well as a module handbook from your Bachelor's program. The ECTS must be visible in the transcript of grades.

As soon as the maximum number of modules in the respective elective area (mineral resources, mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, and non-technical content) has been selected, the remaining modules are blocked. They will only appear if the "inactive knots" are displayed in the Curriculum Support. There are two ways to deselect a module:

• If the module has not been passed, one module per elective area can be deselected (prerequisites: max. 1 failed attempt, elective area has not yet been completed)

or

• If the module has already been passed, one module per elective area can be changed to the additional area.

Both applications "Application to deregister a module" and "Application to change a module" can be found in the forms cabinet of the FRE website. If the examination has been taken in the free attempt mode, the examination is considered "not taken" and the module can be deselected by the ZPA (without application to the Examination Board). If no examination has yet been taken, the module can also be deselected by the ZPA.

A deregistration or a change of a compulsory module is not possible! Attention: Simulation Technology is considered a compulsory subject and cannot be deregistered after a failed attempt.

The project work on Mineral Resources in the master's degree program "Sustainable Energy Supply" comprises 6 CP and is agreed upon individually between the student and the supervising institute. It is important that the topic of the project work matches the content of the study program and the elective area of mineral resources. Furthermore, there is the condition that the examiners of the project work should be professors at Faculty 5.

The project work is an individual performance, for which §7 para. 6 of the subject-specific examination regulations applies: "The scope of a project work is at least 20 pages and a maximum of 60 pages. The processing time of a project work depends on the CP assigned for it, whereby a processing time of 30 hours is assumed for each CP."

The grade is reported by the institute to the ZPA using the reporting form (see form cabinet).

In the case that all module examinations of the Master's program have been completed within the standard period of study, a weighted module grade from the compulsory or elective area amounting to a maximum of 10 CP can be deleted in accordance with § 10 Para. 13 ÜPO. The application to the ZPA can be found here.

• The field excursion consists of a minimum four-day excursion and an examination performance.
• 1-day excursion can be credited for 0.5 CP. Thus, students must have participated in at least 4 days of excursion during their studies (in one piece or spread over the studies).
• The students must take an examination once. This consists of a presentation. According to §7 paragraph 7 of the PO 18, the length of the written elaboration of a presentation is at least 1 page and at most 99 pages. The duration of a presentation is 15 to 45 minutes.
• The institute decides whether an oral presentation of approx. 15 min is given or whether a written presentation of approx. 5 pages is handed in. The examination performance is ungraded ("passed" or "failed").
• The student receives a certificate from the institute stating that he/she has passed/failed the examination performance.
• An examiner must be present during the examination. The examiners must have the necessary expertise as defined in § 12 ÜPO.
• Students can have the excursion recognized by applying to the Examination Board for a grade report and a certificate of achievement from the institute.

If you believe that you have already completed equivalent examination requirements in your Bachelor's degree program, you may submit an "Request for Review of Requirements" to the Examination Board. Please be sure to include a transcript of grades as well as a module handbook from your Bachelor's program. The ECTS must be visible in the transcript of grades.

In the case that all module examinations of the Master's program have been completed within the standard period of study, a weighted module grade from the compulsory or elective area amounting to a maximum of 10 CP can be deleted in accordance with § 10 Para. 13 ÜPO. The application to the ZPA can be found here.

You can apply in advance to the Examination Board to take additional courses, see: "Application to take additional courses".

Due to space limitations, the inclusion of additional courses on the transcript of grades is only possible to a limited extent. An application must be made to the ZPA in order for the additional course to be included on the transcript. The application can be submitted to the ZPA at any time, but only up to 1 week after the announcement of the result of the last examination performance of the respective study program. The application must list both the German and the English title of the subject as well as the grade. In addition, the original certificates of achievement from the institutes for the subjects must be enclosed.

Yes, additional courses are included on the transcript with their grade but are not included in the determination of the overall grade.

The general examination regulations, i.e., §§ 10 - 15 ÜPO, apply to supplementary examinations, regardless of whether they are taken in oral or written form. The supplementary examinations are not shown on the transcript and do not appear on the grade report. Passing the supplementary examinations is a prerequisite for obtaining a Master's degree. As a rule, the supplementary subjects must be completed at the latest by the time the master's thesis is admitted.

Registration for examinations in supplementary subjects takes place via RWTHonline. The registration period is indicated in RWTHonline. If you have any problems with the registration of supplementary subjects, please contact the ZPA.

It should be possible to register for the course via RWTHonline. If you have problems with the registration, you can ask the responsible assistants of the lecture to be added to the Moodle learning room by indicating the matriculation number.

No, it is not mandatory to successfully complete a registered additional course.

Once an examination has been declared as additional, it cannot be subsequently recognized as an elective.

The registration deadlines and the registration procedure can be found on RWTHonline. Different deadlines may apply for different modules. However, for many exams (especially written exams, but also other forms of exams), uniform registration deadlines apply across the university:

Winter semester

• Start of registration: November 15
• End of registration: January 15

Summer semester

• Start of registration: May 15
• Registration deadline: July 01

Late registration due to missed deadlines is usually not possible. However, if a registration is denied due to technical problems, a late registration can be enforced by filing an application with the Examination Board. To prove the technical problem, please always keep the confirmation e-mail of the registration. The "Request for Late Registration of an Exam" must be received by the Examination Board no later than 1 week after the registration deadline.

If there is a second date in the semester, you can register for it on RWTHonline after a fail, a medical certificate or a withdrawal has been entered for the first date. There is usually no automatic registration for the second date of an exam!

As a rule, you can withdraw from exams up to three working days before the respective exam date. Sundays and holidays are not included. The exact date until which a deregistration is possible can also be viewed in RWTHonline at the exam registration. Further information can be found here.

In case of absence from an exam due to illness, a medical certificate must be submitted to the Central Examination Office immediately (within 3 working days at the latest). This medical certificate must certify that the student is "unable to take the exam". Other certificates will not be accepted! A form for the doctor can be found here.

The overarching examination regulations provide for the possibility of an oral supplementary examination for all Bachelor and Master students after the third failed attempt at a (written) exam. The prerequisite for this is that the exam was actually taken and that there was no attempt at cheating. An application for an oral supplementary examination must be made immediately after the announcement of the results, at the latest during the inspection. Further details are regulated by §14 paragraph 2 of the ÜPO. Further information can be found here.

For each course, at least two examination dates are offered in one year. For some courses, two examination dates are offered within one semester.

The appendices of the subject-specific examination regulations contain important information on the duration, implementation, and recognition of the internship. The internship guide of the FRE also contains all relevant information.

If the preparation of the master thesis takes place in a company, a university technical center, a laboratory or another job-like environment, it is an experimental master thesis and the proof of the practical work experience no longer has to be submitted. Experimental master theses can also be completed at RWTH Aachen University facilities. The supervising institute is responsible for deciding whether a topic for a master's thesis can be considered an experimental master's thesis.

In the case of an external master's thesis, which is prepared in cooperation with industry, proof of practical work experience does not have to be submitted either.

In both cases (experimental and external master's thesis), the processing time of the master's thesis is 6 months and is worth 30 CP. The theoretical master thesis, on the other hand, comprises 4 months of processing time and 20 CP.

The Bachelor's program "Sustainable Resources and Energy Supply" requires a mandatory internship of 20 working days. A preliminary internship is not required!

In the Master's programs "Sustainable Energy Supply" and "Mineral Resources Engineering", a mandatory internship of 40 working days is provided in each case (if a theoretical Master's thesis is intended). An internship of more than 20 days must be proven as a prerequisite before starting the master's program.

The mandatory internship must be completed in a company in the energy industry/technology, raw materials technology, recycling technology or repository. These include, among others, municipal utilities, energy suppliers, engineering offices with an energy industry connection, component, and plant manufacturers in the field of energy technology, consulting firms, ministries or public authorities. Part of the internship or the entire internship can also be completed abroad.

The Internship Office of the Division of Mineral Resources and Raw Materials Engineering is responsible for the recognition of internships. Recognition is based on the internship certificate, which can be found in the forms cabinet.

Alternative certificates must contain the following mandatory information: exact name of the company and department, information about time/duration, type of employment, number of working days excluding missing or vacation days.

An "Application for review of requirements" should be submitted for recognition of the requirement internship, provided that the internship was already completed during the pre-study period.

Working student activities can be recognized for the requirement or pre-study internship.

However, only a maximum of 10 internship days can be recognized for the mandatory internship. 1 year HiWi activity or working student activity can be recognized for max. 10 days in the mandatory internship. 1/2 year of HiWi activity or working student activity can therefore be recognized proportionately for 5 days in the mandatory internship.

At RWTH there are various programs for the promotion of stays abroad. Within Europe, stays abroad are supported by the Erasmus+ program. This offers a tuition fee waiver at partner universities and additionally a monthly grant.

In addition, the faculty offers partner universities. Application deadlines and further information on how to apply for the Erasmus+ program can be found here. If no partner university is found, you can still complete your semester abroad as a freemover, but the funding opportunities are limited with this option.

Modules completed abroad can be recognized by applying to the Examination Board. However, it should be clarified in advance whether a module at the partner university is eligible for recognition. For this purpose, the "Docket Recognition of Study Achievements" must be filled out in advance and submitted to the respective Examination Board (by mid-January at the latest). A module handbook of the partner university must be attached.

Once the achievements abroad have been successfully completed, students can have them recognized with the help of the "Application for Recognition of Examinations from Abroad". Here, a transcript of records as well as the already approved docket (or a module handbook) must also be submitted.

For an Erasmus study stay, there is a recommendation for study achievements amounting to at least 30 ECTS. RWTH students participating in an Erasmus+ program are required to provide evidence of at least 15 ECTS in order to receive the funding.

You can find a guideline for registering your bachelor's or master's thesis here.

The assignment of the bachelor thesis can only be issued when:

• more than 125 CP have been completed,
• the internship of 40 working days has been recognized by the Internship Office.

The assignment of the master thesis can only be issued when:

• more than 60 CP (MSc ROI) or 75 CP (MSc NEV) have been completed
• all supplementary subjects have been successfully passed
• the practical work experience of 50 working days has been recognized by the Internship Office (not applicable if an experimental or external master thesis has been prepared).

All students who have enrolled in a Master's program at RWTH in the winter semester 2020/2021 or later must also complete the module "Scientific Integrity".

1. Theoretical master thesis (20 CP (18 CP written elaboration, 2 CP colloquium), 4 months processing time).
   The mandatory internship of 50 working days must be completed in addition. For registration, the professional internship must already have been completed.
2. Experimental Master's thesis (30CP (27 CP written elaboration, 3 CP colloquium), 6 months processing time).
   "If the preparation of the master's thesis is integrated into the activity in a company, a university technical center, a laboratory or another job-like environment, the requirement of proof of the practical work experience is waived." §13 Para. 6 Examination regulations specific to the course of study.
3. External Master's thesis (30CP (27 CP written work, 3 CP colloquium), 6 months processing time).
   If the preparation of the Master's thesis is integrated into the work in an industrial company, the requirement for proof of practical work experience is waived.

The supervising institute is responsible for deciding whether a topic for a master's thesis can be evaluated as an experimental master's thesis.

Before registering, both an informal application for an external master's thesis must be submitted to the Examination Board and the External Master's Theses Supplement must be completed.

The following must be included in the informal application

• Company
• Field of the company
• Topic of the thesis
• and 2nd examiner
• if there is one, the external supervisor
• completed and signed supplementary sheet

The supplementary sheet should contain ALL signatures except that of the PA chairperson.

IMPORTANT: The supplemental sheet is NOT the application!

In justified exceptional cases, the processing period may be extended by a maximum of up to four weeks for the Bachelor's thesis and up to six weeks for the Master's thesis upon application to the Examination Board in accordance with § 17 (7) ÜPO.

• In § 17 para. 2 ÜPO a conclusive list of persons is standardized who may be examiners of a thesis (e.g. due to the activity as a professor at RWTH Aachen University in the respective study program in research and teaching). Therefore, a differentiation must be made according to the respective study programs.
• ​As a rule, all professors from Faculties 4, 5 and 6 can be registered as examiners in the Master's program "Sustainable Energy Supply", since it is a cooperative program.
• According to § 17 Abs. 3 ÜPO the students have a right of proposal, but the final decision and appointment is made by the responsible Examination Board.

A thesis is considered external if it is carried out outside the university (e.g. in the context of a company) and thus outside the RWTH (cf. § 17 para. 2 p. 5 ÜPO). Accordingly, a thesis is not yet considered external if it is only written outside the division 5.1.

According to § 17 para. 2 p. 6 ÜPO, external examiners may only be appointed as second examiners by decision of the Examination Board.

If an external institution requires a non-disclosure agreement, the student should discuss whether this is possible with the supervising institute at RWTH Aachen University before agreeing to work on the thesis. Thus, the non-disclosure agreement is always discussed individually with the supervising institute. In addition, you can ask the institute to print a non-disclosure notice in the thesis stating that the thesis may not be disclosed to third parties.

Within the first month after registration of the thesis, the student can withdraw from the registration of the thesis. In the repeat attempt, however, this is only possible if the candidate did not make use of this possibility when preparing the first Bachelor's or Master's thesis. In this case, § 17 para. 7 of the ÜPO generally applies.

Yes, this is possible. For this purpose, an informal application can be submitted to the Examination Board for rebooking of the internship as additional course. The performance of the professional internship can then be recognized as additional course, so that you can complete an experimental or external master's thesis to the extent of 30 CP.

In principle, the processing time of the final thesis should be adhered to, but there is no minimum processing time for final theses.

The repeated Bachelor's or Master's thesis must be registered no later than three semesters after the failed attempt of the first thesis.

Once you have successfully completed your studies, exmatriculation takes place automatically. You can also apply for exmatriculation at the Registrar's Office at any time. To do so, please complete the application for exmatriculation and submit it to the Registrar's Office.

The Central Examination Office is responsible for issuing certificates. After the last examination performance has been entered in RWTHonline, you have one week to submit any requests (e.g. inclusion of additional courses). Thereupon, all achievements will be checked and the final certificate will be signed by the Dean's Office.

It may take up to two months for the certificate to be issued. As soon as the documents are ready for collection, you will be informed by e-mail.

You can find all information on the RWTH website.

Enrollment with the pass certificate (or 4.0 certificate) is possible until the end of the first lecture month (April 30 or October 31, respectively). You should submit your final certificate by the end of the semester at the latest.

Information on the transfer deadlines and required documents can be found here.