Simon Dunkel, M.Sc.

There were various reasons why I chose to study Engineering Management at FH Aachen University of Applied Sciences. The combination of mechanical engineering and business administration was ultimately the deciding factor for me. You gain an insight into two fields of study that have a large number of interfaces. The Engineering Management degree programme teaches you in which areas these interfaces can occur and how to solve interface and communication problems and create synergy effects. The advantage of FH Aachen is that you attend the courses of both fields of study, Mechanical Engineering and Business Administration, at the respective faculties and therefore do not receive a "slimmed-down" version of the course content for industrial engineers. This means that you gain in-depth insights into both subject areas and don't just deal with them superficially. However, there were often organisational difficulties in coordinating the timetables and exam schedules of the two faculties.

During the course of the degree programme, you have the opportunity to specialise in general engineering or technical sales engineering. Several information events are held to explain the two areas of specialisation and the lecture content. I myself opted for the Technical Sales specialisation. There were lots of interesting modules here that emphasised the interface function of industrial engineers. The "Technical Sales Project" module, in which we were given the opportunity to work on and solve a task in cooperation with an industrial company, had a very high practical relevance.

I made a conscious decision in favour of FH Aachen because it was important to me that my degree course had as much practical relevance as possible. This is offered, for example, through a large number of business games and practical trainings. In addition, most of the lecturers have many years of experience in industry, which they incorporate into their lectures. This is one reason why FH Aachen enjoys a particularly good reputation in the industry. I realised the advantages of this above all before and during my practical project. When looking for an internship position with a subsequent Bachelor's thesis, it was always an advantage during the application phase to introduce myself as a student of FH Aachen, as many companies had obviously already had good experiences with students and graduates of FH Aachen. This helped to stand out from the mass of applications.

The biggest hurdles during my studies, apart from the organisational problems already mentioned, were certainly the written examinations. Particularly at the beginning of my degree programme, failing exams led to recurring bouts of frustration. It took me some time to get used to the high demands of the degree programme. However, with good study groups, which also led to important and valuable friendships, I managed to overcome these hurdles step by step and move closer to my goal of a Bachelor's degree.

Even though the learning effort in the compact Engineering Management degree programme was very high, I still managed to use the lecture-free time after the second semester for an internship abroad in Thailand. Here I spent some time at a school in the more rural Saraburi. The intercultural experience I was able to gain here was very important and valuable for me. The contrast after the stressful learning phase provides new energy and motivation for the following semester and the upcoming examination achievements. I would recommend anyone who has the opportunity to gain such an experience, perhaps by spending a semester abroad at one of FH Aachen's many partner universities, to definitely take advantage of this opportunity.

The Master's degree programme in Engineering Management differs from the Bachelor's degree programme in many ways. For example, the study groups were generally much smaller. Lectures with 20-30 fellow students enabled a more direct exchange with the lecturers, so that the lecture content was more strongly characterised by the students. Personally, I particularly liked the fact that the topics of innovation management and entrepreneurship were dealt with in different lecture series. I was particularly interested in the topic of innovation management, which is why I followed this topic very closely as part of my Master's thesis.

During the intensive processing phase of my Master's thesis, I realised that I wanted to continue working on innovative topics even after completing my Master's degree. With the aim of establishing new and innovative products and ideas on a market, I successfully applied to a management consultancy. In the position of Connectivity Consultant, I work on various projects that mainly focus on the digitalisation of the mobility sector. This involves supporting various companies and customers in establishing new products and services, improving existing service offerings, creating new service offerings and generating added value for the end customer.

Looking back, I made the right choice by studying Engineering Management at FH Aachen. The interdisciplinary knowledge I learnt during my studies has helped me in many areas of my professional life so far. In addition, the friendships and contacts you make during such a degree programme are valuable sources of advice that help you overcome challenges in your everyday professional life.