The degree program

Process Engineering (career-integrated bachelor's degree, distance learning)

• What is Process Engineering?

  From raw material to high-quality end product

  Process engineering deals with all processes in which basic materials - raw materials such as crude oil, natural gas or iron ore, crops such as wheat or hops, animal products such as milk or meat - are changed in their composition or properties or are converted into fuels, plastics, food or medicines. This includes all processes in technology and business in which new, high-quality products are manufactured from raw materials. The list of process-engineered products is long, and the list of processes and equipment required to produce them is even longer. In bio plants, for example, algae are converted into fuels, food, or medicines by biological, chemical or physical processes. Depending on the process, a distinction is made between the sub-areas of mechanical, thermal, chemical or bioprocess engineering.

  Process engineering is typically characterized by its continuous nature. The materials "flow" through the plants in large quantities. A walk through a process plant, e.g. for the production of plastics or sugar, reveals a multitude of piping and cleaning systems, stainless steel tanks, dosing and conveying systems, as well as pumps and other apparatus. Of course, this also includes modern process control and automation technology.

  Anyone who sees their professional future in the chemical and pharmaceutical industries, in environmental technology, the food industry, or in brewing beer should be familiar with processes and the equipment for pumping liquids, or for crushing, mixing and separating solids.

• What does the degree program entail?

  The 9-semester (180 credits) career-integrated degree program in Process Engineering includes scientific as well as technical modules. The bachelor's program is practice-oriented and prepares students for careers in the technical field. In addition, students receive scientific training. The program is divided into core and advanced modules.

  The learning objectives are achieved through a combination of attendance phases (four times on Fridays and Saturdays and one attendance week per semester) and guided independent study using e-learning platforms (including Moodle). Attendance phases include seminar classes, practical courses (credits may be awarded based on proven prior knowledge), consultations and examinations. Module examinations take place over the course of the semester, which meets the needs of students in career-integrated degree programs.

  At the beginning of the program, students acquire comprehensive foundational knowledge in the natural sciences. The curriculum and examination plan for engineers includes, for example, mathematics and statistics, chemistry, physics and computer science. Basic engineering education includes technical modules such as: Technical Fluid Mechanics, Technical Thermodynamics, Technical Mechanics and Computer Aided Design (CAD), Measuring and Control Technology and Materials Science. Later in the degree program, program-specific modules are included, such as: Chemical, Mechanical and Thermal Process Engineering, Supply and Disposal Engineering, Process Systems, Apparatus and Plant Engineering and Safety Engineering. Students can discover and/or expand their own interests by choosing elective modules (including Power Plant Engineering, Air Pollution Prevention, Fluid Mechanics, Project and Quality Management).

  The practice-oriented bachelor's degree program in Process Engineering includes a project and a 20-week bachelor's thesis (see examples below). In this context, students can/should work on tasks from their work environment. However, students also have the opportunity to actively participate in the department's research projects.

  • Numerische Simulation der Konzentrationsverteilung von dispersen Zweiphasenströmungen bei Suspendierprozessen mit dem Euler-Lagrange-Verfahren
  • Cross-Flow-Mikrofiltration für die Aufkonzentrierung von Mikroorganismen aus Gewässern
  • Konstruktion, Aufbau und Erprobung eines hochtemperaturfähigen Ionenmobilitätsspektrometers
  • Untersuchung zur Umstellung des Konditionierungsmittels in den Kühlsystemen der SKW Stickstoffwerke Piesteritz GmbH
  • Beurteilung verschiedener Methoden zum Zellaufschluss von Scenedesmus vacuolatus mit dem Fluoreszenzfarbstoff Sytox Green
  • Konzipierung einer Anlage zur Entspannung ungereinigter Tankwagen
  • Numerische Untersuchungen zur Modellierung eines als Stromstörer eingesetzten Rohrbündelwärmeübertragers
  • Einfluss der Gaszusammensetzung auf die CO-Shift-Reaktion am Beispiel der TOTAL Raffinerie Mitteldeutschland GmbH
  • Untersuchung des Wärmetransports bei der Vinylacetat-Ethylen-Copolymerisation
  • Untersuchungen zum Stofftransport in einem elektrochemischen Parallelplattenreaktor
  • Optimierung der Glycerindestillation durch Integration eines Dekanters mit dem Ziel der Kosteneinsparung
• What are my career opportunities?

  After completing a bachelor's degree in Process Engineering, students can enter many different careers, expand their technical focus in a master's degree program, and/or prepare for a possible doctorate.

  The process engineer is also known as the "Swiss army knife" among engineers. Because the knowledge and expertise of the process engineer are not specific to one industry, there are a variety of entry-level opportunities. The chemical, pharmaceutical and food industries as well as apparatus and plant engineering offer young professionals a wide range of opportunities to find a job after graduation and to change jobs later if necessary. Taking a closer look, the range of industries utilizing process technology for production is enormous: Biotechnology, environmental and waste disposal technology, recycling, paper, cellulose and cement industry, etc.