Sustainable Energy Systems

Hamburg and its metropolitan area represent one of Europe’s key hubs for the renewables industry, serving as a base for numerous important players from Germany and elsewhere, working variously in wind, solar and biomass energy, and providing around 25,000 jobs in the region.

With its recently opened Competence Center for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency (CC4E) and new wind energy and smart grid laboratories, Hamburg University of Applied Sciences (HAW Hamburg) is leading the way among northern Germany’s higher education institutions on research and teaching around renewables and energy efficiency. We are continuing to extend and expand our research expertise, with a new research wind farm in the Bergedorf district of Hamburg and our collaboration with the Fraunhofer Institute for Wind Energy Systems (IWES).

HAW Hamburg currently runs five Master’s degree courses which provide specialist knowledge and expertise in renewables and energy efficiency and offer a route to doctoral studies. The broad-based competencies our graduates acquire ensure they leave us with first-rate career prospects.

This degree course is targeted towards those who have completed a Bachelor’s (or equivalent) degree in mechanical engineering or a related discipline and who wish to specialise in issues around sustainable energy production and supply.

The first two semesters of this three-semester Master’s degree course are dedicated to increasing the breadth and sophistication of the methodological repertoire students acquired in their Bachelor’s or other degree courses by expanding and intensifying their mathematical and scientific competencies, teaching overarching principles and placing their knowledge on a more abstract level in order to enable them to leverage it in solving a range of problems.

You will have the opportunity to gain in-depth expertise in specific technologies such as wind power, fuel cells and cogeneration, with a particular emphasis on the energy efficiency of drives, gas turbines, plant systems and buildings. We’ll teach you joined-up, big-picture thinking on a system scale so you will be able to find optimum solutions to tomorrow’s energy issues in your future career.

The course also involves enhancing your knowledge of fundamental principles you learned about during your first degree, in topics such as thermodynamics, electrical engineering and fluid dynamics, and applying them to aspects of energy generation, provision and efficient use.

During your third semester, you will work exclusively on your Master's thesis, which will tackle a real-world industrial problem and take place either at HAW Hamburg or in a business setting.

Essential:

• A Bachelor’s degree, worth 210 credit points, in mechanical engineering or production technology and management or in a discipline related to either of these
• OR a Diplom degree (or non-German equivalent) in mechanical engineering or production technology and management or in a discipline related to either of these
• Diploma Supplement/Transcript of Records
• Proof of proficiency in English at level B1 of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (as stipulated in section 7, paragraph 1 of the General Admissions Regulations [HAWAZO])
• International applicants are required to demonstrate proficiency in the German language at level C1 (Common European Framework of Reference for Languages) or above via a recognised language test, which should be one of the following: Goethe Institute C1, TestDaF 4, telc C1 Hochschule, DSH2, Deutsches Sprachdiplom issued by the KMK (Kultusministerkonferenz), or Kleines or Großes Sprachdiplom issued by the Goethe Institute.

Submitting additional documents increases your chances of being selected:

• Letter of motivation
• CV
• Documentation of any previous relevant professional/work experience (e.g. written reference from your employer)
• A letter of recommendation

N.B.: Applicants whose Bachelor’s degrees are equivalent to 180 credit points are required to attain a further 30 credit points in order to enrol fully in this Master’s degree course. The Examinations Committee will determine which courses and examinations you will be required to undertake. If this applies to you and your application is successful, your enrolment will be provisional subject to demonstrable attainment of the required additional 30 credit points.