Top rankings for Aalen University in the nationwide CHE rankingSupport at the beginning of studies, contacts to practice as well as digital teaching elements are particularly praised by students
Mechanical engineering excels with its top notch study programs at the CHE Ranking. Photo: Aalen University | Jan Walford
Top of the list in Germany: In the current ranking of the Center for University Development (CHE), Aalen University scores very well across all disciplines. In their evaluations, the students particularly emphasize the excellent support at the beginning of their studies, the exceptionally good contacts to the industry and the integration of digital teaching elements. In the comparison of more than 300 universities and colleges for applied sciences as well as dual universities and vocational academies, the subjects of engineering, language, and cultural studies as well as psychology were examined this year.
"The results are great affirmation for us as a university that the measures taken and the further development of teaching during the corona pandemic worked and that the students are satisfied with them," says Rector Prof. Dr. Harald Riegel.
The mechanical engineering and mechatronics departments in particular achieve top marks in the CHE ranking and impress with the study conditions. "Very good mix of content, suits me perfectly" or "I am very positively surprised that there is such a smart and competent university" and "I have always received the appropriate support" are the points made out by students from the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering in the CHE survey . In the categories of digital teaching elements, IT infrastructure, general student satisfaction, range of courses, study organization, support by teachers and examinations, the study programs placed in the top group. “We are constantly expanding our range of courses to cover important future topics, also with a focus on more course content around the topic of green technology, sustainability and economy. Renewable energies, innovative materials, e-mobility, and artificial intelligence will continue to create new fields of work and jobs for our graduates in the future," emphasizes Prof. Dr. Dieter Joenssen, Dean of the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering / Materials Engineering. For example, in the new "Interactive Learning Laboratory for Digitization in Mechanical Engineering", the complex content of digitization is made "understandable" for the students. In addition, the new focus on mechanical engineering / digital production which will be launched in the winter semester 2022/23 expands the wide range of courses offered by the faculty.
High practical relevance and new digital courses
In addition to the general study situation, the mechatronics students particularly praise the range of courses and the practical relevance. Whether robots, digital twins, artificial intelligence, human-centered products and applications, climate-neutral energy generation or resource-efficient processes - the mechatronics study offers at Aalen University are constantly being adapted to the current needs and new developments of our time. Close cooperation with partner companies is a key factor here.
The practical relevance begins early in the course of studies with projects in which students are confronted with real tasks from companies. The bandwidth ranges from creativity techniques, user research, international “makeathons”, innovation competitions or usability testing to the realization of prototypes. The cooperation between the university and businesses continues in the practical semester and ends in project work and theses, which are characterized by real challenges, as part of a seamless transfer to business. "Mechatronics engineers bring people together in order to solve concrete problems together and in an interdisciplinary manner. Successful teamwork must therefore be learned, practiced, and internalized. That's why we attach great importance to project-related learning and teaching," says Prof. Dr. Bernhard Höfig, Dean of Studies Mechatronics. The mechatronics students appreciate this and give top marks in the CHE ranking for the support during their studies and the networking of the students with each other. In addition, the students praise the organization of their studies and the digital courses, the advantages of which should also be used after the corona pandemic.
Positive atmosphere between students and teachers
According to the CHE ranking, electrical engineering is also in the top group and convinces with the support provided by the teachers, the use of digital teaching elements, the IT infrastructure, and the lecture rooms and laboratories. The very good results show that it was possible to create a positive social climate between teachers and students in this study area. The teachers also score particularly well when discussing exercises and homework. Digital teaching elements are used to make teaching more flexible. "I am pleased that our commitment to supporting students is perceived so positively. We are consistently working on expanding this further. With our mentoring program, we also encourage our students to support each other,” says Prof. Dr. Klaus Maier, Dean of Studies for Electrical Engineering.
With around 120,000 students surveyed and more than 300 universities and colleges of applied sciences as well as dual universities and vocational academies examined, the CHE ranking is the most comprehensive and detailed comparison of universities in the German-speaking world. The complete CHE university ranking is available digitally at www.ranking.zeit.de.