International Automotive Engineering, M.Sc.
The Master's degree programme "International Automotive Engineering" is offered by the Faculty of Aerospace Engineering. Within this programme, students are taught the technological basics and in-depth knowledge in the conception and the development of passenger cars and commercial vehicles. This comprises technical vehicle design with regard to market, legislative and manufacturing requirements.
Programme facts
| Degree | Master of Science (M.Sc.) |
|---|---|
| Duration | 3 semesters, 90 ECTS |
| Language of instruction | English |
| Required German | B1 |
| Required English | C1 |
| Study mode | Full-Time, Double Degree |
| Start | Summer semester, winter semester |
| Application | winter semester until 31.05, summer semester until 30.11 |
| Admission | Admission restriction (NC): a competition of school grades |
| Tuition fee | €0 per semester for international students |
| Semester contribution | €384.60 per semester |
What the tuition fee consists of
Will I get in
The programme has an admission restriction: the average grade of your certificate, converted to the German scale, decides. The cut-off changes every year — last year's value shows the order of magnitude, not a promise.
How the selection works and how strong the competition is — we go through it against your certificate when we select programmes for you.
Programme selection →What you study
Since the winter semester 2014/2015, the Department of Aerospace Engineering has been offering a Master's programme in International Automotive Engineering, which can be studied in a 3 or 4 semester variant. This is basically a 3-semester course of study. Students have the opportunity to participate in a double degree program with the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT) in Australia. In this case the 4-semestrige study is divided into a study part Aachen (2 semesters) and a study part Melbourne (2 semesters). At the end of their studies, graduates are awarded two degrees following successful completion of all examinations.
The full curriculum and the programme's parameters are part of programme selection: we compare them with your profile.
Pick programmesCareer
The qualifications that are required in the development departments of the automotive industry cannot be interpreted as purely technical CAE tasks. The range of services extends far beyond this. Among other things, it includes fields such as project management, testing operations, the development of software tools, etc. The development processes in the automotive engineering segment can be divided into five main phases:
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- Development/Construction
- CAE Verification (simulation, computation, prototyping, development)
- Testing and Validation
- Homologation
- Project Management
The courses of the International Automotive Master's degree programme focus on the integration and calibration of powertrain systems — consisting of engine and transmission — as well as the integration of chassis systems into the complete vehicle concept.
Graduates of the Master's Program undertake a veriety of application orientated tasks in module integration, development, construction and manufacturing of automobile systems. They plan, calculate and produce intelligent cooperating mechanical, electronic and technical information components and integrate them spatially and functionally with methods from mechanical, electrical, and information engineering in the aotmobiles.
Graduates will therefore find their jobs with manufacturers and suppliers of the automotive industry predominantly in vehicle integration teams aiming for low fuel consumption, low emissions, low engine and vehicle noise, as well as high comfort and performance. Due to the internationality of the Master’s degree programme, the graduates' job opportunities are not limited to Germany.
Cost of study
| Tuition fee of the federal state (North Rhine-Westphalia), international students | €0 |
|---|---|
| Semester contribution | €384.60 |
Requirements and application
| Previous education | A bachelor's degree in a related field. |
|---|---|
| Language | German B1, English C1 — confirmed by a certificate when you apply |
| Application | winter semester until 31.05, summer semester until 30.11 |
The procedure and the set of documents depend on your certificate. We check the university's requirements against your documents and give you a list: what to submit, how to certify and translate it, where and when to apply.
Check the requirementsHow to get into this programme
- 1Check your certificate and its recognitionDirect admission, a year at a university at home, or Studienkolleg first — this decides the whole plan.
- 2German up to B1 and a certificateDSH or TestDaF has to be passed before you apply.
- 3Documents and translationsCertified translations of the certificate and transcript, an APS if required. 3–4 weeks.
- 4Application until 30.11Send the documents well before the deadline — an incomplete application cannot be completed after it.
- 5Admission, visa, movingPlan 2–3 months for the visa and the blocked account in parallel.
How to apply
You can submit the application yourself or with our help — the university decides on admission in both cases.
Applications go through the university's portal or uni-assist. Typical mistakes:
- ×incorrectly made certified copies and translations
- ×a wrong set of documents
- ×the application submitted the wrong way
- ×errors or gaps in the application form
- ×the application submitted at the wrong time — too early or too late
An incomplete or incorrectly prepared application is excluded from the selection — it can no longer be corrected after the deadline.
StudyInFocus does not represent the university and does not influence the admission decision. We do not sell study places and do not guarantee admission — this is a service for preparing and submitting documents on the applicant's side.
If your level is not enough yet
The two most common stoppers are a language level below the requirement and a certificate without direct admission. Both can be solved, but they take months — plan them now, not after a rejection.
Questions about this programme
How much does the programme cost?
What language level do I need?
When do I need to apply?
Don't postpone the application
The deadline is 30.11.2026 (47 days left). Language, translations and the document check take months, not weeks. In 30 minutes we will build a plan backwards from the deadline and tell you honestly whether you can make it.