„Minerals Engineering“ Bachelor’s degree at the Bochum Technical University of Applied Sciences
The technical university Georg Agricola is certified in conformity to DIN EN ISO 9001, and thus committed to the maintenance of high teaching and research standards. Of the university‘s total of around 1,900 students, 180 are currently enrolled for the minerals engineering course. The number of students has risen steadily in the past few years; Bochum‘s Minerals Engineering graduates were in great demand from the inception, since this is the only course in this discipline available in Germany. The number of jobs on offer is consistently greater than the number of graduate candidates.
Potential employers require good graduates with a sound and practically orientated training in basic natural sciences, technology, microeconomics, law and languages for supervisory and managerial posts. Our graduates are also expected to possess the necessary social skills and, in particular, the capability for independent, conscientious work, creativity and teamwork.
We meet the requirements made by our industrial and official partners by continuously discussing suggestions for new course contents and forms with them, and adopting them wherever possible. We assure the constant practical capabilities for our graduates by selecting our professors and lecturers from industry. The teaching staff employed part-time at the Bochum Technical University of Applied Sciences are full-time employees of industrial enterprises, approval authorities, professional associations and engineering consultancies.
A number of changes to the diploma course initiated twenty-one years ago were necessary for the design of the Bachelor’s course in “Minerals Engineering”. This new course, accredited and thus approved with effect from February 27, 2007, comprises - again, in accordance with the requirements and suggestions submitted by our industrial and official partners – the following course contents:
Modules 1-3: Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry, Geology, Mineral Resources Management
Module 4: Materials Sciences, Mechanics, Machine Elements
Module 5: Technical English, Information Science
Module 6: Drive Technology, Electrical Engineering
Modules 7-9: Economic Geology, Mining and Getting Technology, Recultivation, Renaturation, Building Materials Science
Module 10: Process Engineering
Module 11: Microeconomics and Law
Module 12: Safety, Health, Environment (SHE)
Module 13: Corporate Planning and Organisation
Module 14: Logistics and Quality Management
Module 15: Elective modules: Accounting, Company Law, Blasting Technology, Concrete Technology, Mining and Tunnelling
Module 16: Bachelor’s Dissertation and Colloquium
• Pre-internship phase
• Laboratory internship in Building Materials Science
• Three company internships
• Seminars on Mining and Getting Technology and Materials Beneficiation
• Industry-related project work
The foreign languages, microeconomics and data-processing elements have – again in line with the industry’s wishes – been increased for the design of the new Bachelor‘s degree compared to the contents of the former diploma course. There have been absolutely no compromises in terms of the quality of training compared to the former diploma course.
The minerals industry takes an active part in the design and further development of the course. Our pleasing co-operation with the now 170 graduates[1] also repeatedly generates new suggestions and ideas for optimisation of course contents.
There is also close co-operation between the university, the minerals industry and the relevant authorities in the continuous joint supervision and support of project and diploma work. The focus here is primarily on the following topics:
• Deposit exploration
• Planning of open-cast operations
• Feasibility studies
• Equipment selection and optimisation
• Approval procedures
• Recultivation and renaturation
• Planning and optimisation of preparation and beneficiation facilities
• Feed-material assessment, quality assurance and quality control
• Sales planning, sales, marketing of new products
As a “small but select” university with good transport links, located in the centre of Europe, we benefit from short communications routes in our everyday activities, and thus from excellent potentials for the rapid implementation of new ideas. These advantages are closely linked to our traditional quality features, which have distinguished us since the foundation of the university in 1816: we provide sound, practice-orientated training and intensive support for our students. We intend to retain and build on these tried and proven quality criteria in the future, too, and to co-ordinate the contents of our teaching and research activities with the needs of our partners in industry, the associations, engineering consultancies and the authorities.
Bochum Technical University of Applied Sciences
Herner Strasse 45, 44787 Bochum
Germany
Internet: www.tfh-bochum.de
Prof. Dr. Reinhard Schaeffer
Scientific Sector 1, Geo-engineering and Mining
Head of course, “Minerals Engineering”
Telephone: +49 234 968 3307, Telefax: +49 234 968 3402
e-mail: Schaeffer@tfh-bochum.de
