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Sustainable Systems Engineering (Bachelor of Science)

We are training the engineers of the future with our bachelor’s degree program Sustainable Systems Engineering (SSE).

In addition to a solid and broad engineering education you will address socially relevant topics of sustainability, for example:

  • How can renewable energy be generated, fed into the grid and stored? What are the challenges of the energy transition?
  • How do we make our digital communication more efficient and secure?
  • How can technically relevant material properties be determined? How is the ecological footprint calculated and what options are available for a product at the end of its life?
  • What exactly does sustainability mean? How do I reconcile ecological, economic and social aspects?

After successfully completing your bachelor’s degree, you are well qualified for continuing your studies in our international master’s program in Sustainable Systems Engineering at the University of Freiburg or in another engineering master’s degree program. It is also possible to directly start a career at a company or public institution. Current career prospects for engineers are excellent.

Requirements

  • University entrance qualification (e.g. high school diploma or Abitur)
  • Very good German language skills (level C1 of the European reference framework required for application already)
  • To enjoy technology and solving modern, complex challenges as well as being unafraid of mathematics and physics are also important requirements for successful studies in Sustainable Systems Engineering.

Basic information

Total credits:

180 ECTS (European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System) credits

Standard course length:

6 semester resp. 3 years

Language of instruction:

German, options in English

Course start:

Winter semester (October)

 

Tuition and fees

German and EU nationals

  • 103 € fee for Student Services (Studierendenwerk, SWFR)
  • 70 € administrative fee
  • 7 € fee for student union

 

The amount of 180 € is charged by the University per semester.

Non-EU nationals

  • 1500 € tuition
  • 103 € fee for Student Services (Studierendenwerk, SWFR)
  • 70 € administrative fee
  • 7 € fee for student union

 

The amount of 1680 € is charged by the University per semester.

Application and admission

The course starts in winter semester 2018/19 for the first time.

Admission:

Freshman:

without specific admission requirements (unrestricted admission)

Application deadline:

Freshman:

July 15th (international applicants)

Note: Holders of a German university entrance qualification can enroll directly by October 5th. 

If you have any questions about the application process, please contact the Student Service Center, which coordinates applications. You will also find information on how to apply or enroll there.

Curriculum / study plan

The bachelor’s degree program SSE conveys all the fundamentals and methodologies of engineering in the first four semesters:

  • Physics and Materials Technology
  • Mathematics and Systems Engineering
  • Electrical Engineering and Energy Technology
  • Chemistry and Process Engineering
  • Society and Technology


Building on these foundations, the course offers an in-depth study of methodology and expertise in topics of sustainable development from an engineering perspective in the following semesters:

  • Energy systems including renewable energy
  • Resilience (Resistance and adaptability of systems, e.g. after accidents or an environmental disaster)
  • Sustainable materials


In addition to expertise, other key engineering skills will be acquired such as simulation techniques, lifetime analysis and programming languages as well as, according to your interests, various soft skills such as presentation techniques and project planning. All of these are important skills for your career.

Find out more about the bachelor's program SSE and see the recommended study plan

The individual modules with learning objectives, content, responsible teachers, scope of work, types of examination and literature etc. are described in detail in the module handbook.

The exact structure of the course including an explanation of the compulsory and elective modules and elective options are outlined in the examination regulations.

Module handbook and exam regulations

Please note: Only the latest version is listed here. Older versions (if available) can be found in Module Handbooks and Exam Regulations under Studies and Teaching.

  • Module handbook online version in HISinONE (expected in August 2018)
  • Module handbook pdf version (German only!)
  • Exam regulations (see § Satzungen, German only!)
    The web pages of the legal department now contain the new examination regulations.

 

Check out our dates and deadlines for course registration or exam registration.

And afterwards – Master degree program

The English-taught master’s degree program Sustainable Systems Engineering (SSE) with its international focus is addressed in particular to graduates with a bachelor's degree in engineering or natural sciences.

Career prospects

After successfully completing your bachelor’s degree, you are well qualified for continuing your studies in our international master’s program in Sustainable Systems Engineering (SSE) at the University of Freiburg or in another engineering master’s degree program. It is also possible to directly start a career at a company or public institution.

You can apply your knowledge as an engineer in the following professional  fields:

  • Semiconductor industry
  • Energy and environmental technologies
  • Material development
  • Communication technology
  • Urban planning
  • Environmental management and policy
  • Business consulting / NGO work

Contact

If you have questions related to the application and admission process, please contact the Student services (Student Service Center).

For technical / content-related questions related to the B.Sc. SSE please contact:

Mirko Schäfer

Dr. Mirko Schäfer – Academic Adviser

Emmy-Noether-Straße 2
Solar Info Center, 4. Stock (Aufgang "West"), Raum 04.002
Telefon: +49 761 203-54202

E-Mail: studienberatung@inatech.uni-freiburg.de

 

 

Rodenbuecher_Beatrice_16x9Beatrice Rodenbücher –  Academic Adviser

Emmy-Noether-Straße 2
2nd floor northern part
Phone: +49 761 203 54193

e-Mail:


For general/organizational questions related to the B.Sc. SSE please contact:

Ester Gnandt 
Emmy-Noether-Straße 2
2. Level, Northern entrance
79110 Freiburg
+49 761 203 54010

Appointments upon request.

Highlights of the course

As an SSE student in Freiburg, you have the opportunity:

  • to get a taste of cutting-edge research projects of internationally renowned professors,
  • to benefit from the state-of-the-art facilities of a modern and European campus,
  • to live in one of the most popular and greenest student cities in Germany.

 

First Semester – Arrive, study, then decide

You do not know which of the three Bachelor's degree programs Microsystems Engineering, Embedded Systems Engineering or Sustainable Systems Engineering is right for you? You cannot decide? You do not know what exactly each subject entails?

No worries – the first semester for each of the courses mentioned above are identical and designed so that you get familiar with all three subjects. After two semesters, you can easily change majors without having to extend your studies or losing any time!

We would love to help. Please contact our academic advisers with any questions you may have.

Mentoring program

At the beginning of the course, every student is assigned a professor as a mentor. The mentors help with organizing the student’s study plan and other study-related questions. Students should see their mentor once every semester. The mentors are happy to help whether it is about going abroad, applying for a master’s program or looking for a job. 

"System Design Project" with robotic competition

Dino_Roboterwettbewerb

As part of the 'System Design Project', the Faculty of Engineering at the University of Freiburg organizes a robotic competition every year. In this competition first semester students compete for the title of the fastest, most innovative and most creative robot. Usually groups of four Students work together, but for WS20/21 an easier task will have to be solved by each single student. Unfortunately, due to the COVID-19 circumstances, there will be no joint competition and students will be evaluated separately.

Equipped with a nearly 350 € Lego robot kit, the students compete against each other in the task to build a vehicle that independently runs on a course unknown to the participants. In the run-up only the degree of difficulty of the route, such as track length and gradients, is known.

In WS19/20, the participants had to overcome the following challenge: their robots should complete a course as quickly as possible. They had to stop in front of a barrier where they were loaded with a ball, which had to be placed at the end of the train in a container. In addition, the robots were to turn in front of obstacles or push them out of the way.

Smart, Micro, Green – Engineering in Freiburg

Smart – stands for robots that act independently, for computers that learn to interpret images or algorithms that become faster and smarter. Simply put, smart stands for computer science.

Micro – is meant literally here. The tiniest technical systems emerge that inconspicuously take on complex tasks in everyday life, medicine and industry. Without even knowing it, you are constantly dealing with microsystems. They make our lives healthier, safer, more comfortable, more versatile and, to say the least, easier.

Green – Freiburg is known worldwide for being the Green City. Since 2015, the Faculty of Engineering has been active from an engineering perspective with its own department for sustainability research. How can renewable energy be generated, fed into the grid and stored? How do we develop materials and systems that are produced and used in an energy- and resource-efficient way and that can adapt optimally to difficult environmental conditions or disasters?

Studying engineering in Freiburg always means that you benefit from all three areas of research, no matter which area you choose. Smart, micro and green technologies are becoming more and more in demand - acquire the necessary competencies to solve the social and technical questions of the future as engineers and computer scientists!

Further information