Water Engineering (WEM, MSc) Technische Hochschule Lübeck

University of Algarve at Faro (Portugal), University of Lodz (Poland) and University of Antwerp (Belgium)

Courses are held in English (100%). German language courses are offered as well as English and German technical and scientific language courses.

The international study programme in Water Engineering Master (WEM) provides a modern and sound postgraduate education in water-related aspects of environmental engineering. It is a consecutive international full-time course of study with a duration of four semesters, during which students earn 120 CP (ECTS). The language of instruction is English. This course offers a specialisation in water science and engineering to students who have completed a Bachelor’s degree in civil engineering, renewable energy, or environmental engineering.

The study programme in Water Engineering qualifies future experts in all water-related aspects of environmental engineering. Students will learn the design and planning of hydropower for regenerative energy generation, environmentally friendly hydraulic design of rivers, modern stormwater retention, sustainable urban drainage and water management, wastewater treatment technologies, and the design of ecohydrological measures and green infrastructure to improve the water quality of terrestrial and coastal water bodies. There is a special emphasis on hydraulic, hydrological, and groundwater modelling techniques. Students learn remediation and restoration methods for surface and ground water bodies. The programme includes excellent exchange opportunities with European partner universities (ERASMUS) during the third semester.

The following five thematic areas are covered:

1. advanced scientific methods (programming, modern monitoring, data science, machine learning)
2. water quality (advanced water treatment, groundwater remediation and protection)
3. societal challenges related to water with a focus on sustainable urban planning
4. nature-based engineering of hydraulic and hydrological systems
5. simulation and modelling of water systems

The Master's programme is composed of ten courses, including three projects, five elective courses offered with European partner universities, and the Master's thesis.

Applied projects are offered on integrated and applied water engineering solutions. Technische Hochschule Lübeck (THL) cooperates with the University of Lübeck, research centres, and regional companies. The programme offers an exchange semester with European partner universities from Portugal, Belgium, and Poland to foster international exchange in water engineering.

THL offers excellent laboratory facilities, such as an experimental water treatment plant and a modern hydraulic laboratory as well as laboratories for hydrology and water chemistry. Courses provide insight into ongoing projects, research and development activities in the field of international water engineering.

The Master's programme starts between mid-September and the end of September. You should plan to arrive in Lübeck at the beginning of September, we have a welcome week for international students that starts before the semester during which you learn about registration, courses and administrative matters and during which you get to know other international students. In general, courses are held on site. Excellent infrastructure for online teaching is available if needed.

If you are interested in the programme, please check our WEM course information page and check whether you fulfil the eligibility requirements. Eligible students should send their application to uni-assist before 1 March. For non-European students, an early application is highly recommended.

For German and European students, the application is open until the end of August. Please check the WEM website for further application details.

During the winter semester (beginning in October), lectures are given on the following topics:

• Scientific Computing, Research Methods, and Modern Data Science with Machine Learning
• Geographic Information Systems (for Water Sciences and Engineering)
• Urban Water Protection
• Nature-Based Hydraulic Engineering
• Modelling and Simulation (I): Groundwater

During the summer semester (starting in March/April), courses are given on the following topics:

• Applied Freshwater Ecology
• Water Regulation, and Sustainable Planning
• Hydrological Engineering
• Simulation and Modelling (II): Nature-Based River Systems
• Advanced Wastewater Treatment

During the third semester, students will have the opportunity to study at a partner university in Portugal, Belgium, or Poland to focus on ecohydrology, water management, or water engineering, to specialise in a specific field of water engineering, or to do an internship. THL offers a broad range of elective courses or facilities for specialisation. We cooperate with more than 80 SME and industrial partners for practical training and internships.

Applied Master's projects in water engineering are offered jointly with companies and research institutes or as research and development projects. THL is one of the most successful universities of applied sciences in terms of raising project support for applied projects. Based on availability, we offer participation and student jobs in applied projects to WEM students after the first semester.

Students of WEM have access to German language courses given by professional language teachers at different levels, from A1 to C1 at our language centre.

The Water Engineering Master's programme (WEM) is closely coordinated with the Master's in Applied Ecohydrology (MAEH), a European Joint Master's programme. During the summer semester, WEM students will study with the international students of the MAEH programme and will be offered joint activities.

THL cooperates with more than 80 companies in the region of Northern Germany and programme partners work in applied projects. We assist in finding integrated internships for practical training.

No tuition fees

Approx. 400 EUR
(The semester contribution includes a ticket for public transport.)

Please refer to the WEM website to check for our pre-qualification requirements. 

Bachelor's/Master's/German "Diplom" degree:

• minimum 180 credits
• average grade 2.7 (German system: 1 to 5, 1 = best)

Accepted disciplines (degree):

• civil engineering
• environmental engineering
• renewable energies
• adjoining topics

Applicants must provide proof of their English skills: TOEFL 550 (paper-based), 80 (Internet-based), or the equivalent.

If you are interested in the programme, please check our WEM course information page and check whether you fulfil the eligibility requirements. Eligible students should send their application to uni-assist before 1 March. For non-European students, an early application is highly recommended.

For German and European students, the application is open until the end of August. Please check the WEM website for further application details.

Deutschlandstipendium and assistance for completion of Master's thesis

Part-time jobs not related to the course are not recommended due to the intensive nature of the study programme. As cooperation with companies forms part of the projects, job opportunities exist and are offered based on availability after the introductory semester or directly after completion of the study programme.

Accommodation is available through the Student Services Office or on the private market. Rent for a single room in a student residence is approx. 350 to 400 EUR. Please start looking for an apartment early, and try to register for an apartment in one of the student dorms at Studentenwerk Schleswig-Holstein.

A career advisory service is available.

We offer a welcome week to introduce international students to our university. We have an International Office that helps with administrative matters and an office for international students in our faculty of civil engineering.

Technische Hochschule Lübeck, a university-like institution of applied sciences with its campus in the traditional town of Lübeck, a UNESCO World Heritage site, is proud of its 180-year history. Founded in 1808, it was not until 1969 that the government of Schleswig-Holstein integrated three separate colleges, the College of Technology and Seafaring, the College of Construction, and the College of Engineering, to form Lübeck University of Applied Sciences. Since 1973, it has consistently held an outstanding reputation as a technical college of higher education.

Today, TH Lübeck offers 26 study programmes. The focus, however, remains on technology, civil engineering, natural sciences, and economics. The courses on offer are highly topical. Thus, graduates are a perfect match for the demands of the job market. Skills in management, analytical thinking, languages, and social competence in groups are intrinsic parts of these courses. From a wide variety of courses, students themselves can choose any courses of interest to them and thus deepen their knowledge.

The ever-increasing number of students is an indication of the attractiveness of Lübeck as a place to study. Because of its proximity to the Baltic Sea, Lübeck offers a wide variety of cultural and sporting activities. Nearly 8,000 students in Lübeck appreciate the recreational opportunities on their doorstep. The historic old town of Lübeck (declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1987) with its many restaurants, cafés, cinemas, theatres, and possibilities for sporting activities on the Baltic Sea, is reason enough for many students to study here. To those for whom that is not enough, the metropolis of Hamburg is nearby.
Lübeck's location on the Baltic Sea is also of international significance. Long-existing contacts with the Scandinavian countries expand cultural, economic, and scientific opportunities, and strengthen Lübeck as a site of higher education within the framework of indispensable international cooperation. The Hanseatic City of Lübeck is considered a well-kept secret among students, since they can live and study here in easily accessible surroundings, in contrast to cities with "mass universities".
With its connections to the universities, the regional economy offers further good reasons to study in Lübeck. The close cooperation between the universities and companies in and around Lübeck is obvious in many ways. The availability of traineeships, the cooperative formulation and implementation of diploma theses, research projects, and possible subsequent job offers make higher education in Lübeck extremely attractive. Companies in Lübeck seek and establish contacts with the universities.