Computational Methods in Engineering

As a foreign student, the diversity and flexibility has enabled me to gain valuable firsthand experience within the industry in Germany. During my second year I completed an internship and additionally wrote a master thesis at Continental AG in the Research & Development Department. I had the chance to work and apply the tools acquired while exploring advanced topics at the company, such as the study of the properties of rubber and its abrasion process under controlled conditions at a laboratory.

Now I believe I have the opportunity to explore various roles, ranging within industries such as aerospace engineering, biomedical engineering, material science as well as further research opportunities, among many others. Overall, I am genuinely satisfied with what I have learned during my studies and the support from the professors and faculty. So that now with great confidence I am thrilled to further apply my gained skills and experience within the industry.

Computational Methods in Engineering is an international master’s degree programme with students from all around the world. The engineering courses are mainly in English. It’s also possible to take one or two soft-skill courses and choose from a variety of different language courses, if languages are what you like. The lectures on advanced methods in mechanics are strongly project-based, so you get the hands-on experience by programming and implementing the methods you learn in the courses, like non-linear finite element methods or stochastic approaches in engineering, which are currently of high interest at the institutes involved in the master’s degree programme. The emphasis on the mathematics behind methods we implement helps us to understand the inner working and the limitations of the methods we use, while simultaneously providing us with the tools and expertise for a competent application in the upcoming industry.

Besides my interest in advanced mechanics and the computational approaches, I decided upon the master’s degree programme in Computational Methods in Engineering at the Leibniz University Hannover because of the right balance between university and everyday life. Compared to other cities like Aachen or Göttingen that are known for their universities, our city is not overrun with students and is certainly not solely focused around the university life. Thanks to that, Hanover does not become dead on the weekends and holidays, when most of the students visit their friends and families elsewhere. Moreover, Hanover is a medium-sized city with lots of parks and nature in close proximity. Take that into account and you’ll get all the perks of big cities, like a proper choice of shops, cafés, bars and restaurants, along with a nice environment for studies with all the options for necessary breaks in between.

Having discovered my enthusiasm for mechanics during my Bachelor studies in "Civil and Environmental Engineering", I decided to do my Master studies in "Computational Engineering". This way I was able to focus on the mathematical and mechanical background of computational simulations in engineering application.

I decided to study "Computational Methods in Engineering" because of its diversity of topics. The programme had the best mix of study modules with the aim to combine them and to learn a new calculation method with the finite element method (FEM). The master studies gave me the best possibility to add extracurricular studies like language courses (Spanish and Chinese), Network Management or Robotics.