First published on tha.de
Lukas Wenger reports on his dual study course at KUKA
What is it like to study in a dual course? The Technische Hochschule Augsburg spoke to someone who should know: A student.
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Hello Lukas, thank you very much for taking the time to talk to us. You completed a dual study course at Augsburg University of Applied Sciences, which means that you studied mechanical engineering and trained as an industrial mechanic at KUKA at the same time. Why did you choose this study option?
Lukas Wenger: My school career was already practically oriented; I went from secondary school to the FOS. It was therefore clear to me early on that practical relevance was also very important to me during my studies. This was reinforced by the fact that I grew up on a farm and was interested in vocational training.
The dual study course was clearly the "non plus ultra" for me right from the start, as I believe it is a unique opportunity to acquire extensive theoretical knowledge and gain an in-depth insight into practice at the same time. The vocational training and the theoretical foundation from the degree ideally complement each other and were therefore a great enrichment for me.
What does the combination of training and studies look like in practice? Can you outline a typical semester schedule?
Lukas Wenger: Dual studies means vocational training and a Bachelor's degree in 4.5 years. Vocational training begins in the first year and at the end of the first year there is the final examination part 1, which accounts for 40% of the final grade of the vocational training. In the first year of my apprenticeship, I learned all the basics for the apprenticeship, all the production processes. I then start my studies in the second year.
The semester is "normal" everyday life at the university, as it is for all students. The lecture-free period after the exams is spent at the company. That means I was at the university from the first day of lectures to the last day of exams. On the first day after the last exam, I continued at the company, unless I took leave.
During your time at the company, you work in different departments. You are there for four to five weeks at a time. After the 4th semester, you take the final exam part 2, which concludes your vocational training. Following this, you gain your first insights into an engineering-related activity during the practical semester. The second time you work in such an activity is during the Bachelor's thesis. This is written in the company on a topic related to your studies. As soon as the final examinations have been completed and the Bachelor's thesis has been submitted, the Bachelor's degree course and therefore the entire combined degree course is complete.
What challenges did you face both at work and at university?
Lukas Wenger: That's not so easy to answer. There is a great network among the apprentices and students at KUKA. Knowledge and experience are shared via the university and the company.
One aspect of the dual study program is that you are contractually bound to one company for the entire period. Therefore, you "only" get to know one corporate culture. However, I don't see this as a major disadvantage, as there were many areas for me to get to know at KUKA and KUKA always supported me in gaining different experiences. For example, it is also possible to spend a semester abroad or work for KUKA abroad as part of the dual degree program.
You can find out what helped Lukas to successfully master his dual study program and what advice he has for people who are interested in a dual study program in mechanical engineering in the entire article on tha.de (German only).
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