Good start for new Master's degree at the HSZG

With an interdisciplinary student body consisting of seven ecologists, one Mechanical Engineering student, two students from the field of energy and environmental engineering, and one industrial engineer, the new Master's degree programme “Integrated Management Systems” successfully launched on March 9, 2015. This reflects the underlying philosophy of the program, which was developed as a collaborative initiative of the faculties of “Mathematics/Natural Sciences,” “Electrical Engineering and Computer Science,” and “Faculty of Mechanical Engineering.” Over the course of three semesters, students work toward a “Master of Science” degree. During this time, they explore the requirements of quality, environmental, energy, and occupational safety management systems and examine how companies can optimize their processes in these areas through integrated management systems.

The reasons why students have chosen this program are varied: “good career opportunities through specialization and more practical experience,” “the growing importance of project management in companies and the demands placed on applicants,” “learning internal management systems in a practical way so as to be able to implement and apply them in companies,” “the opportunity to choose from various areas of specialization,” and “the acquisition of additional TÜV certifications.”

In their initial impressions, the students rate the program quite positively:

• “The collaboration with the dedicated faculty is good.”
• “The program provides many insights that are not only theoretical but also highly relevant to real-world practice.”
• “Diverse yet well-coordinated modules”
• “Friendly, accommodating, and motivated instructors. Lots of group work and independent study, but very time-consuming.”
• "The lively atmosphere of discussion effectively highlights the similarities and different areas of focus among the various management systems."
• "I appreciate the collaboration with other faculties and, in the future, with companies as well, and I think this would be good for the Bachelor program too."

This feedback is particularly gratifying, given that we had just under a year to design, develop, and launch the program, and only a few months for the application process. A big thank you, therefore, goes out to everyone who contributed to these processes.

The next challenges are already on the horizon: the four-semester sister program “integrated management” will launch in the 2015–16 winter semester, and both programs are scheduled to successfully complete the accreditation process before the end of this year.