What is it all about?

Civil engineering is an engineering science that deals with the conception, planning, design, construction, calculation, manufacture and operation of all types of structures that are relevant to our society. These include buildings for structural, transportation, civil and hydraulic engineering, facilities and infrastructure. During your studies, you will learn how to design these types of structures, plan and calculate them in a resource- and energy-efficient manner and build them safely, economically and in an environmentally friendly way. You will deal with various building materials, building constructions and, of course, structural analysis. You will also be introduced to social, ecological and economic aspects of construction as well as resource and energy-efficient issues. Overall, you will gain an overview of the entire planning, construction and maintenance process of a building, or in short: its entire lifecycle.

Program structure

During your studies, you have various subjects, which consist of one or more modules. A module deals with a specific topic and consists of one or more courses. In the module handbook for your degree program, you will find a description of the modules and their subject assignment as well as a study plan. This gives you an orientation as to which courses you should attend in which semester in order to complete your studies within the standard period of study. It takes into account a balanced distribution of courses over the individual semesters. It also ensures that you are first taught the important basics before moving on to more advanced topics. Your individual course of study may differ from this.

Compulsory:

• Mechanics (26 CP): here you will learn about the Statics of Rigid Bodies, Strength of Materials, Dynamics and Hydromechanics. These are essential aspects of mechanics in civil engineering.
• Mathematics (22 CP): mathematical skills are essential in civil engineering. You will therefore delve deep into Analysis and Linear Algebra, Integration and Multivariate Analysis, Applied Statistics and Differential Equations.
• Building Materials and Building Constructions (25 CP): this subject gives you an initial insight into the importance of building materials for the construction of buildings.
• Basics in Engineering (16 CP): this subject teaches the basics of Project Management, Geology in Civil Engineering and Introduction to Computer Programming. Further engineering fundamentals, e.g. Chemistry of Building Materials and Surveying, can be selected.
• Supplements in Engineering (5 CP): here you choose a project from various offerings, which change regularly, or you supplement your specialist knowledge with additional credit points from the range of fundamentals of engineering, engineering fundamentals, engineering principles and profiles.

You can focus on your subject specialization in the compulsory elective subject (16 CP), in which you choose two of the four profiles offered:

• Structural Analysis (10 CP)
• Structural Engineering (12 CP)
• Water and Environment (8 CP)
• Mobility and Infrastructure (8 CP)
• Technology and Management in Construction Operation (8 CP)
• Geotechnical Engineering (10 CP)

The program also includes the acquisition of Interdisciplinary Qualifications (4 CP): here you can choose courses relatively freely according to your interests and improve your skills, e.g. from the courses offered by the House of Competence (HoC), Language Center (SpZ) or the interdisciplinary courses offered by the FORUM.

Internship (voluntary)

Please note: you do not have to complete an internship in construction as part of your bachelor's degree. However, it is strongly recommended in order to gain practical experience. An internship can be completed in companies or enterprises in the construction industry that are operationally involved in the planning, calculation, execution or operation of construction measures or facilities. The voluntary internship should ideally be scheduled in the second half of the degree program. There is no compulsory internship.

Stays abroad

KIT offers a wide range of options for stays abroad, from individual courses to a year abroad overseas. If you are interested in a longer stay abroad, it is advisable to contact the International Students Office or the KIT Department of Civil Engineering, Geo and Environmental Sciences directly to find out about outgoing options at an early stage.

Bachelor's thesis

At the end of your bachelor's degree, you will complete your bachelor's thesis, an academic paper that allows you to apply and deepen the knowledge and skills you have acquired. It usually deals with a specific topic from your field of study and requires independent research, analysis and writing. The bachelor's thesis takes 3 months to complete. The bachelor's thesis also includes a presentation of your results in the form of a lecture.

Specialists with a degree in civil engineering have excellent career prospects and many fields of activity. They can be found in managerial positions in the following sectors: structural and civil engineering, engineering offices, public administration, consulting firms, railroads, postal services, insurance companies, the energy industry, software companies and many more. In this profession, you mainly design, plan, calculate, build and manage residential, commercial, administrative and industrial buildings, transportation routes (roads, bridges, tunnels, airports), hydraulic structures (locks, dams, reservoirs, etc.), power plants, environmental protection facilities (irrigation and drainage systems, sewage treatment plants, waste incineration plants), civil protection structures and much more. In civil engineering, you will expand your specialist knowledge more and more, and you must be able to adapt flexibly to constantly changing tasks in your professional life. In all fields of activity, you should also think holistically and reconcile social, ecological and economic aspects. You will always have direct contact with people and should be able to work in a team and communicate well. Your strength lies in your technical know-how, which is complemented by a good dose of creativity. As construction companies operate worldwide, foreign languages are also an important "tool of the trade". This is not least because many foreign projects in the field of development cooperation are supervised by civil engineers.

As the bachelor's degree is a foundation course and forms the first part of a complete course of study consisting of a bachelor's and master's degree, you could also decide to continue your studies with a master's degree. You could choose one of the consecutive master's programs offered at KIT to deepen your skills and knowledge and thus qualify for management positions in the above-mentioned industries.

The special feature of KIT is that you can choose from a total of five different consecutive master's programs: Civil Engineering, Technology and Management in Construction, Engineering Structures, Mobility and Infrastructure and Water Science and Engineering (in English). Completion of the master's program is strongly recommended at this point.

Characteristic features of Civil Engineering B.Sc. at KIT

• a construction internship before and during the bachelor's degree program is not mandatory, but is recommended
  

• good previous knowledge of mathematics and physics is of course necessary, but missing basic knowledge can be made up for at the MINT-Kolleg if required
  

• orientation week at the start of studies
  

• involvement of students in research projects in various disciplines
  

• after the bachelor's degree, you can choose between five consecutive master's degree programs:
  

  • Civil Engineering
    

  • Engineering Structures
    

  • Mobility and Infrastructure
    

  • Technology and Management in Construction
    

  • Water Science and Engineering (in English)
    

What KIT has to offer

• central campus close to the city forest and right next to the city center
  
• orientation week before the start of lectures
  
• 24-hour library offering single and group working places
  
• wide range of inexpensive catering options (dining hall, cafeteria, Koeri and Pizzawerk)
  
• numerous interdisciplinary offers for personal and professional development, e.g. Lernlabor, Schreiblabor and Perspektivenlabor
  
• study abroad, e.g. via Erasmus
  
• excellent university sports facilities with a large selection of sports
  
• comprehensive cultural offerings with university orchestras, choirs and theater groups
  
• extensive support for career entry and self-employment
  
• Lernraum app
  
• internationally oriented degree programs and diverse exchange programs
  
• modern laboratories and practical teaching methods
  
• diverse student initiatives, clubs and opportunities to actively participate in campus life
  
• stay in touch after graduation via the alumni network

Higher education entrance qualification (HZB)

Germans and persons of equal status to Germans (i.e. EU/EEA nationals and non-EU/EEA nationals with a German higher education entrance qualification) are entitled to study at KIT if they have one of the following qualifications:

1. General higher education entrance qualification (Abitur)
2. (relevant) subject-restricted higher education entrance qualification (not Fachhochschulreife)
3. Delta examination of the University of Mannheim (for holders of a Fachhochschulreife)
4. recognized advanced vocational training (e.g. master craftsperson) or vocational training, professional experience and aptitude test for those with professional qualifications

For further options, see §58 of the "Landeshochschulgesetz" (State Higher Education Act).

Please note: German nationals with a foreign school-leaving qualification must have the relevant "Regierungspräsidium" (regional authority) certify that their qualification is equivalent to the German Abitur.

For non-EU/EEA nationals with a foreign school-leaving certificate (hereinafter also referred to simply as non-EU/EEA nationals), the school-leaving certificate from some countries is recognized as a direct university entrance qualification in Germany. In many cases, however, in addition to the school-leaving certificate, a university entrance examination and/or a successful year of study in the home country and/or the "Feststellungsprüfung" must be proven with valid documents in order to be allowed to study a bachelor's degree in Germany. You can find the country-specific regulations in the DAAD admissions database or on the Anabin website (in German only) of the "Zentralstelle für ausländisches Bildungswesen" (Central Office for Foreign Education). Further information is available from the International Students Office.

Language requirements and certificates

For the bachelor's degree program in Civil Engineering, you need sufficient knowledge of the German language. Your German language skills must correspond to at least level C1 of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR).

Important: you must provide proof of the required language skills regardless of your citizenship and by the end of the enrollment period at the latest, but preferably at the time of application.

In what form do I have to provide the language certificates? Please read the following chapters on this website carefully. If you have any further questions, please contact

• Students Office if you are applying as a German, German national or a person with German equivalent status
• the International Students Office if you are a non-EU national

Proof of sufficient German language skills

As proof of your German language skills, your higher education or master's entrance qualification (e.g. Abitur, university degree or a professional qualification that entitles you to study) is sufficient if you have acquired it at a German-speaking institution with German as the language of instruction.

In concrete terms, this means that you do not have to submit additional proof of German if you

• have obtained your Abitur at a German-speaking school in Germany or abroad,
• are a graduate of a bilingual secondary school in Germany or abroad and have passed a bilingual German examination, such as the AbiBac or the Gemischtsprachiges International Baccalaureat (GIB) or
• you graduated from a foreign school, but there is another official agreement with the respective country regarding the recognition of your school-leaving certificate or language certificate as proof of language proficiency for university studies in Germany.

A complete list of foreign school-leaving qualifications and language certificates that are recognized as proof of sufficient German language skills can be found on the website of the Standing Conference of the Ministers of Education and Cultural Affairs of the Laender (KMK) in the Federal Republic of Germany.

If you have already completed a German-language degree at a German university, this can also count as proof of German language proficiency - but only if the diploma supplement, transcript of records or degree certificate clearly states that German was the sole language of instruction and examination.

If, on the other hand, you did not obtain your higher education or master's entrance qualification at a German-speaking institution with German as the language of instruction, you must provide proof of German language proficiency at least at DSH-2 level. This corresponds to CEFR level C1.

Only the following certificates are accepted in accordance with the KIT admission and enrollment regulations:

• passed German section of the Feststellungspruefung (assessment test)
• passed German language test for university admission (DSH) with overall result DSH-2
• passed Test of German as a Foreign Language (TestDaF) with level 4 in all four parts of the exam
• German Language Diploma of the Standing Conference of the Ministers of Education and Cultural Affairs - second level (DSD II)
• Goethe certificate C1 or higher
• passed telc Deutsch C1 Hochschule exam
• Austrian Language Diploma C1 or higher

Note: The above-mentioned tests are accepted as proof of language proficiency for an unlimited period of time, even if the provider specifies an expiration date.

What if I cannot provide suitable C1 proof of German at the time of application?

If you are unable to provide any of the C1 certificates listed above demonstrating your German language skills by the application deadline, you may still be admitted if you can provisionally demonstrate at least B1 language proficiency. Proof of B1 level is provided by a recognized language certificate or other certification from a language or other educational institution that clearly shows that B1 level has been achieved.

But please don't forget: you still have to submit the C1 certificate by the end of your enrollment period at the latest, which is stated in your admission letter.

Therefore, check early on whether you can provide the necessary language certificates by the deadline and, if necessary, plan to take a recognized language test.

In justified cases, you can apply for an extension of the enrollment deadline to provide proof of your language skills, but this extensvion can only be granted up to the day before the start of the lecture period. Please contact the Student Office or the International Students Office - depending on who is named as your point of contact in your letter of admission.

Additional necessary requirements for enrollment

For Germans and those with German equivalent status, an additional necessary requirement for enrollment is proof of participation in a study orientation test (e.g. www.was-studiere-ich.de) or a study orientation consultation in accordance with §7 of the "Landeshochschulgesetz" (State Higher Education Act), e.g. by the Student Advisory Service (ZSB) of KIT. Non-EU/EEA nationals do not have to provide this proof.

• all year round Information events of the Student Advisory Service (ZSB) on your desired degree programs, application and admission as well as starting your studies
• Try out KIT - clarify your interests and support your study decision by taking advantage of the diverse summer offers or participating in taster lectures.
• Campus Day: experience the campus live (together with your family) in spring and make your first personal contacts with the departments and their students
• Studieninformationstag: visit KIT on the state-wide study information day in November and experience the lecture hall feeling for the first time
• topMINT: you don't know yet what you want to study and need to bridge the summer? Take advantage of our orientation semester before you start your studies.
• Use our central online portal studienstart.kit.edu with all the important information and services you need to prepare for your studies and your first semester at KIT. Be it preparatory courses, study-related courses or mentoring programs.
• Orientation phase before the start of lectures - from students for students to get to know KIT, your fellow students and your student council. You will receive specific information on this when you enrol.
• You will be welcomed by KIT with a colorful supporting program at the welcome event for first semester students. You will receive the invitation after your enrollment.

Weitere Ansprechpersonen:

• KIT-Fakultät für Bauingenieur-, Geo- und Umweltwissenschaften
• Fachstudienberatung
• Prüfungsausschuss
• Informationen zum Auslandsstudium
• Fachschaft Bauingenieurwesen

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• Course catalog current term PDF (English)
• Archive of previous catalogs