The Faculty of Mechanical Engineering of Universität Karlsruhe and the Korea Advanced University of Science and Technology (KAIST) signed a dual master degree agreement. This agreement with the South Korean university extends the already comprehensive offer of international exchange and cooperation programs of the Karlsruhe Faculty of Mechanical Engineering. From this summer semester, master students may study two of the total of four semesters in South Korea and will be granted a dual master degree.
People interested in soccer may know Daejeon from the 2002 World Cup when the South Korean team, to everybody’s surprise, beat Italy in the round of the last sixteen and Spain in the quarter final. In research, Daejeon is known all over the world for its university and research institutions: KAIST is one of the most renowned universities and research institutions of South Korea. Students of mechanical engineering at the KIT are now offered another possibility of developing their competencies in international science by the newly developed dual master program.
The program that helps master students enhance their knowledge and skills on both the technical and the cultural level as well as in terms of language is initiated by Professor Ulrich Spicher from the KIT Institute for Reciprocating Engines, who has been carrying out joint research projects with KAIST for a long time already. “Together with our partner, we have now succeeded in sending the right signals even beyond research, in the teaching sector”, underlines Spicher.
Both universities have coordinated their master studies plans. The dual master degree agreement is coordinated by Dr. Amin Velji, Director of the KIT Institute for Reciprocating Engines, and Professor Choongsik Bae, Department of Mechanical Engineering, KAIST, who both were committed to this project from the very beginning.
“On the international level, it is of crucial importance to both first employment and the further career to have the national degree of the country in which you are employed”, says the Dean of the KIT Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Professor Martin Gabi, who signed the agreement together with Professor Seung-Woo Kim, Head of the School of Mechanical, Aerospace and Systems Engineering, at Daejeon. “The agreement with KAIST represents a rather valuable extension of the options given to our students.”
The stay abroad includes an internship at a company. After successful completion, the students will get “Master of Science” certificates of the KIT and KAIST.
The Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) is the merger of the Forschungszentrum Karlsruhe, member of the Helmholtz Association, and the Universität Karlsruhe. This merger will give rise to an institution of internationally excellent research and teaching in natural and engineering sciences. In total, the KIT has 8000 employees and an annual budget of 700 million Euros. The KIT focuses on the knowledge triangle of research – teaching – innovation.
The Karlsruhe institution is a leading European energy research center and plays a visible role in nanosciences worldwide. KIT sets new standards in teaching and promotion of young scientists and attracts top scientists from all over the world. Moreover, KIT is a leading innovation partner of industry.