Caner Cikmaz is a first-year student of Environmental Technology and Resource Management. He is pursuing the Master of Science degree.
What made you choose this degree programme?
This degree programme incorporates the scientific fields of chemistry, physics, maths and geography, all of which were my favourite subjects at school. Moreover, I wish to make a contribution to environmental protection, and I hoped to learn about my options how to achieve that goal.
In which respect have or haven’t your expectations been fulfilled?
The basics were rather dry and not very application-oriented at first. But the subjects became more interesting in the 3rd semester. My expectations were also fulfilled when I completed my project assignment and found myself at home in the field of small wind turbines.
Which aspect of your degree programme do you enjoy most?
Project-relevant subjects, as well as applying my knowledge in the lab and in projects.
What has been your biggest challenge to date?
My Bachelor’s thesis, due to the time restriction.
What would you like to become after completing your degree?
Become an engineer in the process industry and possibly a researcher.
Which advice would you like to give to students who consider enrolling in this degree programme?
A good grasp of maths, chemistry and physics makes the first steps much easier; these disciplines also remain important requirements in many courses throughout the curriculum.
Janine Skibbe is a fifth-year student of Environmental Technology and Resource Management. She is pursuing the Master of Science degree.
What made you choose this degree programme?
I took maths and physics at A-level in school. Our class went on a field trip to RWTH Aachen University, where we visited a few lectures and were told about the available degree courses. The university offers the “Environmental Engineering” degree course, which I found interesting, too. Studying something that I could later use to help the environment seemed very worthwhile, and the career chances looked good. I then came across Environmental Technology and Resource Management in Bochum and enrolled in it, because I found the university and the city more appealing than Aachen. Apart from these two, there are no comparable degree courses at all in North Rhine-Westphalia. But I know that my path to Environmental Technology and Resource Management has not been representative of most students ;)
In which respect have or haven’t your expectations been fulfilled?
Before I took up my studies, I completed six weeks of my internship in an engineering office for hydrology, which I enjoyed very much. I was very happy to encounter many aspects that were familiar to me from that field of work in my degree course. Apart from that, I didn’t have any specific expectations. I was a bit disappointed that questions of environmental protections are rather sidelined. Many subjects such as solid construction, steel construction and others are the same as in the construction engineering degree, with exactly the same curricula. This is not why I chose to study environmental technology.
Which aspect of your degree programme do you enjoy most?
At present, I love the inspiration that I get here. My courses in the Master’s degree course focus much more strongly on real-life applications, and questions or environmental and nature protection are more often discussed. Moreover, we have more opportunities to work on our own projects in smaller groups, I enjoy that a lot. I always liked maths; I also often enjoyed theoretical subjects such as mechanics (that’s not something you can admit to people ;) ). What I’ve always disliked is being tested on facts that I’d previously memorised in a dull and uninspired manner. I like to be able to apply the things that I’d learned.
What has been your biggest challenge to date?
My Bachelor’s thesis, certainly. Creating something out of nothing for the first time. But with a good tutor, you can do it.
What would you like to become after completing your degree?
I don’t want to commit myself just yet. At present, I’m getting so much inspiration from so many different directions – not just in my own degree course, but also through the university in general and the people I meet there. I still hope that I will one day make the world a better place :)
Which advice would you like to give to students who consider enrolling in this degree programme?
The Environmental Technology and Resource Management curriculum does include a lot of maths at first, and it requires logical thinking. Students who have these abilities from the outset will find the course much easier. However, people who don’t have them but are interested in the subjects covered by the degree course, are curious and enjoy solving problems should not feel discouraged. Checking the curriculum will tell you if the majority of the subjects really are interesting, or if they don’t meet your ideas of Environmental Technology and Resource Management at all.
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