Master degree course: Product Creation and Production

The master's program Product Creation and Production addresses the current challenges of industry: process orientation, batch size 1 production, simulation, automation, conformity to standards, life cycle considerations, and much more. It is no coincidence that the abbreviation PCP stands for the product creation process that is widely used in industry.

The Product Creation and Production program aims to provide its graduates with in-depth knowledge of a wide range of technologies and a very good understanding of the processes involved, starting with the requirements for machines and systems throughout the product lifecycle.

Study contents

The Product Creation and Production degree program is offered without further specializations, but allows individualization according to the students' interests through elective courses and project work. This offers students the opportunity to give greater weight to their own interests and to orient themselves more purposefully on the job market after completing their studies.

The summer semester includes the following compulsory subjects, which are assigned to the product development phase in terms of content:

  • Operational Production Management
  • Generative manufacturing processes - procedures and design requirements
  • Market-oriented corporate management
  • Compulsory elective subject 1
  • Project work

During the project work you have the possibility to actively participate in a research project of the university, to implement the results of your bachelor thesis or to work in a regional company in an operative or scientific project. The cooperation with lecturers from local companies is advantageous here.

The subjects of the winter semester take up technical contents and the transfer of products into production under consideration of the general conditions:

  • Hydraulics/Pneumatics
  • Standards/ Product liability/ Product safety/ Machinery directive
  • Interdisciplinary project/virtual seminar or project work
  • Integrated product and industrial design
  • Elective 2

In addition to imparting theoretical knowledge, the courses are supplemented by excursions and practical parts. Of particular importance is the interdisciplinary seminar, in which students from different courses work together on a product development and implementation project. In this way, different disciplines work together and can learn from each other.

Since the program focuses on the value creation process and the understanding of upstream and downstream process steps in the product life cycle, the semesters can be completed in any order. Both the process view from the finished product backwards to the product creation and the classic forward approach are proven methods in industry for process analysis and design.

The two electives allow students to further individualize their studies from the entire HSN portfolio, including English-language offerings, with certain subjects preselected by the Dean of Studies. The elective subjects are each the size of a standard module.

The Master's thesis in the 3rd and last semester marks the completion of the three-semester program. In the sense of an application-oriented study program, the master's thesis should be written outside the university at a company or a research institution.

In this context, it should be mentioned that the Thuringian Innovation Center for Recyclable Materials (ThIWert) at Nordhausen University of Applied Sciences has a volume of third-party funding that is far above average compared to other universities of applied sciences. Within the scope of the projects, it is planned to develop or adapt machines and plants for specific applications. Here, mechanical engineering competence will gain in importance in the future, in addition to process engineering.

For detailed information on the modules, please refer to the module overview.

For an overview of the contents of the individual study months, please refer to the study plan.

Further information can also be found in our FAQs.

Degree and recognition

Degree: Master of Engineering (M. Eng.) in the field of Product Creationt and Production.

Nordhausen University of Applied Sciences is officially accredited by the state of Thuringia as a state-recognized university. This guarantees the equivalence of the degrees with degrees from state universities.

The Master's program in Product Creation and Production has been accredited by the Accreditation, Certification and Quality Assurance Institute (ACQUIN).

Target groups

The Product Creation and Production program is aimed at all those who wish to add a new dimension to their more specialized knowledge-based bachelor's degree and at the same time acquire an internationally recognized academic master's degree.

This includes graduates of Nordhausen University of Applied Sciences with the various degrees from the engineering department as well as graduates of other colleges/universities with, for example, majors in mechanical engineering, process engineering, mechatronics, industrial engineering, regenerative energy technology, environmental and recycling technology or another comparable course of study.

For graduates of foreign universities, it offers an attractive German-language opportunity to acquire in-depth specialist knowledge in a consecutive master's program on product development and production. Since the course content is primarily offered in German, foreign students should have good German language skills.

Admission requirements

To be admitted to the Master's program in Product Creation and Production (M.Eng.), the following qualifications are required:

  • Qualified university degree as Bachelor of Engineering or Bachelor of Science
  • with a total of 210 credit points according to the ECTS system
  • Overall grade of 2.5 or better.
  • If the Bachelor's degree submitted was not obtained at a German-speaking college or university, the applicant must prove that he or she has a command of the German language at language level C1.

If you have any questions about the admission requirements, just give us a call. Our university team will be happy to advise you by phone at +49 3631 420-222 and in person on site.

ECTS

The achievements are evaluated according to the European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System (ECTS). With the award of credit points, the study achievements are internationally comparable and recognized.

Credit points are awarded for each successfully completed module, reflecting the average learning effort. One credit point corresponds to a learning effort of approximately 25 time hours. The amount of work required depends on the number of ECTS points in the individual modules.

During your studies you will acquire a total of 90 credit points.

Start & duration of study

The Master's program in Product Creation and Production begins on April 1 (summer semester) and October 1 (winter semester) of each year. The registration deadline for the summer semester is March 31, for the winter semester September 30.

You can complete the Product Creation and Production (M.Eng.) program in 3 semesters (full-time). With the full-time variant, you can expect a learning workload of about 30 hours per week on average. Due to the flexible forms of mediation and the study structure, this variant is also possible on a part-time basis, but is particularly suitable for those who want to focus on their studies. Contact us, we will find a solution.

For detailed information on the course of study, please refer to the study plan.

Tuition fee

There are no tuition fees for studying at Nordhausen University of Applied Sciences.

You pay the semester fee for the first time when you receive the notification of enrollment.

For students in continuing education master's programs, other contribution rates apply. Please inquire at the Study Service Center by e-mail (sszhs-nordhausen.de).

Please also inform yourself about the funding opportunities for a master's program.

Application

Final certificate of the first university degree qualifying for a profession or a current list of grades with average grade and ECTS information as well as curriculum vitae, letter of motivation and, in the case of applications to Master's degree programs offering further education, also proof of practical work after graduation.

Register online conveniently and easily.

Afterwards you have to print out the application, sign it and submit it with all required documents to the Study Service Center (SSZ).