The Bachelor's degree programme in Biochemical, Chemical and Pharmaceutical Engineering combines natural sciences and engineering. The foundation of the degree programme is the training to become a process engineer with a specialisation on processes in the field of biology, chemistry and / or pharmacy, in contrast to the classical engineering degree programmes .
Characteristic tasks of bio-chemical and pharmaceutical engineers are the quantitative recording of biological, chemical and pharmaceutical processes, the design of suitable (bio-)reactors and apparatus for the production and purification of products as well as the transfer of laboratory results and theoretical concepts into technical practice.
Due to their interdisciplinary education, graduates are able to design processes not only in terms of yield and production capacity, but also take into account aspects such as sustainability and environmental protection.
Study goals of the Bachelor's degree programme in Biochemical, Chemical and Pharmaceutical Engineering
Start: winter semester, non-restricted undergraduate programme
Standard period of studies: 6 semesters
Degree: Bachelor of Science
Application period: 1st June – 15th October (winter term )
Pre-study internship: An 8-week pre-study internship must be completed before the start of the studies.
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This page contains information for students who started their studies in the winter semester 2022/23 or later. Special documents and downloads for the programme (Admission regulations, Course handbook, etc.), also for students who started their studies before WS 2022/23, can be found on the page Documents.
The chart below shows the structure of the study programme. The curriculum gives you an exact idea of the subjects and possibilities included in the study programme. A complete and detailed description of all subjects included in the programme can be found in the module handbook (Modulhandbuch/MHB) see page ""Documents".
In the first semesters of the Bachelor's programme, the fundamentals of Engineering and Natural Sciences as well as the practice-related fundamentals of Process Engineering are taught. The subjects in the Bachelor's programme Biochemical, Chemical and Pharmaceutical Engineering include:
The subject profile is supplemented by elective modules, which the students choose freely – according to their interests – from a given catalogue in addition to their specialisation.
After completion of the pre-study internship, an engineering internship of 10 weeks must be proven during the Bachelor's degree programme. The internship guidelines provide more detailed information on the areas and duration of the internship:
The engineering internship gives you the opportunity to get to know the professional environment and the professional requirements for an engineer working in industry already during your studies.
The Bachelor's programme is completed by the final module. This module includes the preparation of a written paper, the Bachelor's thesis (12 CP), and the presentation of the results (2 CP). Both parts must be passed separately. The processing time is 3 months. Only those who have completed at least 142 CP and successfully passed the project work can be admitted to the Bachelor's thesis. The Bachelor's thesis should demonstrate the student's ability to write a scientific paper. In addition, this module trains the documentation and communication of scientific results and enables the students to successfully apply these working methods in their future field of work.
From the third semester onwards, students specialise in Bioengineering, Chemical Engineering or Pharmaceutical Engineering. In each specialisation there are three compulsory modules that convey the core skills of the respective discipline:
Bioengineering: Applied Microbiology, Bioprocess Kinetics, Biochemistry
Chemical engineering: Heat and Mass transfer, Interface science, Technical Chemistry
Pharmaceutical engineering: Fundamentals of Anatomy and Physiology, Synthetic Drugs, Biogenic Drugs
The Interdisciplinary Electives ensure that you will dare to "think outside the box" during your studies. The focus is on interdisciplinary skills, the so-called "soft skills" such as presentation techniques, teamwork, project management, etc. It is formed by three different parts: the module "Faszination Verfahrenstechnik" (1 CP), where the career prospects and opportunities in process engineering are highlighted using research examples, a compulsory course in English (English for the Process Industries, 2 CP) and a non-technical elective module (2 CP). The English course, for which a placement test is required at the Language Centre of TU Braunschweig, is designed to provide you with the necessary basics to access international specialist literature. The elective module gives you the freedom to choose from a wide range of courses that best fits your personal profile. As these subjects are part of your certificate, you should use the opportunity to prove the acquisition of corresponding competences in your certificate.
The Project Work (6 CP) promotes the ability to develop, implement and present concepts. Students should acquire the ability to define goals for a larger task and to develop interdisciplinary solutions and concepts. It is a group work in which students prepare a topic theoretically and present it at the end of the semester. Since a successfully completed project work is a prerequisite for the registration of the Bachelor's thesis, it is not recommended to do the project work in the last semester. The topics, which change each semester, are usually announced six weeks before lectures begin. More informations are provided on the respective pages of the institutes and on the common page of the Energy and Process Engineering Institutes.
Some modules include a laboratory internship. These can be bundled together as a block course or in various individual experiments spread over several weeks during the semester. The dates will be announced at the beginning of the semester. Please inform yourself before the beginning of the semester on the websites of the respective institutes.
Building on the Bachelor's degree in Biochemical, Chemical and Pharmaceutical Engineering, we offer two alternative, in-depth Master's degree programmes:
In addition to the two Master's programmes mentioned above, other Master's programmes of the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering are also available. Special admission requirements must be observed.