Program Overview

Honors College Master's Program

The Honors College Master's Program is designed for students who are at the end of their bachelor's degree or at the beginning of their master's degree, were on the Dean's List during their bachelor's degree, and wish to pursue their doctorate at an RWTH institute or an RWTH partner institution.

Target Group

The program is aimed at students who:

• are at the end of their bachelor's degree or at the beginning of their master's degree
• were on the Dean's List during their bachelor's degree
• want to do their doctorate at an RWTH institute or an RWTH partner institution
• want to be as well prepared as possible for their doctorate
• want additional options in their master's degree
• are considering going abroad during their master's degree

Procedure

To participate in the HC Master's program, a connection must first be established between the student and the institute at which they wish to pursue their doctorate. The relevant examination board can then be involved. The steps are as follows:

1. The student informs the institute of their choice that they would like to pursue their doctorate there.
2. The student and the institute draw up a joint letter of intent with a rough outline of the topic.
3. Together, they compile a list of particularly suitable subjects (including those from other degree programs or abroad).
4. An application is submitted to the examination board and the list is attached to the application as an appendix.

Stay Abroad

Students who wish to take modules abroad as part of the HC Masters program and need a letter of recommendation should contact the program administrators.

Summary

The Honors College Master's Program offers master's students a framework for individualizing their curriculum beyond the usual scope with the support of a personal mentor. This makes it possible to tailor the content of the master's program precisely to the topics of a future doctorate. In addition, international research experience can be easily integrated into the course of study.

Program Details

The prerequisite for participation in the Honors College Master's program is a nomination to the Dean's List or a similar distinction from comparable universities. The student is motivated by the desire to pursue a doctoral degree at a specific institute at RWTH. The institute director (hereinafter referred to as “mentor”) is also interested in guiding the student toward a doctoral degree. Both parties draw up a non-binding mutual declaration of intent with a very rough outline of the topic. They then compile a list of subjects that are particularly important for the intended doctoral degree and the intended subject area. Subjects that are not listed in the regular elective catalog are indicated accordingly.

Program Structure

At the beginning of the master's program, the student should contact the examination board and those responsible for the master's program directly to discuss subjects that are not included in the list. Together, they will work out a change to the study plan that will make the list of subjects possible. There is no guarantee of success, but the comprehensive examination regulations in the Honors College Master's section grant the examination boards the authority to make the appropriate changes.

Available Faculties

The following faculties are available:

• Faculty 1: Mathematics and Natural Sciences
• Faculty 2: Architecture
• Faculty 3: Civil Engineering
• Faculty 4: Mechanical Engineering
• Faculty 5: Georesources and Materials Engineering
• Faculty 6: Electrical Engineering and Information Technology
• Faculty 7: Arts and Humanities
• Faculty 8: Business and Economics
• Faculty 9: Computer Science
• Faculty 10: Medicine

Downloads

The following documents are available for download:

• Absichtserklärung Promotion (pdf: 51kb)
• Anschreiben HC Master (pdf: 94kb)