Requirements for matriculation in the 2023/24 winter semester

Preamble

Depending on your degree program and previous education, you may need to complete a relevant internship as a prerequisite for admission. Depending on the degree program, this may be divided into a basic internship and a specialized internship, or it may be divided into separate thematic sections that must be completed by a certain date.

Important: You do not need to have completed an internship in order to submit an application for a degree program and begin your degree program.

Internships as study requirements must be completed by the end of the third semester. In all BA degree programs, February 28 of the respective year is the decisive date. Please do not confuse this with the start of lectures, which is in March/April, as the semester ends on February 28.

Important: Internships are study requirements that cannot be submitted later. Therefore, if you have not completed the internship in accordance with the requirements and had it recognized by the deadline, you will unfortunately not be able to continue your degree program beyond the third semester.

To ensure that your completed internship is eligible for recognition, submit the certificates to the internship coordinator responsible for your degree program as early as possible. You should have registered by October 31 of the third semester at the latest, regardless of whether you have already completed your internship in full or only in part. If you encounter any problems with your internship, please contact us and we will look for a solution.

The details of the internship structure and recognition (internship coordinator) are regulated individually for each degree program.

Educational requirements

In order to successfully enroll in a degree program at our university, you need a "Fachhochschulzugangsberechtigung" (university entrance qualification). This means that your school certificate (e.g., high school diploma, certificate from a technical college or technical school, etc.) must state that you are eligible to enroll in a degree program at a university of applied sciences.

Restriction: If you have obtained your vocational diploma at a technical college, e.g. in the field of "civil engineering," your certificate may contain a clause such as: "...is permitted to study the field of study civil engineering at a university of applied sciences." In this case, you can only study the subjects specifically mentioned. If there are no restrictions noted on your certificate, you have general university entrance qualification.

If you can demonstrate that you have completed training in a woodworking profession and have three years of professional experience in this field, you may also be eligible to study the Wood Technology degree program. The same applies if you hold a master craftsman's certificate. As your application for a place at university is based on professional qualifications and is subject to a separate procedure, we ask you to always contact the Enrollment Office in this regard.

Practical requirements

In addition to the academic requirements, you will need to provide evidence of practical experience in order to be accepted onto the Wood Technology degree program.

Proof of practical experience in this sense includes:

1. Completed vocational training in the field of carpentry (joinery), carpentry, or wood mechanics (journeyman's or skilled worker's certificate)
2. Completed vocational training in a technical field and a 6-week specialized internship
3. a basic technical internship and a specialized internship, each lasting 6 weeks
4. a master craftsman's certificate (depending on the field)

Proof of practical experience is deemed to have been provided if the applicant has acquired the qualification for the degree program through a higher education entrance qualification from a vocational college for Wood Technology or a technical college with a main focus area in Wood Technology. Applicants who have obtained a higher education entrance qualification from a technical college with a year of internship in the field of Mechanical Engineering or Electrical Engineering must complete a 6-week specialized internship. Applicants who have obtained their higher education entrance qualification from a technical college for technology with a different main focus area or with an internship year in other areas, or who have obtained their qualification for the degree program in another way, must complete a basic internship and a specialized internship of 6 weeks each.

Proof of completion of both the basic internship and the specialized internship must be provided by the end of the third semester at the latest. (Applies to matriculations from the 2019/2020 winter semester onwards; for matriculations prior to this, the following applies: basic internship before the start of studies, specialized internship by the end of the third semester).

Contrary to the legal regulations on voluntary internships, the internship to be completed is a compulsory internship as part of your degree program. This is exempt from the statutory minimum wage. (See Bachelor's Examination Regulations - I. Special Section Wood Technology, § 35 H)

Note: If you are professionally qualified to pursue a degree program in Wood Technology, you naturally fulfill the practical requirements we demand if you are one of the so-called subject-specific applicants. If you are submitting an application to pursue a degree program with us as a master craftsman from a different field or if you are one of the other professionally qualified applicants, an internship may be required. You can obtain information from our Enrollment Office.

Basic internship

The basic internship should include industry-related, practical professional activities from the following areas of the internship company:

• Manual working techniques, primarily on wood and wood-based materials, but also on metals, plastics, and other materials used in wood construction and/or furniture and interior design
• machine working techniques with standard cutting machines and other machines in timber construction and/or furniture and interior design
• Joining techniques in timber construction and/or furniture and interior design
• technical surface treatment in timber construction and/or furniture and interior design, and
• Environmental protection in timber construction and/or furniture and interior design

The internship must be completed in full over a period of 6 weeks. However, it is possible to divide it into several blocks of at least three weeks each and to visit different companies. The weekly working time in the company during an internship must be at least 35 hours. The actual weekly working hours must be stated on the internship certificate. Due to the short duration of the required internship, any vacation days that may be due cannot be counted toward the internship period. Any internship time lost due to vacation or illness must be made up in any case. The internship certificate must confirm the days of absence and any vacation days that may have been granted. The intern is responsible for ensuring that the required internship period has actually been completed in full.
The certificate confirming successful completion of the basic internship must be submitted to the university by the end of the third semester at the latest. The degree program always starts in the winter semester, usually in the third week of September. The exact date can be found under Dates (lecture period).

Specialized internship

The specialized internship should cover wood industry-related, practical professional activities in the following areas of the internship company:

• Tool and/or fixture construction in industrial wood and/or furniture manufacturing
• Installation and/or assembly of machines, devices, and systems in industrial woodworking and/or furniture manufacturing
• Quality assurance in industrial wood and/or furniture construction, and
• Operational structure and organization of work processes in industrial woodworking and/or furniture manufacturing

The internship must be completed in full over a period of 6 weeks. However, it is possible to divide it into several blocks of at least three weeks and to visit different companies. The weekly working time in the company during an internship must be at least 35 hours. The actual weekly working hours must be stated on the internship certificate. Due to the short duration of the required internship, any vacation days to which the intern may be entitled cannot be counted toward the internship period. Any internship time lost due to vacation or illness must be made up in any case. The internship certificate must confirm the days of absence and any vacation days granted. The intern is responsible for ensuring that the required internship period has actually been completed in full.
Proof of successful completion of a specialized internship must be submitted to the university by the end of the third semester at the latest.

Internship companies 

The choice of internship company often raises questions. The following information should help you find the right internship:

Because the basic internship is primarily intended to teach industry-related, practical basic skills, this internship should be carried out in a small and medium-sized business (SMB) where you can also perform manual tasks. It is also possible to visit a craft business, e.g., a carpentry/joinery workshop, or the training workshop of a social institution.

A craft business is not an option for a practical internship in the wood industry. Here, an internship in a medium-sized or larger industrial company, such as a furniture or wood-based materials manufacturer with ideally more than 50 employees, is required.
Since you will be prepared during your degree program to take on management tasks in an industrial company, your future employer will most likely be a larger company. For this reason, it would not make sense to complete the professional internship in a small or micro-enterprise.

Please note: Many companies close for holidays, especially during the summer months. You should therefore plan your internship well in advance and be flexible in terms of timing.

You can find out whether the internship you have chosen meets our requirements by sending an inquiry to our contact persons.

Inquiry

If you have any questions about the basic or specialized internship, Ms. Constanze Kiwitt will be happy to help you. Please send an email with the subject line "Internship inquiry" to constanze.kiwitt(at)th-owl.de. Please do not forget to include your name, address, and telephone number.

If you have any questions about the recognition of internships you have already completed, please also note the following:
Compare the content of your activities with our internship requirements. We cannot answer inquiries such as "Will my training be recognized as an internship?" without a more detailed description of your activities. If necessary, please describe in detail which activities you have completed over which periods of time and which of our internship contents you wish to cover with them. Please submit the required documents in good time, as recognition may take some time.

Internships must be verified by the end of the third semester at the latest. Please note that the semester ends on February 28. In justified cases, the Examination Board will decide on exceptions upon written application. The Examination Board of
the faculty will decide on the recognition of completed internships. Relevant training, internships, and professional activities can be credited toward the internships if they meet the above requirements. Partial recognition is possible for internships that have already been completed for a minimum duration of 3 weeks. The Examination Board also decides on this credit.
Please send your documents (journeyman's certificate or IHKcertificate, internship certificates from the company, and internship reports) by email to Constanze Kiwitt. If you have any uncertainties or questions about the internship, please contact Ms. Kiwitt before starting your internship. This is the only way to ensure that the internship you have completed is actually eligible for recognition.

Contact person for Wood Technology internships: Constanze Kiwitt.

Internship confirmation

In order to recognize your internship, we need a corresponding certificate from your internship company.

The letter must contain the following information:

Mr./Ms.

Name:

Address:

has completed a 6-week basic or specialized internship (please specify)

a 6-week basic or specialized internship (please specify)

at our company

Designation: ________________

Address: ________________

and performed the following tasks:

This is followed by a list of the activities, ideally in the wording of our requirements for the basic and specialized internship.

Signature: ________________

This confirmation must be written on the company's letterhead, bear the company stamp, and be signed by a responsible person.

Together with the internship certificate issued by the company, the intern must submit an internship report. The report should comprise one A4 page per week of the internship and contain the following: department attended, supervisor responsible, and activities performed. Each weekly report must be signed and stamped by the company.

Relevant training, internship, and professional activities can be credited toward the internship on an application if they meet the requirements of subsections 3 to 6. Partial recognition is possible for internships that have already been completed for a minimum duration of 3 weeks.

The Examination Board decides on the crediting of basic and specialist internships.

To facilitate recognition, it is advisable to confirm the completed content in the wording provided by us. If the content and form of your internship certificate deviate from our specifications, it must first be reviewed by a committee of the faculty. You can avoid this delay by closely adhering to the content we require.