Civil Engineering
If you are as interested in planning, building, and managing as you are in the environment, natural sciences, and new technologies, this practice-oriented degree program is for you. As civil engineers, you are creative team players who enjoy taking on responsibility. In return, civil engineering offers you a modern, diverse working environment with excellent prospects.
Your heart beats for...
A Degree Program with a Future
During the first four semesters, you will learn the fundamentals of civil engineering. Starting in the 5th semester, you will choose one of four focus areas:
- Construction process management
- Structural engineering
- Traffic engineering
- Water management
The bachelor’s thesis is completed in the 7th semester following a practical phase.
You will bring one of the following educational backgrounds:
- General university entrance qualification (Abitur)
- Specialized university entrance qualification
- Advanced technical college certificate (Fachhochschulreife)
- Professional qualification (Case-by-case examination)
German language level: C1
16-Week basic internship, of which at least 8 weeks must be completed by the start of the degree program in the winter semester, with verification. The missing internship weeks must be completed by the beginning of the third semester at the latest. Exceptions are possible.
The internship should teach the student basic skills and knowledge in construction engineering. It can be completed either on a construction site or in a technical firm, including technical offices.
1. Semester
- Engineering mathematics 1
- Structural mechanics 1
- Building materials science 1
- Structural design
- Geotechnical engineering 1
- Building informatics
2. Semester
- Engineering mathematics 2
- Structural mechanics 2
- Building materials science 2
- CAD
- Geotechnical engineering 2
- Surveying
3. Semester
- Statics 1
- Construction process management 1
- Fundamentals of structural engineering
- Planning traffic infrastructure
- Hydraulics (hydrostatics, hydrodynamics)
- BIM (Building Information Modeling)
4. Semester
- Solid construction 1
- Construction process management 2
- Building physics 1
- Road construction
- Fundamentals of water management
- Construction law
5. Semester
- Technical fundamentals and advanced modules in the areas of construction process management, structural engineering, traffic engineering, and water management
6. Semester
- Technical fundamentals and advanced modules in the form of mandatory and elective modules
7. Semester
- Practical phase
- Bachelor’s thesis
Focus area
- Construction process management
- Structural engineering
- Traffic engineering
- Water management
This practice-oriented bachelor's program prepares students for a wide range of careers in the construction industry. After the first four semesters, students can choose from four areas of specialization:
- Construction Process Management
- Structural Engineering
- Transportation
- Water Resources
In addition, the following additional qualifications are offered:
Energy Consultant (Bachelor’s and Master’s students)
As a graduate of our degree program, you will be able to
- develop engineering models, solutions, and concepts,
- dimension buildings and components as well as traffic and water infrastructure based on calculations and verifications
- design associated structures and support and monitor their construction in practice
- develop the necessary quality management systems and support their implementation
- prepare for and coordinate building processes, then plan and manage them in line with schedules and budgets
- Civil engineers
- design and change
- research, create, plan, calculate,
- construct and monitor
- organize and manage
- are responsible for safety and economic efficiency
- work as employees, freelancers, or officials
- work in construction companies, engineering firms, in academics or construction and environmental management for municipalities, states, and on the federal level
The civil engineering department collaborates with numerous companies and design firms in the regional construction industry, as well as with local governments and state agencies.
In the civil engineering program, we engage in intensive application-oriented research and development cooperation, particularly with regional companies and institutions, but also on a supraregional level. Most theses are completed as part of such cooperations, either directly with a cooperating partner or in a departmental lab.
Research in the department focuses on the areas of geotechnics, solid construction, and municipal water management, as well as digital building.
... the 17 Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations
- directly to good health and well-being
- directly to quality education
- directly to clean water and sanitation
- directly to industry, innovation and infrastructure
- directly to sustainable cities and communities
- directly to responsible consumption and production
- directly to climate action
- directly to life on land
Studying at Creative Campus Detmold
Planning and building in one place. This concept can be found on our Creative Campus. Through both topics, a very special teaching and research location has been created. The internationally renowned Detmold School of Design is located here, as well as the Civil Engineering Department and the Center for Sustainable, Digital Construction, which is currently under construction. Architectural ideas thus cross paths with new thinking in civil engineering, such as sustainable 3D printing. The campus is complemented by media production, which together with the Detmold Academy of Music and the University of Paderborn have created a completely new stage for the transfer between creative science and business in the KreativInstitut.OWL. The campus is also adjacent to the city center, which can thus be reached by foot.
Information
- Application and Enrollment
- Dates and Deadlines
- Tuition
- FAQs on Application and Enrollment
- Course Catalog and Study Plan
Only the information contained in the currently valid examination regulations for the program, as published in the official bulletin, is authoritative and legally binding. You can find the official bulletins here.
Voices from academia, teaching, and professional practice
Sinem Yavuz, Civil Engineering Student:
"What I particularly liked about the Bachelor’s program in Civil Engineering was that I received a very solid and broad-based foundational education across all specializations. This allowed me to tailor my studies to my interests. It has opened up many career opportunities for me."
Maria Sicken, student in the Department of Construction and Environment:
“Interested in building, managing, and planning? This program gives you a solid foundation in civil engineering and prepares you perfectly for exciting real-world projects. And we enjoy student life, too.”
Professor Dr. Johann Jakob Marx, Timber Construction and Structural Engineering:
"As a civil engineer, you don’t just build the bridges of tomorrow—you also serve as a bridge between architecture, technical planning, and execution. The demand for civil engineers is enormous: Join us so that we can continue to live in sustainable housing, drive across safe bridges, and use a functioning infrastructure for transportation and water in the future. Shape the world of tomorrow!"
Philipp Seidel, Site Manager at List Bau:
“You see the results of your daily work.”
Contact and Counseling
- Our Central Student Advisory Service answers questions about studying at the university
- Offers for study orientation
- Get to know your faculty!
- Click here to go to the subject-specific student advisory service of the faculty
- Apply via our KIS portal!
- Information on the enrollment procedure is available from the Enrollment Office
- Studying abroad? Our International Office is there for you!
Still unanswered questions?
Our Student Service Center will answer all your questions about studying at TH OWL as well as about application and enrollment:
Phone: +49 5261 702 2534
E-mail: studierendenservice(at)th-owl.de
Service hours: Monday to Friday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.