Greeting of the dean Univ.-Prof. Dr.-Ing. habil. Stefanie Reese

Portrait Prof. Reese © Copyright: Axel Mittendorf

Welcome to the homepage of the Faculty of Civil Engineering at RWTH Aachen University. Here we offer information regarding our studies, teaching, research and services as well as about the organization of the faculty.

The Faculty of Civil Engineering contributes significantly to the solution of global challenges in the areas of teaching, research and development. We address the fields of construction, infrastructure, planning and the environment. In particular, this includes the consideration of sustainability, energy efficiency, resource conservation and water supply as well as disposal. Other topics such as the life cycle analysis of buildings, the development of adaptation strategies for climate change and demographic change as well as general issues of mobility and transport are central research areas.

We strive to provide innovative practical solutions for future issues, such as the scarcity of raw materials, climatic changes, increasing land use through the scientific and practical engineering results of our research. Especially through the basic research in the two special areas of the DFG with the titles Design Strategies for Material-Minimised Carbon Reinforced Concrete Structures – Principles of a New Approach to Construction (TRR 280) and Digital twin of the road system – Physical-informational representation of the future road system (TRR 339), the Faculty could contribute with the participation of several of its chairs.

But another, more recent topic - the COVID-19 pandemic - has also had a significant impact on teaching and research over the past two years. Thus, dealing with the pandemic and its consequences presented various challenges as well as opportunities for the faculty and the institutes, ranging from the organization of the academic year and a shift to digital teaching to the orientation of research fields.

Our research results flow directly into teaching in accordance with the Humboldtian idea of education. Students benefit from this proximity of research and teaching and are involved in diverse research work at the institutes at an early stage. We conduct basic research, combine theory and practice as well as give students their first insights into working life.

In addition to the classic degree program "Civil Engineering", the faculty includes the interdisciplinary, and partly interdisciplinary courses "Environmental Engineering", "Transport Engineering and Mobility" as well as "Business Administration and Engineering: Civil Engineering". We also offer degree programs aimed towards future teachers at Vocational Schools offering subjects such as „Structural Engineering B.Sc.“, „Wood Technology B.Sc.“, and „Underground Engineering B.Sc.“.

In cooperation with the International Office and the University of Maastricht, we offer a private degree program in the field of structural engineering "MME Construct" and hydraulic engineering "MME Water". These degree programs combine issues typical of engineering with modern management approaches.

Many of the modules that we offer can be taken in English. Various degree programs such as the master's program "Sustainable Management – Water and Energy" are also offered in English. In addition, we offer two specializations entirely in English, "Advanced Computational Methods in Civil Engineering (short AdCom)" and "Railway Systems Engineering". Our degree programs qualify graduates for scientific and practical engineering careers.

On our homepage, we would like to give interested parties, students, research and industry partners an overview of the services that we offer.

Univ.-Prof. Dr.-Ing. habil. Stefanie Reese

Head of the Faculty of Civil Engineering