Because it is fun.

With the decision to take the master degree programme you set an important course for the future. It is obvious that you would like to qualify from journeyman (Bachelor) to a foreman (Master). With the higher degree you can assume that your future workplace is more assured and better paid. When deciding for a job money should be less important than your personal preference and motivation. Because those, who have fun on their employment are more happy in a more dynamic career.

The following paragraphs will ask you some questions. Thereby we are looking for some hints of Digital Engineering in your life. As a matter of course not everything must verbatim apply for you. But the more affinity you discover, if you feel curiousness or zest for action by some thoughts, the so much more you should give your attention to the master degree programme Digital Engineering.

Digital Engineering is filling a gap between traditional engineering disciplines and applied informatics. It is positioned in the tradition of engineering, which adopts the laws of nature for technical solution of problems. The Digital Engineer is using his knowledge about data processing in all its facets like a mechanical engineer observing power and action, like an electrician handling with tensions and electricity and like a process engineer controlling chemical processes. From this angle I will ask you in one of the following paragraphs if you are someone, who shapes IT-Systems , that is if you are "digital".

Since the times of famous innovators (e.g. Otto von Guericke) Engineers have specialized more and more in subjects and disciplines. But nevertheless it was and will be necessary for the engineer and the mechanical engineer to look beyond the nose. The mechanical engineer is allowing the chemistry of the used raw material; the electrician is optimizing the motor for the movements, which it has to proceed; the process engineer is knowing that agitation imposes pressure, that can blast a bin. And the "Digital Engineer"? He configures "intelligence" for technical processes. He can’t do this without understanding the machine. That is why we ask you second if you as a prospective student tradition of could find yourself in the tradition of interdisciplinary Engineering.

If you don’t have to look-up for abbreviations like IDE, SVN, NULL, OOSE, gcc and Cax, if you have considered to make a computer language to your mother tongue or if you have send in today your third bugfix to the Linux-Kernel, then you can affirm to be digital to the bones and skip this section.

You don’t have to be an extreme hacker to create information systems. You are famous for your macros in an office application like Excel or Matlab at your colleagues? Then you are in good company because you have recognized the advantages of digital automation. In the master degree programme you can among other things, develop your competence in software engineering to structure complicated exercises.

In your heart of hearts you are an engineer and have more or less configured digitalized components and programmed embedded systems so far. Then you should use the module informatics to dunk into the fascinating world of digital technology. Your new knowledge about the intern functioning of the digital world will let you astonish how few you will need to avoid small mistakes with big effects.

If you have not taken a look into a computer deeper as the monitor will admit informatics is not black magic but rather a science which is developing to the people who bring a healthy portion curiosity and a little bit effort. Curiosity doesn’t have to be committed. Perhaps you are Germanys next generation of scientists who builds a bridge to the informatics that no one has ever seen before.

The word "Engineer" ties in with past and future. When you take a look into the past you can find some big innovators, e.g. titular Saint of our University Otto von Guericke. With their engines they brought us the industrial revolution and therewith the world we know today. Engines, assets and apparatus will be linked more intelligent and more complex today and in the near future in line with digital revolution. The master degree program offers you in the module “basics of engineering” the big freedom to join the traditional discipline of engineering you want.

You want to participate when electrical power plants and consumers will link Europe-wide to conserve the fossil resources. The Faculty of Electrical Engineering and information Technology of the OVGU-University is home of leading experts for electric energy grids.

You want to configurate engines, vehicles and apparatus more efficient? Beside the automotive engineering engine building the faculty of engine building is active in many areas of application where mechanical is formed. You want that the process control in the chemical or biological process will be more save, more secure and more intelligent? The faculty of process- and systems engineering offers excellent conditions of study for one of the ambitious topics of our industry.

You want to permit the impossible? The digitalization opens up new prospects to known products. Magdeburg houses a blooming research climate in industrial criteria which can’t be listed completely. Among other things it is researched: the direct interaction of human and industrial robots, the efficient and low-emission burning of wood, novel control input for the human-computer interaction, safety and security, Dynamics of complex Technical Systems and so on. For a comprehensive overview we recommend you to look at the websites of the engineering faculties in Magdeburg.

The digital revolution makes software to a fundamental component of products and the product development process. The digital engineer is an engineer who uses the natural laws to resolve the exercises. Beside physical laws, which define the performances of the product, he has comprehensive knowledge about information processing and the development of ICT-systems. For this reason the digital engineer drives the digitalization of our industry. If you can identify with this job description don’t hesitate to arrange an appointment with our advisor at: digi-eng@ovgu.de

Students, who have completed the bachelor degree in engineering terms, take informatics-related modules in the first semester (18 CP) and complete their education in engineering terms with 1 module(6 CP). Students, who have completed the bachelor degree in an informatics-related degree programme, take modules in engineering terms in the first semester (18 CP) and complete their informatics-education with 1 module (1CP). The regular study programme describes the recommended divisions regarding the sequence of modules in the areas for semester 2 and 3, which is arbitrary for the students.

According to the degree, basics of the other area will be completed (18CP) and the knowledge of the origin area will be enforced with relevant contents of the Digital Engineering. These are the basics for the team project in the second semester, which is connected to the basics and in which students can realize practical work in different areas.

The main focus is on the key skills human and psychological factors in engineering activities. This will be realized with offers of ergonomics and labour psychology.

Aim of this "small" project is besides the described consolidating in the basic area in the complementary science mainly the building up of key competences of interdisciplinary working on conterminal topic, which will be executed by students working in a team, will be supervised by 2 teaching staff from the areas engineering terms and informatics.

Aim of this focus is the procurement of professional knowledge to current technological development, how they show e.g. in the input of technics like virtual and expanded reality, integrated product development and so on…

Methodical knowledge in development and input of current informatics technologies shall be imparted.

One the one hand there is a professional specializing of lectures in certain using domains (e.g. process engineering, logistics, mechatronics, power engineering, medical engineering etc.) and on the other hand there is a specializing in a technological domain (e.g. visualization technology, interaction, interoperability, security, reliability etc.). Parallel the students will be integrated in a digital engineering project. Thereby they will be integrated in current research projects, offered by cooperating chairs and together with resources using of partners of industry-related research like the Virtual Development and Training Center (VDTC). Besides the professional consolidating you will find here an introduction in academic work, e.g. with collaboration on scientific publications or rather participation at scientific events.

The scientific work will be written about a current theme of digital engineering. Ideally it can add to the research work in the 3rd semester.

A digital engineer is an engineer, who brings, in addition to well-founded knowledge, special knowledge about informatics and for his domain. This makes him to a special interesting employee in many areas. It starts at big automobile manufacturer and reaches to technology companies like Bosch and Siemens up to specialized service provider for software. As regards content you can categorize the occupational fields in six core areas: technical project leading, computer-based engineering, product design, technical-software design and human-centred systems and research.

Most of the technical development products require the interdisciplinary collaboration of different experts. To ensure this people with special knowledge about different domains and experience in project handling are necessary. The digital engineer will bring this with him. The tasks of the working world conclude e.g. quality management process improvement and controlling and the technical project leading.

Engineering activities are increasingly activities with and on the computer. In all phasing working without specialized software solutions is not possible. The digital engineer is trained specific for these challenges. To his area of activities are belonging e.g. the utilization of simulation based methods of analyzing, computer-aided manufacturing as well as the specification of new development and further development of the CA-tools.

No product and no manufacturing process is being produced without virtual protection. For this the different aspects are modeled, simulated and /or illustrated in VR. The digital engineer offers specific knowledge about methods and technologies for this process. His Working fields reach from factory design logistic planning up to early design evaluation and construction of virtual prototypes.

At a modern high-class-automobile the costs for software development are 45% of the complete development costs. It means that software development will be a central area within a lot of automobile groups. Alike it is at the medical engineering, logistics, aeronautical and other domains. The functions of the digital engineer are software design and specification for the efficient realization of technical innovations and software solutions.

A lot of technical systems are developed after functional points. This leads to it, that installation, machine care and handling are operated very often and just from specialized persons. In the digital engineering known entries, e.g. from the software technics are insert to develop the systems from the sight of using human. The work tasks of the digital engineer are views of ergonomics, studies of the user behavior and systematic analyze of the input context.

Research of today is the innovation for tomorrow. It is to except that digitalization of engineering will go on will accelerate. The digital engineers are the heads behind the research activities. To the actual challenges count virtual development labors, the digital product life cycle or the digital innovation in technical systems.

• 30.09.2012