General
A bachelor's degree at TU/e is three years and consists of a major, core subjects, electives and USE subjects, which is short for User, Society and Enterprise. Each academic year consists of four quarters. You take three courses per quarter.
The study load is 40 hours a week. Each subject has 6 to 8 contact hours a week. You will soon find out that this program requires you to be on the ball. The pace during this program is high and includes many deadlines. This is often a significant change from high school and requires commitment, discipline and good planning abilities. However, don't let this scare you off, we offer the necessary support.
During the Automotive Technology program, you build your knowledge through lectures, explaining the theory. During guided self-study, you practice the theory by doing exercises. You apply the knowledge through Challenge-Based Learning (CBL) projects. Together with the students in your group, you take on a complex and challenging case. Solving this case requires various disciplines to collaborate intensively and align their plans and processes. You learn how to do this with Challenge-Based Learning.
Half of the subjects in the Bachelor's program of Automotive Technology are major subjects, specifically focused on Automotive Technology. The other half are various core subjects, a USE learning pathway and electives. This structure has been the same for every bachelor's program at TU/e since the introduction of the Bachelor College.
Core subjects
In addition to your major, you take a number of core subjects, including mathematics and natural sciences, and learn technical design in a multidisciplinary team. You develop your professional skills, such as collaborating and organizing. These subjects provide the solid foundation you need as an engineer.
Electives
A quarter of your bachelor's program consists of electives. With electives, you can customize your program. For instance, you can choose to broaden your knowledge or to specialize in a specific track. You can also participate in various group projects.
ITEC: Impact of Technology
As a Bachelor student you need to be aware of and have learned how to rigorously assess the impact of technology on people and society, and integrate user, society, and enterprise considerations in the engineering design and/or research process, with an ethical attitude.
Final Bachelor's Project
The Final Bachelor's Project (BEP) is the final project of the major Automotive Technology. In this individual project, you get started with a technology-related issue. You compose a research question and use the knowledge you gained from various disciplines to collect and analyze data. Finally, you attempt to answer your research question.
Detailed information
Do you want to know more about subjects in the Bachelor's program of Automotive Technology? Check out the digital Education guide.
Teacher coach
When choosing your subjects and packages, a teacher from your major is there to coach you. Your teacher coach will help you to reflect on your expectations, future perspective, successes and obstacles you may encounter. He or she helps you to find the optimal match between your ambitions and the design of your program. The final choice is entirely up to you, but your coach can help in making the right choice.
Student mentor
In addition to a teacher coach, you will also have a student mentor. You will meet with him or her mostly in the first semester (the first and second quarter). Your student mentor helps with practical matters that you may encounter during your studies. Think of: where can I buy books, what is the best way to study and how do I find my way in the student life?
Challenge based learning
At TU/e we work challenge based. This means that, during your education, you will work on several challenges that occur in the world around us. For example: How do we ensure clean, affordable energy? Sufficient housing and food for all? And how can we age healthy as life expectancy increases? You will search for solutions for specific challenges within these themes, together with your fellow students and a professor. Sometimes with students from your own major, sometimes with students from different majors. For this, you will receive different types of education: inspiring lectures, small-scale instructional meetings and guided self-study. In addition, you will actively seek additional knowledge.