HKA celebrates 25th anniversary of the Sensor Systems Technology Master's program and the 15th anniversary of the Indo-German double degree program
Prof. Dr. Sivanantham, Dean at the Vellore Institute of Technology, and Prof. Dr. Z.C. Alex, long-time coordinator of the program at the South Indian partner university, visit HKA
June 28, 2023
On June 23, 2023, the Fakulty of Electrical Engineering and Information Technology (EIT) at Karlsruhe University of Applied Sciences (HKA) celebrated the 25th anniversary of the English-taught Master's degree program in Sensor Systems Technology and the 15th anniversary of the dual-degree program of the same name with Vellore Institute of Technology (VIT), HKA's South Indian partner university.
In a modern society, it is impossible to imagine everyday life without sensor systems. We find them in building, traffic and industrial automation, medical technology, logistics, but also in safety and environmental technology. The degree program deals with physical, biological, optical and chemical sensors. Students learn about their application and also deal with control, programming, microcontrollers, pattern recognition and signal processing. Sensor systems technology continues to be a large growth market. Career paths open up for graduates in the automotive and electrical industries, with manufacturers of medical, environmental, safety, traffic and building technology, in biotechnology companies or laboratory technology.
The English-language Master's program in Sensor Systems Technology has existed at HKA since 1998, and was expanded in 2008 to include a double-degree program with VIT in Vellore, southern India, whereby students spend one year at each partner university and earn Master's degrees from both. "For many years, this program was the only double-degree program with an Indian university that was funded by the DAAD," recalls course director Prof. Dr. Thorsten Leize. The program enjoys great popularity: More than 230 applications were received for 25 study places in the summer semester of 2023, "and unlike with most STEM programs in Germany, the majority of students are female," says Leize. Therefore, the EIT faculty particularly appreciated the visit of Prof. Dr. Sivanantham, Dean of the Faculty School of Electronics Engineering at VIT, and Prof. Dr. Z.C. Alex, long-time coordinator of the program at the South Indian partner university, which was also used to discuss establishing a new double-degree Bachelor's program.