The geosciences make an important contribution to the sustainable use of the Earth’s resources which include rocks, minerals and ores, oil and natural gas, water and geothermal energy. They are also involved in using underground areas as subsoil and excavation volume. The geosciences include:

the exploration and extraction of fossil and renewable energy sources such as oil, natural gas, coal and geothermal energy in the deep underground
research into the development und structure of mineral deposits
research into the structure and characteristics of minerals for the manufacturing of new minerals
research into the interaction between subsoil and construction
prediction of landslides and rock deformation, e.g. when building major tunnels and dams
exploitation and sustainable use of groundwater
analysis of geodynamic processes which lead to strong earthquakes, among others
determining rock deformation as a result of massive forces in the interior of the earth.

Moreover, they contribute their knowledge about short and long-term changes in the protection of our nature and a sustainable approach to the Earth’s raw materials. Maintaining groundwater reserves, ensuring human living space and restoring natural balances are becoming even more important fields in the geosciences.

The solution to the geoscientific tasks requires quantified methods and the preparation of models for forward looking predictions, for example, of groundwater, earthquake risks and material deformations. The applied geosciences are thus a quantitative natural science that overlaps in many places with the engineering sciences.

Aspects of the Aachen Program

The geosciences program in Aachen offers a unique combination of engineering geology and hydrogeology with geophysics as the concentration. Furthermore, Aachen is a leading institution for the study of deposits with regard to energy raw materials and mineral raw materials. The third concentration relates to promising and applied tasks in mineralogy and crystallography. The specific academic profile offered in Aachen provides graduates with excellent training that enables them to meet professional requirements.

How the Geosciences Differ from Related Programs

The program has taken basic physics, mathematics and chemistry to build a geosciences program with a natural science focus. Compared to the programs “Georesource Management“ and “Applied Geography”, the Applied Geosciences program conveys in-depth knowledge about the construction, dynamics and the chemistry of the Earth and about chemistry, physics and mathematical methods to solve complex, geoscientific tasks.

You can find more information about the course of study on the division´s website.

Structural components

Practical/Field work

Application procedure

You must first check when the application deadlines are. Applications are only accepted during a certain period and are not accepted outside this period.

The first step to applying is making sure you have all of your necessary documents as PDFs. A list of the documents needs is available below.

As soon as you have PDFs of all the necessary documents, fill out the online application form. The link to the online application form will be provided here beginning December 6.

The following documents are needed to apply and must be uploaded as PDFs at the end of your application:

Tabular resume
Copy of transcript of records, and if possible, the module descriptions, also called a diploma supplement. Please submit a transcript of records with all of the completed semesters until now. At the time of application, you should be able to submit your transcript of records for all except your last two semesters of study.
If you already have a degree: copy of university completion certificate
If you have already taken the exam: copy of language certificate
Additional documents required by the examination board of your Master's course of study.
Please read the webpages for your chosen course of study to find out if you need to submit additional documents, such as a GRE scores.

Translation of Your Documents:

If your documents were not issued in German or English, you must have a certified translator translate them into either German or English. The copies do not need to be notarized. Please note that in such cases, the copy of the translation or the copy of the original alone is insufficient. Make sure to upload both!

Grant opportunities

Generally, it is quite rare that international students are awarded with a scholarship by a German funding institution. If you are participating in the German language course or the Preparatory Course for International Students - the so-called Studienkolleg -, you are typically not eligible for a scholarship. Usually, applicants who have not as yet obtained their preliminary diploma or passed the intermediate exam are also not taken into consideration. If you have passed the intermediate exam or received your preliminary diploma, however, you might want to apply for a scholarship. For scholarship opportunities of the various funding bodies, please take a look at the overview given on the web page concerned with Scholarships and Funding Opportunities

Learning outcomes

There are numerous career fields, and based on the fact that the program is application-oriented and aligned quantitatively the career opportunities are good. The Applied Geosciences are involved in the following branches at home and abroad:

Industry of raw material extraction and processing (oil, natural gas, coal, geothermal energy, ores, precious metals, construction materials and much more)
Environmental protection
Civil engineering and building construction, especially tunnel construction, dam construction and foundation measures of large buildings
Landfill technology
New materials (refractories, smart materials, ceramics, glass, etc.)
Crystal growing
Development and protection of groundwater resources
Software branch
Development, manufacturing and distribution of analytical devices
Government offices, state authorities and municipal institutions
Research institutions and universities
Museums

Prerequisites

The prerequisite for admission to the program is an initial university degree. The required academic background is described in the exam regulations. The determination on whether or not the admissions requirements are met is made by the examination board.

Language Skills

Proof of sufficient English knowledge for the specializations geomaterials or energy and mineral resources (English, completed B2 Level of the Common European Framework for Languages) – no knowledge of German required (but strongly recommended)
Proof of sufficient knowledge of German for the specializations geophysics - hydrogeology – engineering geology (English knowledge for individual classes required, but does not have to be proven)