Fachhochschule Aachen

FH Aachen – University of Applied Sciences

Motto	Praktisch gut. Theoretisch auch.
Motto in English	Good in practice. And in theory.
Type	Public
Established	1971
Chancellor	Volker Stempel
Vice-Chancellor	Marcus Baumann
Academic staff	520
Administrative staff	700
Students	11,302 (WS 2011/2012)
Location	Aachen and Jülich, North Rhine-Westfalia, Germany
Campus	4 Urban Campus in Aachen 1 Rural Campus in Jülich
Colors	Mint, White and Black
Website	http://www.fh-aachen.de

Coordinates: 50°45′25.11″N 6°5′42.77″E / 50.7569750°N 6.0952139°E / 50.7569750; 6.0952139

The FH Aachen – Aachen University of Applied Sciences is one of the biggest Fachhochschulen in Germany with roughly 11,300 students, 220 professors, 300 contract lecturers, and 340 assistants. It is specialized in certain topical areas (e.g. technology, engineering, business, design).

FH Aachen ranks as the first best among the Universities of Applied Sciences in Germany in the fields of Electrical and Mechanical engineering. Ten Faculties offer 48 Bachelor's, 22 Master's and three cooperative degree programmes.

The FH Aachen is situated in Aachen and in Jülich.

The FH Aachen was established in 1971 as a result of the amalgamation of several universities of applied sciences and vocational training centres. Thus, it can look back on a practice-oriented educational tradition going back more than 100 years. The Federal Framework Law for Education in 1976 raised the legal status of all Fachhochschulen to a position equal to that of traditional universities. Within the context of law, the FH Aachen, like all other FHs, is autonomous, meaning that freedom of teaching, research and academic self-administration are guaranteed rights.

FH Aachen offers 48 Bachelor's, 22 Master's and three cooperative degree programmes. Dual degree programmes have been developed in recent years at the FH Aachen in close cooperation with the Chambers of Industry and Commerce (IHK). Some of the degree programmes have an international focus (IOS),which means that the courses are given in English during the first two semesters and in German in the following semesters.

Seven of the ten faculties, with a total of over 8,000 students, are located in Aachen: Architecture, Civil Engineering, Design, Electrical Engineering and Information Technology, Aerospace Engineering, Business Studies, Mechanical Engineering and Mechatronics. Furthermore, the Rectorate, the Head Office and the Central Library are also here. Three faculties with more than 3,000 students altogether are located in Jülich: Chemistry and Biotechnology, Medical Technology and Applied Mathematics as well as Energy Technology. All services for students, such as academic counselling, the Department of International Affairs, the Registrar’s Office, department libraries, student dormitories and cafeterias, are available both in Aachen and in Jülich. While the Jülich site displays a campus atmosphere since all facilities are together in one place, the Aachen site is not a campus university. Its facilities are spread across the city of Aachen in seven buildings, some of which have a long tradition.