Financial support and BAföG Bundesausbildungsförderungsgesetz (Federal Training Assistance Act)

2-3% of the German population are considered gifted according to an OECD study. Bearing in mind that gifted students do not prefer any particular subject, it can be assumed that every year around 80 students with the talent and potential to become high achievers start studying engineering at the Faculty of Engineering at FAU. There are only a few departments, however, which recognize this potential and make a conscious effort to identify outstanding students and involve them in the work of the department from an early stage. Unfortunately, there is still no structured approach adopted across the Faculty of Engineering as a whole. In order to address this issue, the Faculty of Engineering has now set up a programme designed to support gifted and talented students. This programme aims to offer special training programmes to those students who have the ability and motivation to perform well, giving them individual guidance and enabling them to study one particular aspect of engineering in more depth than the average student. The Faculty of Engineering is committed to encouraging gifted and talented students to reach their full potential.

Under the programme, gifted students who have completed at least two semesters of their engineering degree programme are offered extra support designed specifically for gifted and talented students at FAU’s Faculty of Engineering. The programme covers the elements listed below, aimed at ensuring that participating students acquire in-depth knowledge, studying their subject at a more advanced level than the average student. Through giving individual support, it is hoped that students will be able to study their chosen subjects at a faster pace thanks to a well structured, intensive schedule. The support programme comprises the following measures, some of which are still being developed:

• Individual supervision
  Professors act as mentors for the gifted and talented students. Research associates working in the mentor’s department can also provide further assistance. Students are not only provided with support in all matters relating to their degree and the subjects they are studying, they can also turn to their mentors for help with everyday issues.
• In-depth supervision in tutor groups
  Special tutor groups are offered to gifted and talented students in the last two years of the first part of their degree programme to allow them to explore the issues covered in lectures in more depth. Discussing the content of the lectures in the tutorials helps boost the students’ understanding of complex issues. The content taught during these lectures and its relevance to a degree in engineering will be discussed, helping participating students appreciate from the outset how important a solid basic understanding of natural sciences is for all areas of engineering. Mentors, should enable students to access research projects within the departments early on in their studies.
• Specialist lectures
  Each semester, students participating in the programme will get the chance to attend specialist lectures covering mathematics, physics, applied mechanics, technical thermodynamics, fluid mechanics and computer sciences. These specialist lectures give students the chance to consolidate their knowledge of the basics in engineering. The lectures also aim at showing how core concepts are linked across subjects, especially the interdisciplinary connections between fundamental scientific principles and different aspects of engineering.
• Specialist seminars
  Specialist seminars and block courses are offered at the weekend or during semester breaks, allowing students involved in the programme to learn about a wide range of different subjects. Block courses are often designed to fit in with the curriculum covered by the students in the respective semesters. The weekend seminars and block courses during the semester break are also a good opportunity to make new contacts with gifted students from TUM and the University of Augsburg who are also invited to participate in this programme.

The professors who act as mentors are also available to assist students when applying for funding programmes for gifted and talented students.

• Scholarships and programmes aimed at supporting talented young researchers
  The Federal Republic of Germany offers several different funding programmes for talented students, for example scholarships from the German Academic Scholarship Foundation. One of the aims of the mentoring programme at FAU is to assist students in applying for scholarship programmes offered on a federal or state level. Students who would like to arrange an internship with a company or work/study abroad can also approach their mentor for assistance.
• Holiday academy
  FAU and TUM offer a joint holiday academy in the Sarntal Valley (South Tyrol / Italy) every year at the end of September, and have done so since 1984. For two weeks, gifted and motivated students are offered the chance to work on a high profile academic topic in small groups, each guided by two professors. Travel and accommodation expenses are covered by funding.
• Bavarian Elite Academy
  The Elite Academy aims to support the best students in the federal state of Bavaria. It is aimed at those students who seem particularly well suited to taking on a leadership role in future. The Academy’s goal is to support the students’ personal development and leadership skills.
• Elite Network of Bavaria
  The Elite Network of Bavaria offers additional graduate programmes for the best students at the Faculty of Engineering. The Faculty of Engineering offers four Elite Master’s degree programmes within this group: Advanced Materials and Processes (https://www.map.tf.fau.de/), Advanced Optical Technologies (http://www.aot.uni-erlangen.de/), Advanced Signal Processing & Communications Engineering (https://www.asc.studium.fau.de/) and the Bavarian Graduate School of Computational Engineering (http://www.bgce.de/).

Detailed information on this programme can be found at:

Applications can be submitted at any time by students who have completed their first semester. Please send your application, preferably an electronic version, to Ms Christine Mohr (StIB, tf-stib@fau.de) or submit it to her attention at the Student Service Centre of the Faculty of Engineering (MHB building).

Please make sure your application includes:

• An application letter explaining your interest in the programme and your goals for your degree programme and beyond
• A detailed CV with a list of all qualifications and all degree programmes you have already completed (including those with other universities and abroad)
• Extra-curricular activities, time spent abroad etc.
• A copy of your Abitur certificate (or equivalent university entrance qualification)
• Academic record/transcript for your degree programme so far, listing all subjects and marks/grades

Successful candidates will have:

• Above-average grades in their Abitur (or equivalent university entrance qualification)
• Above-average grades in any examinations already sat at the Faculty of Engineering
• Application documents which indicate a high level of motivation and the willingness to become a high-achiever in one of the subject areas in the Faculty of Engineering
• Further evidence of being suited to the programme would be helpful, for example having participated in national competitions (Bundeswettbewerb Informatik and/or Mathematik, Jugend forscht)
• Participation in international exchange programmes.

All applications will be checked by a selection committee at FAU’s Faculty of Engineering. The initial selection will be decided based on written applications, but in some cases, a personal interview may be held. You will be notified immediately if your application was successful.

Members of the selection committee:

• Prof. Dr. W. Kellermann (Coordinator, Department of Electrical, Electronic and Communication Engineering),
• Prof. Dr. E. Schlücker (Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering),
• Prof. Dr.-Ing. A. Kaup (Department of Electrical, Electronic and Communication Engineering),
• Prof. Dr. U. Rüde (Department of Computer Science),
• Prof. Dr. M. Merklein (Department of Mechanical Engineering),
• Prof. Dr. C. Brabec (Department of Materials Science and Engineering).

The intention is for selected students to be supported throughout the entire duration of their degree programme. The programme is open to any students who have completed their second subject semester, ensuring that all selected students receive a continuous evaluation of their performance. The selection committee also checks the performance of each participating student and decides on an annual basis if the requirements for participating in the programme aimed at supporting gifted students are still met.