New system of higher engineering education in Germany

Abstract

Introduction. The paper registers some significant changes that higher mining education has undergone over the past decades, including the ones that occurred in Germany. Mineral production on the Eurasian continent has been decreasing gradually and resulted in the declining demand for mining specialists. It is in German that the tendency was the most pronounced. Reduced number of students and the subsequent reduction in the number of mining and geological departments concerned all leading centers of mining education. Relevance. Higher educational institutions in Germany are looking for a way out of the crisis reorienting their teaching and scientific activity to the allied sciences, in particular oil and gas production, underground engineering structures construction, production and processing of unconventional natural resources, subsea production, environment-related activities, and spoil disposal. Colleges also train specialists for other countries and international mining corporations. Methods of research. The paper provides examples and analysis of new curricula in the universities of Freiberg, Aachen, Clausthal, etc. These mining schools have accumulated considerable experience in reforming and developing mining education. Current state. The mining field of vocational training in German colleges has acquired an integrated name which can be translated as the “technology of mineral raw materials”. Traditional mining specialisms are being combined and consolidated. New methodological approaches are being extensively introduced. These steps are to improve the appeal of the mining education for the youth and arouse employers interest in the specialists of a new specialism.