Working hard at General Engineering

In the newly refurbished Auditorium Building 303A, where the vast majority of DTU graduates have their first lectures in introductory engineering, we met up with a group of students. They are all speaking English, and they are fluent and articulate.

We are in the company of second-semester BSc in General Engineering students. The study programme that had its very first intake in summer 2016, and which required a grade point average of 10.8 to be admitted. General Engineering is also the first English-language BSc ever at DTU, and half the students have an international background.

Even among the international students, Ben Crowley is particularly international. With roots in USA and having studied in Frankfurt, Germany, he felt the need to see even more of the world. This ended up taking him north to DTU.  “I wanted to see more of Europe, and I thought a lot about where I wanted to go. Then suddenly DTU and General Engineering came up, and it looked brilliant! So I applied and got in. DTU has a great international environment, and I don’t feel like an outsider even though I don't speak Danish,” he says.

Lasse Helm is Danish through and through. He notes that the international students bring a lot to the study programme. He also suspects they might start with a bit more knowledge than his fellow Danish students. “The international students seem to have received more education where they come from. Many of them commented in any case that they were already familiar with some of the things we did in the first semester, which I had not come across before,” he explains.

Head of studies enthusiastic

Luise Theil Kuhns, Head of Studies, is very enthusiastic about the new study programme. She notes that there is an excellent study environment in General Engineering, and that the academic level has met expectations so far.

“Our students work very hard. I’m pleasantly surprised by how energetic they are. They bring a high level of energy and enthusiasm, and are very talented,” says Luise Theil Kuhn, Head of Studies.
But there are also challenges. The international students come from a wide range of backgrounds, and some had difficulties with the Danish group work model.

“It was hard for some to take the Danish approach on board, but they have learned it. Some of the international students were a bit reticent when we started this summer, but a great social environment has developed over the past six months,” she notes.

And the social environment means a lot to the students. Ben Crowley explains it with the example of informal Danish Friday drinks:

“You can go out and enjoy a quiet beer with your fellow students when the day’s lectures are over. It helps create a good atmosphere,” he explains with a smile.