In the year1894, the Thuringian Technical College was founded in Ilmenau. This anniversary is an occasion to reflect on the 130 years of technology and engineering studies in Ilmenau, to analyze changes from the long tradition in various social structures and to derive consequences and recommendations for future developments from an examination of the current situation.
The Thuringian Technical College in Ilmenau existed as a private educational institution until around 1955 and was replaced in 1953 by the founding of the College of Electrical Engineering with the right to award doctorates, which later became the Ilmenau University of Technology. With today's Ilmenau University of Technology, there are and were three educational institutions in different social orders, which were and are always committed to technical and engineering education. It is therefore worth analyzing the respective educational content and objectives and examining the political influence and its consequences. This influence relates to the period from 1933 to 1945, the higher education reform of the GDR in 1968 and the conversion of degrees to the Bachelor's/Master's system in conjunction with the accreditation requirement from 2004. The changes to study procedures and the scope of studies are analyzed comparatively and compared with the current situation. The focus is on engineering degree courses and the areas of application of graduates in value-adding industry and the skilled trades.
Possible consequences, solutions and visions for the future are derived from the critical examination of the current situation in this area of education. The concept of a Technikum Thüringen supported by the Thuringian state parliament is presented in its main features, solution approaches are described in detail and resistance and chances of implementation are discussed.
Prof. Dr.-Ing. habil. Jürgen Petzoldt was Professor of Power Electronics and Controls in Electrical Engineering and, among other things, Vice Dean of the Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Information Technology and Vice Rector for Education at the TU Ilmenau. He is Managing Director and Deputy Chairman of the Board of the University Society Ilmenau - Freunde, Förderer, Alumni e. V..
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