The Technische Universität Ilmenau (TU Ilmenau) is a German public research university located in Ilmenau, Thuringia, Germany. Founded in 1894, it has five academic departments (faculties) with about 7,200 students.
Research and education at the Technische Universität Ilmenau is focused on engineering with strong links to economics and natural sciences. It is the only university in the federal state of Thüringen with the title "Technische Universität". The university began its life in 1894 as the "Thüringisches Technikum", a private training college. This took on the status of "Hochschule für Elektrotechnik" (HfE) before becoming a "Technische Hochschule" (TH) and in 1992 being accorded the title of "Technische Universität" (TU).
The Humboldt building at the Technische Universität Ilmenau.
Academics
TU Ilmenau offers degrees in technology, science, economics and media. These all also form part of the interdisciplinary media subjects which are a more recent development and combine technology, economics, law and social studies.
The 7200 or so students (at the last count) include about 1650 who come from outside Germany. The courses they take lead to Bachelor's and/or master's degrees in which the subjects tend to be drawn from a number of disciplines within the overall groups of Engineering, Mathematics with Science, and Economics with Social Studies.
Among the distinguishing features of the TU Ilmenau are personal care for students from professors, tutors and student mentors; a campus with modern buildings only short distances apart; a variety of social activities and social support; many student associations as well as diverse cultural and sports activities.
The Fraunhofer Institute of Digital Media Technology (IDMT), is located near the TU Ilmenau campus. It's well known for their audio processing technology, media compression, and video processing teams.
Departments
Department of Electrical Engineering and Information Technology
Department of Computer Science and Automation
Department of Mechanical Engineering
Department of Mathematics and Natural Science
Department of Economic Sciences and Media
Department of Electrical Engineering and Information Technology
The Department of Electrical Engineering and Information Technology has its roots in the Faculties of Heavy Current Technology and Light Current Technology of the erstwhile engineering college, the "Hochschule für Elektrotechnik" (HfE). It comprises four institutes as well as the Inter-Faculty Institute for Materials Technology and is in charge of the following graduate courses of study: Electrical Engineering and Information Technology and Media Technology, as well as the further education course of Telecommunications Manager. The inventor of the MP3 music encoding format Karlheinz Brandenburg is one of the professors at this Faculty.
Department of Computer Science and Automation
The Department of Computer Science and Automation has its roots in the Institutes of Control Engineering and Electromedical and Radiological of the HfE as well as in the scientific fields of Engineering Informatics and Computer Engineering of the former TH Ilmenau. This faculty has five institutes including 20 departments and the junior professorship "Automation Technology" and is in charge of the course of study of "Biomedical Engineering", "Computer Science", "Computer Engineering" and "Technical Cybernetics and Systems Theory".
Department of Mechanical Engineering
The Department of Mechanical Engineering was founded as Faculty of Precision Mechanics and Optics at the HfE. It comprises 19 departments as well as the junior professorship "Design of mechatronics drives" and is in charge of the graduate courses of study of Mechanical Engineering, Mechatronics, Automotive Engineering, Optronics, Teacher Training for Vocational School and Materials Science taught at the Inter-Faculty Institute for Materials Technology. Complementary further-education courses offered include Applications of Light and Innovative Engineering Design for Industrial Machinery and Equipment (shared course with the Friedrich-Schiller-Universität Jena).
Department of Mathematics and Natural Science[edit]
The Department of Mathematics and Natural Science has emerged from the Faculty of Mathematics, Natural Science and Technical Basic Sciences of the HfE. At present, it comprises the Institutes of Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry and Biotechnique as well as Media and Communications. It is in charge of the graduate courses of study of Mathematics, Technical Physics and Applied Media Science. Furthermore, it is responsible for the basic training of the students required for other courses of study in mathematics, physics and chemistry.
Department of Economic Sciences and Media
The Department of Economic Sciences and Media opened in 1990/91 is the youngest of all faculties at the university. The course of study of Business Informatics has been offered since 1988, and in 1990, the course of study of Industrial Engineering and Management was added. This faculty has four institutes including 15 departments and is in charge of the graduate courses of study of Commercial Information Technology, Industrial Engineering and Management and Media Economics. In the field of further education, it is responsible for the postgraduate course of Economic and Technical Information.
Research
The Newtonbau building at the Technische Universität Ilmenau.
Research in Ilmenau is carried out at all stages: theory, application of the theory, prototype testing and transfer to industrial application. Because the TU relies upon interdisciplinary work across faculty boundaries, and brings together many skills thereby, the following highly competitive research activities have been established:
Mobile communications
Nano-engineering
Precision engineering, instrumentation and measurement
Technical and biomedical prosthetic systems
Drive technology, energy and environmental engineering
Digital media technology