ERASMUS MUNDUS, the European Commission's excellence programme for higher education, is funding the international degree programme "European Wind Energy Master" (EWEM) at the University of Oldenburg. The Master's programme - a co-operation project with the Delft University of Technology (Delft, Netherlands), the Technical University of Denmark (Copenhagen, Denmark) and the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (Trondheim, Norway) - will start in the winter semester 2012/13.
Lower Saxony's Minister for Science and Culture, Professor Dr Johanna Wanka, was delighted with the success of the universities in Lower Saxony in the call for proposals for the "Joint Master's Courses" programme line of the European co-operation and mobility programme Erasmus Mundus: "Of a total of eleven projects with German participation, four are at universities in Lower Saxony, impressively demonstrating their international competence. The commitment of the University of Oldenburg, which is involved in the "European Wind Energy Master" degree programme as a German partner, is particularly appreciated by the Minister: "The Master's degree programme on wind energy coordinated by the Dutch Delft University of Technology adds a European component to the close cooperation between Lower Saxony and the Netherlands in the field of wind energy. Thanks to the expertise of the University of Oldenburg, even more intensive cross-border wind energy research can be carried out in future, which is of paramount importance in the north-west region." The University of Oldenburg's application for the ERASMUS MUNDUS degree programme was coordinated by ForWind, the centre for wind energy research at the universities of Oldenburg, Hanover and Bremen. EWEM was selected as one of 30 projects. A total of 177 projects from the member states of the European Union applied for the excellence programme. The aim of the programme is to improve the quality of higher education through scholarships and co-operation between European and non-European universities.
"The University of Oldenburg is delighted with this success. The decision in favour of Oldenburg underlines the attractiveness of the location for students from all over the world," emphasised University President Prof. Dr Babette Simon. Oldenburg has a long and successful tradition of wind energy research. The new degree programme will further consolidate its position in the field of wind energy.
The Master's programme is designed for four semesters and focuses on wind physics, wind turbine motor design, electrical wind energy systems and offshore wind energy technology. All students complete the introductory semester at the Technical University of Denmark. They then study at two partner universities, depending on their specialisation. The wind physics programme takes place in Oldenburg and Copenhagen. "In the field of wind physics, students learn how wind energy can be generated as efficiently and cost-effectively as possible - depending on the different locations of the wind turbines and the resulting wind conditions," explains Prof. Dr Martin Kühn, Endowed Professor of Wind Energy Systems, who is the academic director of the degree programme in Oldenburg. Students can then write their final Master's thesis at the university, at a research institute or in industry.
"The booming wind energy sector urgently needs highly qualified and specialised engineers and researchers who have already gained international experience during their training," explained Kühn. With funding from the ERASMUS MUNDUS programme, it is possible to qualify these specialists at the highest international level.