Pitt Global Experiences

Kevork Zeibari, Business, Technology, and Engineering: The German Way Summer 2024

Studying abroad in Munich was an eye-opening experience, particularly when it comes to classroom and curriculum structure. While we were studying with graduate industrial engineering students, so comparing that to my undergraduate experience is a little more difficult, there were some big differences between my undergraduate experience at Pitt and the experience at Munich University of Applied Sciences. Here’s a comparison between the classroom environments at HM and the University of Pittsburgh: 

HM: 

• Lecture Style: Classes in Munich are often lecture-heavy, with professors delivering comprehensive presentations. There is a strong emphasis on theoretical foundations and rigorous academic content. 

• Student Interaction: Students are encouraged to ask questions and engage in discussions during lectures. The interaction is more formal, but the smaller class sizes encourage more meaningful participation than just asking questions in a large lecture hall.  

• Class Size: The classes tend to be smaller, fostering a more intimate learning environment where students can easily interact with professors and peers. The classrooms are also physically smaller, which is interesting. We didn’t see many large lecture halls there.  

• Practical Application: There is a significant focus on practical applications of industrial engineering concepts. Lab sessions and hands-on projects are integral parts of the curriculum, allowing students to apply theoretical knowledge to real-world problems. 

• Curriculum requirements: All students at applied science schools in Munich (their equivalent of engineering schools) are required to take one semester off before graduation and get a part-time job or internship in their field of study. This typically is with the automotive industry in Germany, especially for mechanical and industrial engineers. 

Pitt: 

• Lecture Style: At Pitt, especially in upper-level courses, the lecture style is a mix of traditional lectures and interactive sessions. Professors often use multimedia tools and encourage group discussions. 

• Student Interaction: Interaction is more limited in larger classrooms as the lecturers can’t have an in-depth conversation with every student however we have recitations whereas the German students we worked with tended to just have discussions at lecture.  

• Class Size: Class sizes can vary, with some larger lecture halls and smaller, discussion-based classes. This variety allows for different teaching and learning dynamics. 

• Practical Application: While practical applications are also emphasized at Pitt, there is a balanced approach between theory and practice. Theory is definitely more emphasized than application, especially in the first part of most courses before application is introduced at the end.  

While we were studying there, we had a mix of lectures, workshops, and company visits. My favorite part was the workshops (it was almost all the students’ favorite part of their curriculum). The workshops were centered around lean production concepts and setting up workflows to increase efficiency and perform work study experiments to learn concepts in a hands-on way. We participated in a workshop where we had to build workstations out of cardboard to assemble rideable toy cars. It was a great way to learn the concepts of manufacturing in an interactive way.  

I noticed another very interesting aspect of the school was that most of the lecturers and teachers were not career academics. Most worked in industry and reached director or executive level before coming to the school to teach. Because of their backgrounds, they were able to provide some incredible perspective, especially when it came to the application of all the theoretical concepts we are learning in lecture. Overall, I greatly enjoyed the academic culture and experience in Munich.