The first double degree students from Aalen completed their degrees in Turku Daniel Wieland and Nikolaos Papadopolous from Germany have always been interested in foreign cultures and people. That interest eventually led to a double degree. Text and photo | Siiri Welling, Communications Specialist, Turku UAS Daniel Wieland and Nikolaos Papadopolous completed their first degree in Germany at the Hochschule Aalen and the second at Turku University of Applied Sciences, as the first students from Aalen. These two friends received a degree in Industrial Management and Engineering in Turku, while in Germany their degree is in International Sales Management and Technology. Wieland explains that he heard about the double degree and exchange opportunity during his first year of study in Aalen in 2017. – A teacher told me about the upcoming agreement. Niko and I applied in November 2019. I submitted my application from Vietnam, because I was doing my internship there at Mercedes Benz. Niko, on the other hand, was in South Korea. Even though we were on the other side of the world, we were still thinking about Turku, says Wieland with a smile. Wieland describes studying in Turku as challenging, but also pleasant. Double degree students also had to complete a full 60 credits in an academic year. As the first students from Aalen, they had a lot of practical matters to figure out, and the coronavirus also impacted their studies. However, Wieland says he always received help when he needed it. The most memorable things in Turku have been getting to know Finland and the other exchange
students. During his year of studies, Wieland says that he travelled to Lapland, among other places. – I’ve met all kinds of people, attended good lectures and improved my own skills. To be honest, come to Turku if you want to have the best time of your life, praises Wieland. The double degree agreement with Aalen University of Applied Sciences began in late 2019. The responsible persons at Aalen and Turku UAS have been cooperating for years in the Academic As�sociation of Sales Engineering (AASE) , and that led to the idea of a double degree agreement between the universities. Exchange students have also moved between the universities in the past. During the academic year 2020–2021, ten double degree students studied in the Industrial Management and Engineering degree programme – two from Aalen, five from Aschaffenburg, Germany and three from ESTA in France. Wieland is already planning a master’s degree, but first he wants to gain more work experience. He did his thesis for Robert Bosch GmbH, and got a job as a key account manager in the technical sales department of an international automotive company after graduation. – My dream is to continue studying for a master's degree here, says Wieland
TALK ENGINEERING 2022 / DOUBLE DEGREE
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