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Southern Illinois University Edwardsville is proud to be part of a paired double degree program that makes for an educational opportunity and cultural exchange that spans two countries. 

SIUE and the Hochschule Mainz- University of Applied Sciences of Germany (HS-Mainz) are in partnership to both offer civil engineering degrees, according to Nader Panahshahi, PhD, professor and chair of the SIUE Department of Civil Engineering. 

“SIUE students can earn a second bachelor’s in civil engineering from one of the top technical schools in Germany, with only one extra semester of study,” said Panahshahi. “Students can also obtain an international prospective for their engineering career.” 

And a continent away, Germany students have the same prospect. 

Hochschule Mainz students can earn a second bachelor’s in civil engineering from SIUE, an ABET (Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology) accredited civil engineering program in the U.S., with approximately three extra semesters of study, according to Ryan Fries, PhD, professor and director of the Civil Engineering HS-Mainz and SIUE Dual Degree Program. Fries was the primary initiator of this successful endeavor. 

“Likewise, HS- Mainz students can obtain a U.S. prospective for their engineering career,” said Fries. 

The two schools have been working on this agreement for almost four years, which started with exchanged lectures between the two programs during the COVID pandemic, noted Fries. He also acknowledged his HS-Mainz counterpart Alfons Buchmann, PhD, professor and director of the Bachelor’s in International Civil Engineering degree program, for helping both universities establish the dual program. 

Jianpeng Zhou, PhD, professor of civil (environmental) engineering in the SIUE Department of Civil Engineering, traveled to HS-Mainz in Germany in June 2024 to help solidify the connections between the two universities. 

Zhou met with administrators, faculty and staff and presented information sessions to students for the purpose of advancing the plan. He also conducted a seminar on sustainability engineering for HS- Mainz students and faculty. 

The HS-Mainz campus, which is approximately 30 minutes driving distance east of Frankfurt, Germany, has about 5,700 students, 800 of which are international students. 

“The double degree programs began in Fall 2024 at SIUE and HS-Mainz,” said Panahshahi. “SIUE prospective and current civil engineering students interested in joining this program may contact Fries at [email protected] to obtain more information, and to obtain personalized guidance in optimizing their future study plans.” 

Mainz University of Applied Sciences is a place where socially relevant innovations take form. It attracts people with a desire to create and advances their development.
Mainz University of Applied Sciences is a living institution promoting exchange and shaping the future, and a progressive community engaged in discourse between those who teach and those who learn.  

Photo:
(L-R) Nader Panahshahi, PhD, professor and chair of the SIUE Department of Civil Engineering, Ryan Fries, PhD, professor in the SIUE Department of Civil Engineering and director of the Civil Engineering HS-Mainz and SIUE Dual Degree Program, and Jianpeng Zhou, PhD, professor of environmental engineering in the SIUE Department of Civil Engineering. 

Photos courtesy by Dr. Jianpeng Zhou:
(Top photo): Zhou conducts a sustainable engineering seminar and information session at HS-Mainz.

(Bottom photo): HS-Mainz students attend Zhou’s information session about SIUE, SIUE School of Engineering and the Civil Engineering Program.