Study Programme
With RailCampus OWL in Minden, a nationally unique university location for intelligent rail systems and the mobility of the future is being created. At its core is the innovative Bachelor’s program “Digital Railway Systems,” jointly developed by Bielefeld University of Applied Sciences, Technische Hochschule Ostwestfalen-Lippe, Bielefeld University, and Paderborn University. The academic network is complemented by strong partners from industry and the rail sector – including Deutsche Bahn and numerous companies from the fields of digitalization, automation, and rail technology.
The program combines computer science, electrical engineering, mechanical engineering, and systems engineering with concrete applications in modern rail transport. Students work on topics such as digital control systems, automation, sensor technology, data analysis, and intelligent mobility solutions. The goal is to train specialists who actively shape the technological transformation of the railway sector.
Research, Studies and Practice
A key feature of RailCampus OWL is the close integration of studies, research, and practical application. The campus is located directly at the site of DB Systemtechnik in Minden – one of the most important competence centers for rail technology in Europe. This allows students to gain early insight into real development and research projects and to work on practical challenges of future mobility.
In addition to modern teaching formats, students benefit from state-of-the-art research infrastructure, including laboratories, test facilities, and research areas focused on digital and automated rail systems. Topics such as autonomous rail transport, intelligent maintenance systems, sustainable mobility, and connected transport concepts are already being researched and tested at RailCampus OWL today.
The program offers excellent career prospects – not only in the rail industry, but in all fields where digitalization, automation, and intelligent technical systems are in demand. Graduates work, for example, in rail technology, mobility, industrial automation, software development, or systems engineering.
RailCampus OWL stands for more than a traditional degree program: it is a place where science, industry, and society jointly develop the mobility of the future – interdisciplinary, practice-oriented, and sustainable.