Patent Engineering, M.Sc.

As for every other master’s degree program at TU Berlin, applicants to the Patent Engineering master’s program must possess a first university degree qualifying them for professional work. You can find the proposed course schedule in the application and admission regulations for the degree program. The most current version of these regulations applies to applicants.

The Patent Engineering master’s program is taught in German. If you are applying with a foreign school-leaving certificate, you must provide proof of German skills at a specific level. This is a prerequisite for admission. Knowledge of English is useful, as some courses/modules may be offered in English and much of the technical literature is published in English. However, it is not a condition for admission to studies.

As the curriculum focuses on aspects of engineering, law, and technology, it would be advantageous to already have an interest in complex research issues as well as the capacity to adopt an interdisciplinary approach to real-life situations.

There is a proposed course schedule for the degree program. This is a recommendation for how to complete the degree program within the standard period of study of four semesters. It provides an example of which modules to take in which semesters. While this proposed course schedule is ideal on paper, it is not mandatory. It’s simply an example of how to successfully schedule and shape your studies: http://www.zfge.tu-berlin.de/files/Studienverlauf_und_Studienplanung.pdf

The master’s program in Patent Engineering consists of modules which combine curriculum content on a specific topic and often include a variety of different study and teaching formats. A current overview of all modules is available in TU Berlin’s module transfer system (MTS). The MTS also provides an overview of which modules are mandatory for your degree program and which are elective. Detailed module descriptions provide information about the content, learning objectives, participation requirements, workload, types of assessment, and much more. The module list is based on the study and examination regulations. The latest version applies to applicants.

A six-week non-university technical internship is mandatory for this master’s program. This internship should focus on business or legal aspects relevant to the work of a patent engineer. All further details relating to internships can be found in the internship regulations.

Generally, parts of the program can be completed abroad, either as semesters abroad or internships. General information regarding stays abroad can be obtained from the TU Berlin International Office (studying abroad) and from the Career Service (internships abroad).

You acquire a technical knowledge of engineering subjects within a special legal education. Technical-engineering course content in the field of mechanical engineering forms the core of the curriculum. This provides you such skills as the ability to recognize, understand, and evaluate scientific and technical contexts as well as the capacity to apply and develop these. You learn to recognize and evaluate influences and mutual relationships between technology, society, and the environment, as well as to understand and actively influence technological change in research, development, and utilization. You further acquire the ability to conduct academic work and extend the boundaries of current knowledge.

As a graduate of this program, you are familiar with the latest knowledge and methods of engineering as well as how to apply these to solve problems in mechanical engineering. Your system-oriented and holistic mindset as well as your independent and structured approach to work place you in a strong position. In addition, you are familiar with, and take responsible account of the special aspects of the interaction of technical systems with the system environment in the development and design of technical products.

The legal framework of the curriculum teaches you fundamental knowledge of the systems, applications, and legal bases of intellectual property law, particularly the knowledge required for a career in patent engineering in the fields of commercial IP rights, copyright law - particularly the protection of computer software - as well as technical IP rights. You are able to assess technical innovation cycles in respect of their legal relevance as well as address complex issues and develop sustainable solutions to problems working closely with legal and technical experts. You also acquire a fundamental knowledge of license agreement law and competition law, enabling you to assess both the potential and the limitations of cooperation and utilization contracts from the perspective of their legal legitimacy.

Patent engineers work at the interface between technology, management, intellectual property, and strategic corporate policy. The master’s program in Patent Engineering equips you with the theoretical knowledge to work in a diverse range of positions at the interface of technology and law within the patenting, research, and development operations of a business. Typical career opportunities for our graduates include working on developing invention disclosures as contact persons for inventors within companies and for external patent attorney offices; monitoring the innovations of competitors, conducting patent research, assessing patents, and managing patent exploitation within the patent application process; developing patent strategies and advising management as a function of strategic corporate policy. Additionally you have the option to train as a patent attorney in the law department of the German Patent and Trademark Office or the European Patent Office. This opens a whole range of further career opportunities.

Guidance and choosing the right degree program: Academic Advising Service

Questions about the degree program: Course Guidance

General questions: Student Info Services

Application and enrollment: Office of Student Affairs - Graduate Admissions

Recognition of previously acquired credits: Examination Board