News
Engineering for Sustainability
This July, students and lecturers from all over the world joined HM's 20th Engineering for Sustainability summer school – international, interdisciplinary and inspiring.
10/08/2026
On 6 July 2026, Engineering for Sustainability – the HM Summer School focusing on automotive engineering, electrical engineering, industrial engineering and entrepreneurship – started for the 20th time at Hochschule München. Blending academic excellence, hands-on learning and international networking, the programme provided the participants with new perspectives, international friendships and many great memories.
35 students from the USA, the UK, Canada, Mexico, China, India, the Netherlands and Jamaica took part, as well as one student enrolled at Hochschule München; most of the participants engineering students. The seminars and workshops were planned and held by 15 lecturers from Hochschule München, our strategic partner university Cal Poly in the USA, the Strascheg Center for Entrepreneurship (SCE), Carnegie Mellon University (USA) and the University of Győr (Hungary). In addition to subject-specific courses such as The Potential of Renewable Energy, Smart Vehicles, Generative AI & Sustainability, Startup Launchpad, Control Engineering for Sustainable Technical Processes, Sustainable Engineering and Mobility, there was also a compulsory German language course, in which participants were taught not only basic German language skills but also relevant cultural knowledge. The credits obtained during the programme can be recognised and counted towards the degree at the student's home university – an additional benefit of these innovative, interdisciplinary and inspiring courses.
Alongside the academic programme, the extensive and varied cultural programme was also received with great enthusiasm by the students: a visit to the Deutsches Museum and the Munich Documentation Center for the History of National Socialism, field trips to the BMW plant and the Walchensee power station were all on the programme, as were a Munich City Ralley and a visit to the Tollwood Festival. These events were also supported by four mentors, all students at HM, who actively assisted with the organisation and were always on hand as knowledgeable points of contact to answer any questions the participants might have.
The international students took part in the organised activities and events with the same energy as they did in spontaneous climbing challenges and activities, as well as their explorations of Munich’s restaurants, cafés and bars. In addition to the scpecialist knowledge taught and gained, this strong sense of community and the connection between students and lecturers made this Summer School a truly special event for everyone. One student summed up her summer at the HM for us: “Looking back, the experience exceeded anything I could have imagined.”