A New Phase of Life Begins
It was a special day in the history of our campus. With both joy and sadness in our hearts, we look at the farewell of our pioneers – the first graduates.
The first sentence, the first pages, the first chapter. The beginning of a book often decides whether we read on and, full of curiosity, get involved in the promise of a good story. If the introduction is successful, we look forward page by page to the further course of the plot and ask ourselves, What will happen to the protagonists? What awaits them in the next chapter?
We at TUM Campus Heilbronn are also part of such an exciting story. It began four years ago, and since then countless chapters have been added semester after semester. These chapters are about young people from all over the world who leave their home countries and decide to study in Heilbronn. As pioneers, they experienced highs and lows with the startup TUM Campus Heilbronn and with their new home in Baden-Württemberg. We are all the more pleased when these chapters have a happy ending.
Last summer, the first two master’s classes at TUM Campus Heilbronn were officially bid farewell at a large graduation ceremony. Decked out in hats and gowns, the graduates accepted their certificates as newly minted Masters in Management. In 2018 and 2019, these 28 young people mustered the courage to enroll at our recently opened university location. We are very grateful for this leap of faith. The new alumni have decisively shaped the beginnings of the campus with their commitment and ideas.
TUM Alumni Talk about the Beginnings and Their Impressions
The stories of Gayatri Gautham, Mohammad Hashem, and Hafsa Kazmi are perfect examples of this. In an interview with the “Heilbronner Stimme,” the three TUM alumni gave interesting insights into their student days in Heilbronn and how they see the development of the location.
“I first had to google Heilbronn.”
“Arriving in Heilbronn was a huge culture shock,” recalls Hafsa Kazmi. Born in Pakistan, she had previously studied in the Turkish metropolis of Ankara, a conurbation with a population of around 5.7 million. This was no comparison to the tranquil city on the Neckar River, which Hafsa explored within three days. In retrospect, however, the clearly structured environment gave her the opportunity to settle in very quickly. Gayatri Gautham from India was also surprised at the start of the 2018/2019 winter semester. She had expected a university where everything was already in place. However, the fact that this was not the case was not a bad thing, as she says: “Heilbronn was bigger than I had expected, and I was very impressed by the campus.” Mohammad Hashem from Morocco adds, “In the beginning, everything was still in the development phase. But it’s really super how fast the university has grown.”
“At first, the professors still commuted from Munich to Heilbronn and spent entire days with us here on Mondays and Wednesdays.”
In particular, all three alumni praise the good support they received from the students. “We got a lot of attention, and our problems were solved quickly,” says Gayatri. Together, they have filled the campus with life and shaped it, for example by founding the first student council. Hafsa points out, “We put a lot of effort into developing the site and giving feedback on what was working well and what wasn’t.”
How the TUM Campus Heilbronn has changed
Number of students
- 2018/2019: ≈ 40
- 2022/2023: ≈ 570
Number of professorships
- 2019: 3
- 2022: 11
Number of Ph.D. students
- 2019: 1 at CDT
- 2022: 24 at the CDT and 18 at the GCFE
Study programs
- Bachelor in Management & Technology (since 2020)
- Bachelor in Information Engineering (since 2021)
- Master in Management (since 2018)
- Master in Management & Innovation (since 2018)
Come to stay
With their master’s degrees, the door to a new phase of life opens for the three young people. While Mohammad Hashem is moving to Cologne for work, Hafsa Kazmi and Gayatri Gautham are adding a new chapter to their story in the Heilbronn-Franconia region. “I still feel comfortable here and have never regretted coming here,” Gayatri concludes.
“It’s been a real pleasure getting to know all of you, being part of your journey to your master’s degree, and seeing you develop into the people you are today.”
