Hochschule Karlsruhe University of Applied Sciences, or HKA – known for its industry partnerships which produce internships and job opportunities. The W.S. Lee College of Engineering exchange program with HKA includes an internship program with German-based Bürkert Fluid Controls Systems, a world leader in regulation, measurement and control technology.
The exchange students, primarily from Charlotte’s electrical and computer engineering department, study and work for seven months. The first two months are spent full time at the internship, with the remaining weeks used for part-time work and coordinated HKA classes.
Cricket Bonnetaud, director of international student exchange programs for the engineering college, visits her students abroad and observes them working in the HKA labs alongside their German student-partners. “Our students get to learn in HKA labs directly from those faculty, expanding our curriculum in ways not available anywhere else. Combined with the hands-on application at Bürkert, this distinctive experiential learning is something I’ve not seen elsewhere.”
Bürkert’s employees are highly skilled with deep experience, allowing students direct access to incredibly valuable industry insight. “Once students design, develop and test their projects, the professional engineers take time to evaluate and use those projects and share feedback with the student cohorts. It’s a similar model to internships and senior design projects back home, but with the added layer of an international perspective from one of the top fluid control companies in the world.”
