In a nutshell:
ROSEN colleague completes extra occupational master's degree in Industrial Engineering and Management as best student of the year
He received the "Best Student Award" from the Osnabrück University of Applied Sciences
Theoretical part of the master thesis was published in "Lingener Studien zu Management und Technik" (Lingen studies on management and technology)
Almost 15 years ago, our colleague Michael started his apprenticeship with us as a Cutting Machine Operator. Today, we congratulate him on successfully graduating as the best student in the master's program in Industrial Engineering and Management at Osnabrück University of Applied Sciences. How did it come about? Let's start at the beginning.
Apprenticeship, Vocational Diploma, Bachelor Studies
"After my apprenticeship at ROSEN, I first completed my vocational diploma and then decided to study Mechanical Engineering in 2012. Since then, I have worked continuously in our manufacturing, helped to commission the first CNC automatic line, and accompanied the construction and set-up of the new extension to our Mechanical Manufacturing department," Michael explains. "It's always been important for me to evolve and get new perspectives and input – to not be stuck in my views. That's why I finally decided in 2019 to start an extra occupational master study program, but not in Mechanical Engineering, but in Industrial Engineering and Management."
Graduation as Best of the Year
With success. Michael not only completed his master's degree, but was also awarded the "Best Student Award" as the best student of the year – with an average grade of 1.37. Michael says: "My grades were consistently quite good, but in the end it was the master's thesis that accounted for the success." His final thesis proved to be outstanding, so that the supervising professor at the University of Applied Sciences Osnabrück approached Michael for the purpose of publishing it. As a result, the theoretical part can now be found in the work "Von der kundenorientierten Produktentwicklung über die Prozessoptimierung zur Organisationsentwicklung zum exzellenten (Produktions-)unternehmen" (From customer-oriented product development to process optimization and organizational development to an excellent (production) company) – as part of the series "Lingener Studien zu Management und Technik" (Lingen studies on management and technology). "That's quite a weird feeling, to see your name as an author in a book. Such an opportunity doesn't come along very often. I'm absolutely delighted that all the work has paid off and that I've been able to achieve a good result," Michael comments.
Challenging Years
Speaking of work. Studying while working full time not only brings advantages, but also challenges when there are lectures or exams to be taken after a long working week. How Michael has dealt with this? "The last few years have challenged me, of course, but I would choose this again anytime. ROSEN has accommodated me with a lot of flexibility and I have always been able to count on the support of my colleagues and supervisors. That has made a lot of things easier. But I'm also glad that I can now completely focus on my work here again."
Know-How and "Aha" Moments
And not only that. When asked what else he takes away from his studies, Michael answers: "The extra-occupational master's degree had the distinct advantage that I had the direct points of contact between theory and practice. There were a number of "aha" moments when I was able to directly apply and incorporate my new knowledge from my studies, for example during the construction and set-up of our Mechanical Manufacturing extension. There, not only project management played a major role, but also softer aspects such as change management. After all, changes are always associated with challenges. At that time, for example, we hired a large number of new employees, which in itself represented a change in the team, but longstanding colleagues also had to get used to new conditions. It was really exciting to help shape this process of change, and I think we managed it quite well. In any case, the studies have offered me some new perspectives and thinking out of the box, which will also be beneficial in the future."
It remains for us to say: Congratulations on this great achievement Michael!