The Hochschule Bochum - Bochum University of Applied Sciences, founded in 1972, is a modern university of applied sciences, specialising in technology and business. Its long tradition of offering academic fast-track, student-centred undergraduate and postgraduate programmes that enjoy an unchallenged reputation in the professional world. The long-term close links to industry, business, service providers, and many other organisations in the region of the central Ruhrgebiet (Ruhr area) gives the Hochschule Bochum the edge. Since the professors and lecturers at the Hochschule Bochum all worked for years in their core areas, the university has built and maintains close partnerships with the real world of business and engineering. This relationship has resulted in research partnerships, joint development projects, and ample opportunities for students. To date the six departments, Architecture, Civil Engineering and Surveying and Geo Computer Science, Mechatronics and Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering and Computer Science and Business and Management offer 23 such undergraduate and postgraduate pathways.