"Nobody cares later how many questions you asked in life, only what you took away from them."

Orlando is very happy with his decision to do the co-op programme, as it allows him to gain extensive work experience alongside his studies and better understand what he is learning through practical work. "You don't do the course "on your own", but get advice and support from others, especially if others are studying the same study programme," explains Orlando. "And of course the pay is also a big advantage."

Due to the closely timed theoretical and practical phases, he has less time off overall and often has to study for exams after work, as the exams are during the practical placement phase. Nevertheless, he is very satisfied with his decision to do a co-op programme at BTU. "Cottbus is brilliant, especially if you want to do a lot of sport alongside university," he enthuses. "Thanks to the short distances in Cottbus, you can get to a lot of things quickly by bike."

For other prospective students who are still unsure whether the co-op programme is right for them, he recommends: "Definitely do an internship! You should get a taste of the direction in which you want to earn money later on. You can also ask lots of questions about the job. And if you have the opportunity to do an internship with a company that offers dual study programmes: All the better, you get to know the model straight away." He adds: "Everything always looks very good digitally, but you don't know where you stand until you get there. The first step always seems difficult, but actually everyone is happy to meet inquisitive people. It's better to ask more than to know less."

You can find out more about the co-op programme here.

The first places from our practice partners are already available for next year (winter semester 2026/27). Take a look and find out more here.

SAVE-THE-DATE: If you are interested in the co-op programme and would like to find out more, you are welcome to attend our information event on 22 November 2025 from 9:30 am to 12:30 pm at the main campus in Cottbus. You can also find out more about our new dual study programmes at the event

Now new: Natural sciences in dual format

For the winter semester, BTU Cottbus-Senftenberg is expanding its dual study programme with two pioneering study programmes: "Applied Natural Sciences" and "Environmental Sciences".
Whether it's sustainable technologies, resource efficiency or modern laboratory methods, students on these programmes apply their current specialist knowledge directly to their practical partners and develop practical solutions for real-life tasks.