“In thirty years of teaching this is the highest overall mark I’ve ever seen.” David Heys, Managing Director of the Department of Technology, was astonished by the historic top grade with which Tobias Schwalb had completed his studies at the University of Central Lancashire in Preston.

The student from Giessen -Friedberg University of Applied Sciences earned his Bachelor of Engineering degree at the British university with an average grade of 94.4%. "A 40% pass is required, and 70% or higher is a top grade. The top students typically achieve 85%," Schwalb explains regarding the British grading system. The fact that he achieved such a top result as an international exchange student is something the modest student from Reiskirchen mentions almost casually in conversation. In recognition of his outstanding achievement, the 23-year-old received the Dean's Prize of the Department, a prestigious award that comes with a £500 prize.

Schwalb studied microelectronics/electronic design for three years at the Giessen Department Electrical and Information Engineering. He then took the opportunity to spend his final year studying at a British university, thus obtaining recognized degrees from both institutions.

For his final thesis, entitled "Design and Implementation of an Intelligent Battery Charger," which he submitted to the Giessen -Friedberg University of Applied Sciences under the supervision of Prof. Dr. Albrecht Müller, Schwalb developed a novel, cost-effective battery charger. He programmemed the charging process himself on the microcontroller. The device features a variety of additional service and protection functions, such as temperature monitoring and automatic shutdown.

Tobias Schwalb learned about the cooperation between the University of Applied Sciences (FH) and the University of Central Lancashire at an information session held by his Department . The two universities have been collaborating for over 10 years within the framework of the European Union's Erasmus+ programme. To date, 63 FH students from the fields of business, computer science, and electrical engineering have spent semesters abroad at the British partner university. Approximately a quarter of them took the opportunity to earn a German-English double degree.

Tobias Schwalb, a graduate engineer and bachelor's degree holder, intends to continue his scientific career. He has successfully applied for a master's programme at the Karlsruhe School of Optics and Photonics. Twenty-four students can complete the two-year programme at this institution of the University of Karlsruhe. Twelve of them will then have the opportunity to pursue a doctorate. Tobias Schwalb hopes to be among them. If David Heys has his way, his chances are quite good. "Tobias is a truly gifted student, and I'm sure that whatever he sets his mind to in the future, he will achieve," the scientist from Preston told him.