Each year around 150 graduates complete their studies with a Bachelor's or Master's degree. In terms of teaching, the department offers Process Engineering, Bioprocess Engineering and procedural lectures and courses in German and English. The Bachelor's and Master's degrees prepare the students for interesting careers in environmental engineering, the chemistry, food and pharmaceutical industries and in up-and-coming fields such as biotechnology and nanotechnology. The teaching methods include lectures, problem-based learning, tutorials and laboratory and computer-based practical training.

The department cooperates with more than 40 international partner universities worldwide in research and teaching so as to enable all interested students to spend a qualified period of time studying abroad. Specialist supervision for exchange students is provided by a dedicated advisory office within the department. The courses in English, internationally oriented course content as well as the international Master´s degree programme also attract numerous international students to the department, especially from India, followed by China, Mexico and Cameroon.

The laboratories and lecture rooms are modern, generously sized and very well equipped. In the practical laboratory work, the students can become familiar with modern analytical methods as well as traditional and innovative process engineering methods using a wide variety of test equipment. The PC rooms are very well equipped and allow modern simulation methods in process engineering to be demonstrated. The department collaborates in broad fields and maintains contacts with industrial and academic partners as part of global joint research initiatives.

The department is involved in various Clusters of Excellence for research and in leading scientific coordination. The department is split into three university-wide key research areas: Climate Protecting Energy- and Environmental Engineering; Integrated Biotechnology and Process Engineering; Regeneration, Implants, Medical Technology. In order to foster collaboration with industry and promote exchange between industry and the institutes, knowledge transfer is managed by a subsidiary of TUHH, TuTech Innovation GmbH (TuTech), which was founded specifically for this purpose.

The Startup Dock start-up centre initiated by the TUHH has been supporting innovative startups from the university sector since 2013. Startup Dock advises and supports students, scientists and alumni of Hamburg's universities and research institutions in the realisation of their technological and knowledge-based business ideas. With individual coaching and one-on-one support as well as teaching and training sessions, it provides the teams involved with the support they need during the early stage of their company start-up.

The department's combination of traditional Process Engineering with Biotechnology as well as with Energy and Environmental Engineering is unique in Germany. The Master's degree course offers students the option of specialising in selected subject areas. Thanks to the varied nature of the course, students obtain a wide-ranging qualification which opens up employment options in various areas of industry, at universities and institutes, in national and regional authorities or in a freelance capacity.