Materials for High Tech Systems Design is a master’s track in the Mechanical Engineering Master’s Program. This means that you apply for the Master’s Program in Mechanical Engineering (CROHO: 60439) and specialize in Materials for High Tech Systems Design. This master’s track offers a two-year program (120 ECTS), with the first year revolving around courses. The second year is dedicated to the internship (15 ECTS) and graduation project (45 ECTS). After completing the program, you receive a Master’s diploma in Mechanical Engineering stating your specialization in Materials for High Tech Systems Design.
Year 1 | Core program | 20 ECTS |
| Specialization courses | 20 ECTS |
| Free electives | 15 ECTS |
Professional skills | 5 ECTS | |
Year 2 | Internship | 15 ECTS |
| Graduation project | 45 ECTS |
Year 1
The first-year course program comprises a selection of four core courses (20 ECTS), training you as a future MHS graduate in the basics of mechanical engineering. You choose four core courses from the list below:
- Advanced Engineering Mathematics
- Advanced Computational Continuum Mechanics
- Experimentation for Mechanical Engineering
- Scientific Computing for Mechanical Engineering
- Applications of Design Principles
By selecting four specialization courses (20 ECTS), Materials for High Tech Systems Design trains you to become a disciplinary expert. The specialization courses include:
- Composite and Light-weight Materials
- Structural Performance of Polymers and Their Composites
- Computational and Experimental Micro-mechanics
- Multiscale Modelling for Polymer Mechanics
- Microfabrication Technology
- Engineering Optimization
- Advanced and Additive Manufacturing
- Fracture Mechanics - Theory and Application
Your technical course program is complemented by 15 ECTS of free electives. These free electives enable you to customize your program to your specific interests by following courses in related disciplines or even in other TU/e departments. As part of the first-year course program, you also follow professional skills courses (5 ECTS) focused on career development, teamwork, academic writing and more.
Year 2
The second year is all about learning how to apply the disciplinary knowledge and skills acquired through your course program. In your internship (15 ECTS) you apply your know-how in an industry project or at a research institute. Being an ambassador of the Master’s track in Materials for High Tech Systems Design, you gain an impression of your professional future. After your internship, you work on your graduation project (45 ECTS). This Materials for High Tech Systems Design graduation project revolves around academic research, allowing you to specialize in the MHS aspects of your liking.
Graduation project
In your graduation project you apply the know-how and skills acquired through your course program and internship project to an academic research project. Research topics can focus on detailed aspects of Materials for High Tech Systems Design. Examples are the development of a numerical model to simulate material behavior, to investigate certain behavior with experimental methods, or to integrate an advanced material in a complex system. Our graduation project comprises two phases. In the first phase of the project, together with your project supervisor, you detail your research questions and methodology. In the second phase, you perform your research under the supervision of a researcher. This second phase will result in a master’s thesis. You defend your thesis before a panel of experts and present your findings in public.
Examples of recent Material for High Tech Systems Design graduation projects are:
Characterization of composite materials for hydrogen pressure vessels (project in collaboration with BMW).
In Fuel cell electric vehicles, hydrogen can be stored in liquid state in carbon fiber reinforced pressure vessel. In this project, several master’s students have worked on the development of models based on experiments to predict the residual strength of these vessels after impact. The models can be used to design new pressure vessel configurations and their integration in the vehicle.
3D printing of plastic objects Fused Filament Fabrication is a popular technique to 3D print plastic components with complex geometries. To understand the relation between printer settings, such as the temperature and speed of the nozzle and the quality of the product, we are developing detailed models to simulate the print process including melting and solidification of the plastic. We use this models to generate data to train with machine learning techniques to improve the quality of the products.
The Mechanical Engineering pre-Master’s program
The Mechanical Engineering (ME) pre-Master’s program is intended for students who have not been granted direct admission to the Materials for High Tech Systems Design Master’s track. These students include:
- Bachelor graduates from TU/e programs (or other Dutch universities) who did not obtain a bachelor’s in Mechanical Engineering or equivalent
- Graduates from University of Applied Sciences (HBO) Mechanical Engineering programs or equivalent.
The ME pre-Master’s typically takes one semester and is worth 30 ECTS. You acquire the necessary background to enable a seamless and successful transition into the MHS Master’s track. Included in this ME pre-Master’s are courses in calculus, thermodynamics and Heat & Flow. For further information please consult the Education Guide*.
*Note: current students use the Education Guide as a source of information. It contains detailed, practical information that is important during your study program. Prospective students can consult the Education Guide for additional information.