Study options

Maritime Engineering (Nordic Master), Master of Science (Technology)

This programme is based on the expertise of the participating universities within naval architecture, offshore engineering and maritime engineering. Nordic Master in Maritime Engineering (NMME)targets international students wishing to profit from the Nordic Five Tech universities' long-standing tradition and competence in the field and Nordic students wishing to specialise in a specific area of expertise offered within the alliance. Member institutions of Nordic Master in Maritime Engineering are: Aalto University, Chalmers University of Technology, Technical University of Denmark (DTU) and Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU)
Open-water ship model testing in the Aalto Ice Tank basin

Degree:

Master of Science (Technology)

Application period:

16 Dec 2024 – 3 Mar 2025

Language of instruction:

English

Duration:

2 years, full-time

Eligibility:

Relevant Bachelor's degree

Field of study:

Technology and Engineering

Credits:

120 ECTS

Organising school:

School of Engineering

Description

The Master program in Maritime Engineering is concentrated on ships, including, yachts and offshore structures, their design, construction and operation and their interaction with the environment.

You learn to apply rational methods within mathematics, numeric analyses, fluid mechanics and structural mechanics to analyze, design and technically operate ships and offshore structures. Moreover, you will understand the special, high demands to these structures for instance with respect to safety and consideration for the environment.

Language of instruction

The language of instruction of the programme is English.

Tuition fees and scholarships

Fees

You will be paying fees and charges directly to the university where you are enrolled. The fee will correspond to the fee level of that university.

Currently Aalto, Chalmers and DTU charge fees to non-EU/EEA students. NTNU charges no fees to Nordic Master students!

Please read more at the individual universities' webpage:

Scholarships

There are no particular scholarships attached to the Nordic Master in Maritime Engineering programme.

For sholarships or tuition fee waivers at the partner universities read more at the individual universities' webpages:

Structure of studies

The programme is structured in two parts:

  1. In the first year (Entry), you learn topics of maritime engineering, naval architecture and offshore engineering on Master level: stability, resistance and propulsion, seakeeping, manoeuvring and ship and ocean structures. If you did not have naval architecture as part of your bachelors’ programme, you will also have basic introductory courses in naval architecture. In addition to maritime engineering courses, you must do courses on general and special engineering competences, such as CFD, structural analysis, composite materials etc. The emphasis on each subject will depend on the entrance university and your entrance qualifications. In particular Aalto but also NTNU offer elective courses in Arctic maritime engineering as part of the curricula
  2. In the second year(Exit), you specialize in one of the four subjects: ocean structures, passenger ships, ship design and ship operations . Each of the subjects defines a study track. The subject of your thesis must be wituin the study track.

It is required that you start at one of the partner universities for part 1 and finish your studies at another university for part 2.

Nordic Master Programme in Maritime Engineering

Specialisations

Ocean Structures (NTNU)

This study track gives you a strong foundation for design of any type of ocean structure, from conventional ships to offshore structures. It also deals with marine operations like pipelaying, towing and use of cranes on mobile platforms for installation of subsea modules. The study track is discipline based and includes groups of courses within marine environment, environmental loads, effects of loads, structural capacity and marine cybernetics.
Read more in Study tracks section

Passenger Ships (Aalto)

This study track gives comprehensive overview of the different aspects related to the design, analysis and optimization of passenger ships. The conflicting interests of various stakeholders (passenger, ship owner, shipyard) will be addressed during the studies, and you will be forced to create a solution that satisfies the stakeholder's preferences. 
Read more in Study tracks section

Ship Design (Chalmers)

In this study track, you will be part of a project team and work with a problem oriented and realistic ship-design project with a company from the maritime industry as the “customer”. You will be part of a student team guided by professional engineers from industry and faculty members from Chalmers. The initial design process prior to an order of a new ship is covered during the project following the demands of the customer. The project will take place during the second year and you will utilize and link together knowledge from all the marine engineering courses of the first year. 
Read more in Study tracks section

Ship Operations (DTU)

In popular terms the definition of this study track is that it mainly deals with naval architecture and maritime engineering from the point of view of the ship owner, i.e. it deals with ships at sea. You will learn to apply rational methods in analysing and optimizing the performance of ships (container ships, tankers, bulk carriers, ro-ro ships etc.) with respect to safety, efficiency, economics and environmental considerations. 
Read more in Study tracks section

Internationalisation

The staff involved in the programme is active in research and has published numerous papers in internationally acknowledged journals as well as several text books for graduate students. Furthermore, several members of the staff are involved in international cooperation within research and development projects, financed for instance by the European Union.

The education includes lectures, seminars, and a large amount of project work. It is given in close connection to different companies which enables visits, guest lectures and sharp project work.

All universities are well equipped with data bars and other computing facilities making it possible to include numerical simulation in the learning process and in this way to prepare you for your future work in industry or science.

Besides, each partner university has special facilities:

Aalto
Chalmers 
DTU 
NTNU

Further study opportunities

Nordic Masters in Maritime Engineering is considered a great foundation for doctoral studies and post-doc positions.

Career opportunities

A NMME graduate will typically be employed as a naval architect or offshore engineer by consultancies, design officers, ship owners, maritime administrations, offshore companies, classification societies or suppliers of special equipment. The roles in the enterprise may be those of chief executive, development manager, team manager, consultant, specialist, or researcher.

Research focus

Marine and Arctic Technology

We focus on the behaviour of ships and structures in normal and extreme environments. We do our research by considering the safety of maritime transportation, as well as the experiences the marine environment can offer to cruise vessel passengers.

Co-operation with other parties

The Nordic Five Tech universities have very high academic standards and are amongst the top international technical universities. The universities provide excellent opportunities for students to pursue their specific academic interest. By pooling resources through the Nordic Five Tech collaboration we are able to offer world-class facilities in the respective universities’ areas of excellence

Study 2 MSc degrees in 2 Nordic countries! Webinar on study possibilities at Nordic Five Tech universities on 14 November 2024 at 16.00 (4 pm, UTC +2).

Join our Nordic Master Webinar in November!

Nordic Five Tech (N5T) universities offer five excellent joint degree programmes in the fields of Energy, Environmental, Cold Climate, Maritime Engineering and Polymer Technology. In these programmes you earn two-for-one degrees and study in two Nordic countries.

In this webinar, you’ll get to hear and ask questions about the programmes, career opportunities, student experiences and how to apply. Meet professors, alumni, students and admission services in the webinar on 14 November 2024 at 16.00 (4 pm, UTC +2)! The webinar is held in English.

More information

Webinar | Nordic Master Programmes

Admission 2025

The admission process is coordinated by Aalto University. Link to the application form (Studyinfo.fi) appears on these pages when the application opens. The application period for studies beginning in the autumn of 2025 runs from 16 December 2024 to 3 March 2025 (3 pm, UTC +2).

Admission timeline

December 16, 2024 at 9 AM (UTC +2) Application period starts and online application form in Studyinfo opens
March 3, 2025 at 3 PM (UTC +2) Application period ends and online application form in Studyinfo closes
March 10, 2025 at 3 PM (UTC +2) Deadline for application documents to be uploaded to application form
March 2025 Eligible applications undergo academic evaluation
Beginning of April 2025 Admissions results published
30 days from publishing admission results Deadline for accepting study offer
July 31, 2025     For applicants who applied with an incomplete degree: Deadline for graduation 
August 15, 2025 at 3 PM (UTC +3) Deadline for submitting certified copy of degree certificate
End of August 2025 Studies begin with orientation week at first-year university

Who can apply?

In order to apply for the Nordic Master in Maritime Engineering, you must fulfil a number of requirements. These requirements apply to all applicants for the programme, regardless of which university you decide to apply for.

How to apply

The application period for studies beginning in the autumn of 2025 runs from 16 December 2024 to 3 March 2025 at 15.00 (UTC +2).

The application consists of an electronic application form and a set of required application documents. Read the instructions for required application documents carefully.

Fill in the online application form in the Studyinfo.fi system during the application period. You can edit your application form within the application period. Application period ends 3 March 2025 at 15.00 (UTC +2). Late applications are not considered.

All application documents must be uploaded to your application form before 10 March 2025 at 15.00 (UTC +2). The deadline cannot be extended. Documents submitted after the deadline will not be considered in any circumstances; the final deadline is the same for all applicants.

Admission Services reviews your application and the required documents for the general eligibility requirements. Only eligible applications proceed for the academic evaluation. Incomplete applications will be rejected.

Instructions for application documents

Carefully scan the original documents in colour and save the files in PDF format.

Scan the documents in the correct orientation so that a horizontal document is displayed horizontally, and a vertical document is displayed vertically. Make sure that the scanned document is readable. If you use the camera of your mobile phone, we recommend taking the photo close to a window with sufficient daylight.

Name the files as instructed (e.g. Transcript-lastname-firstname).

Upload the documents separately to the correct sections provided for each document on your application form.

Language requirements

The English language requirements below meet the standards of all partner universities. Make sure to check the validity of the presented test results:

TOEFL, IELTS and PTE (A) test results are valid for two years from the date of the test and for 2025 admissions, results are valid if the test was taken on or after 16 December 2022.

For Cambridge, only C1 Advanced and C2 Proficiency tests that can be verified online, i.e. tests taken after 2005, are accepted.

No other methods of demonstrating English language skills than those listed below are accepted. Applications without the required proof of language proficiency will be rejected.

Only the methods listed above to demonstrate English proficiency are accepted. 

Any alternative tests, studies in English in a country not listed above, or statements regarding language skills issued by teachers will not be accepted. There are no exceptions to these language requirements. 

Official language test scores and all documents to demonstrate your English proficiency must be received by Aalto University by the provided deadlines. These deadlines are strict and cannot be extended. 

Evaluation

All applications are academically evaluated by the consortium's partner universities. The candidates who meet the above requirements are ranked based on the their academic achievements. Admission is based on a joint decision by the admission board of the consortium.

Applying for scholarships

Tuition fee liable applicants apply for first-year scholarship (i.e., scholarship for one academic year) during or after the application period:

  • Applicants starting their first year at Aalto University apply for scholarships during the application period with the same form they apply into the programme.
  • Applicants who start their first year at DTU, NTNU or Chalmers apply for scholarships after the application period, following separate instructions from the respective university.

In all cases, the scholarship decision for the first year of studies is known before the deadline for accepting the study place.

The scholarship for the second year of studies, on the other hand, is not known, because second-year scholarship are only applied for in the spring semester of the first year (receiving a scholarship later in studies is affected by e.g. academic success during the first year).

Admission statistics

Contact information

Börje Helenius

Planning officer

[email protected]

Joint Master Team

[email protected]

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