As a graduate of the Master’s in Mechanical Engineering with a specialisation in High-Tech Systems & Materials, you can look forward to great job opportunities in high-end engineering contexts. You could pursue a career in research or industry or work at the interface between the two. You could opt to further develop yourself by following a PhD- or EngD programme. Or what about starting up your own business?
Type of degree
When you have completed this Master’s with the specialisation in High Tech Systems & Materials, you will receive a Master’s degree in Mechanical Engineering. Also, you can title yourself Master of Science (MSc) or use the Dutch title Ingenieur (Ir.). Your specialisation will be mentioned specifically on your diploma supplement, highlighting your specialised knowledge and skills in the field of high-tech systems and materials.
Job opportunities
This specialisation will turn you into a highly sought-after engineer with expertise in the field of mechanics, control, materials and processes, both fundamental and applied. With this knowledge and skills, you will be invaluable to companies that focus on the development of cutting-edge technologies in all kinds of fields, from the manufacturing industry to the energy sector and from the metal industry to the automotive or aerospace sector.
Many graduates of this specialisation work in research & development departments of different types of high-tech industrial companies (e.g. ASML, VDL, Demcon, Airbus, Bosch, Damen Shipyards), but also at research institutes (e.g. TNO, NLR – Netherlands Aerospace Centre) or engineering/consultancy firms (e.g. Mecal, Reden). In your future job, you can deal with a wide variety of challenges and tasks, from conducting research and creating physics-based models in order to understand complex systems to developing new materials, technologies and systems for many different applications.
Start a business
At UT, we highly encourage entrepreneurship. This University is the birthplace of a large number of high-tech spin-off companies that market developed technologies. You could use your research or even inventions stemming from your master’s thesis and/or your PhD research to start up your own innovative company as well! UT has been voted the most entrepreneurial university in the Netherlands four times in a row. We have a unique approach of putting scientific knowledge to practical use and turning our expertise and yours into solutions that people and society actually need. As a catalyst for meaningful entrepreneurship, we offer you the Novel-T foundation and their start-up hub Incubase on campus.
Companies launched at UT
Did you know that the engineering firm Demcon was once started-up by graduates of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Twente? Just like EAZ wind, a start-up that designs and develops windmills and other sustainable energy packages for farms. Other examples of start-ups by ME-graduates include simulation software companies Aniform (focused on the forming processes of composite materials) and Triboform (focused on tribology, friction, and lubrication in metal-forming processes). Will you be next to start up your own company?
Post-master opportunities
Instead of pursuing a professional career right away after obtaining your Master’s degree, you can also opt for a more academically oriented career, by pursuing a PhD or EngD. An EngD programme is more practically oriented, aligned with the direct problem-solving or design needs of the industry, whereas a PhD programme is more focused on research. You can follow both types of programmes at the Twente Graduate School (TGS).
CONTINUE AS A RESEARCHER: OBTAIN A PHD
A PhD (Doctor of Philosophy) involves spending four years of in-depth studying and researching in a particular area. You can do this within one of our research groups or in one of our structured PhD programmes. An integral part of a PhD is writing your PhD thesis at the end and then presenting and defending your research in public. Obtaining your PhD earns you the title of Doctor (Dr).
FOLLOW AN ENGD PROGRAMME
Other than obtaining a PhD, you can also opt to follow an EngD programme after graduation. Such a programme usually takes two years and is aimed at you becoming a high-level technological designer. Upon successful completion, you will receive a certified diploma and the academic degree Engineering Doctorate (EngD).