MSc Engineering Mechanics
The master's programme in Engineering Mechanics provides a solid and up-to-date knowledge base for the analysis and design of products and processes. Students choose to specialise in one of three tracks, solid mechanics, fluid mechanics or sound and vibration and learn to use advanced simulation and experimental methods to analyse mechanical phenomena. Graduates work in numerous branches with mechanical design, testing, computation and research as managers, engineers, consultants, or researchers.
Engineering Mechanics at KTH
The master's programme in Engineering Mechanics covers theory, numerical methods, and experimental techniques in fluid mechanics, solid mechanics, and sound and vibration. The curriculum is developed with strong industry involvement and is heavily influenced by the latest research. It will prepare you with the knowledge and skills for advanced industrial problem-solving in large and small international enterprises and research organisations.
The programme offers three tracks: Fluid Mechanics, Solid Mechanics, and Sound and Vibration. Only between one third and one half of the courses, depending on track, are mandatory, so you have many opportunities to adapt your studies to your interests through the large number of elective courses. Throughout the programme, theoretical studies are combined with applied activities. Many courses contain experimental and numerical laboratory work and provide you with proficiency in up-to-date experimental methods and software. In the courses, you have many opportunities to interact with prominent researchers at KTH and with companies such as the world-leading truck manufacturer Scania and the train manufacturer Alstom, among many others.
This is a two-year programme (120 ECTS credits) given in English. Graduates are awarded the Master of Science degree. The programme is given at the KTH Campus in Stockholm by the School of Engineering Sciences (at KTH).
Fluid Mechanics track
The Fluid Mechanics track is for students who want to understand, model, and predict the behaviour of fluids in natural and engineered systems. You learn modern theoretical, numerical, and experimental methods for solving fluid mechanics problems, preparing you for careers in a wide range of industries.
Teaching is closely connected to research, particularly in turbulence and turbulent flows, giving you opportunities to interact with researchers throughout the programme. The ability to measure, model, and predict fluid flows is essential in fields such as aerospace, automotive, maritime transport, energy conversion (including wind and wave power), biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, and vehicle aerodynamics, where it contributes to more efficient products and processes.
Solid Mechanics track
The Solid Mechanics track is for students who want to understand, model, and design materials and structures. You learn to analyse stresses, strains, and failure using analytical, computational, and experimental methods, and to apply the results to design, testing, and product development. This prepares you for work in computational analysis, design, testing, and research and development across a wide range of industries.
Teaching is closely connected to research in solid mechanics, including material modelling, fatigue and fracture, biomechanics, fibre-based materials, and computational methods. You work with finite element software widely used in industry. In a dedicated course, you also study data-driven and machine-learning methods as a complement to physics-based models rather than a replacement for them. As a student in the track, you have access to dedicated study spaces and a specialised computer laboratory, as well as close contact with teachers and researchers throughout the programme.
Sound and Vibration track
The Sound and Vibration track is for students who want to understand, analyse, and control sound and vibrations in engineering applications. You study acoustics, vibration, signal processing, numerical methods, and measurement techniques, combining theory with experimental and computational methods.
Teaching is closely connected to research at the Marcus Wallenberg Laboratory for Sound and Vibration Research (MWL), the largest university centre for sound and vibration research in northern Europe. You work with applications such as vehicle engineering, electrical propulsion, flow acoustics, building acoustics, and environmental noise, while developing practical skills in acoustic measurements, numerical simulation, and the analysis of sound and vibration systems.
Programme structure and progression
During the first three semesters, you combine theoretical and applied courses within your chosen track. Each track has a set of mandatory track courses that all students in the track complete; courses from other tracks or programmes cannot replace these. In addition, you take at least one conditionally elective course from another track. During the first semester, all students also take common courses covering scientific methodology, research methods, and sustainable development.
In the final semester, you complete a degree project in industry or at an academic institution in Sweden or abroad. If you carry out your degree project close to KTH, you may also take courses alongside your thesis work.
Courses in the programme
The courses in the programme cover topics such as continuum mechanics, material mechanics, fatigue and fracture, biomechanics, turbulence, stability, finite element method, computational fluid mechanics, vibro-acoustics, flow acoustics and data-driven methods and machine learning in mechanics,
Courses in the master's programme in Engineering Mechanics
Future and career
Graduates from the master's programme in Engineering Mechanics work in research and development, consulting, testing, design, and specialist engineering roles across a wide range of industries. Depending on your specialisation in Fluid Mechanics, Solid Mechanics, or Sound and Vibration, career opportunities exist in sectors such as transport, energy, manufacturing, materials, acoustics, and life sciences. Employers include ABB, Airbus, Alfa Laval, COMSOL, Sandvik, Scania, Saab, Tetra Pak, AFRY and Volvo. Many also continue with doctoral studies at KTH or other internationally renowned universities.
Sustainable development
Graduates from KTH have the knowledge and tools for moving society in a more sustainable direction, as sustainable development is an integral part of all programmes. The three key sustainable development goals addressed by the Master's programme in Engineering Mechanics are:
Engineering mechanics plays a key role in almost any major energy conversion process. With a degree in Engineering Mechanics, you can contribute to, for example, assessing the structural integrity of nuclear power plants and wind turbines and the design of wind turbine parks to maximise energy harvesting. The skills you acquire from the programme can also be used to develop the materials, manufacturing processes and testing methods.
Engineering mechanics is of utmost importance in the design processes for many industrial products and systems. The knowledge and skills you will learn, such as novel experimental techniques and advanced simulations, will make you a key contributor to new sustainable innovations.
Reducing noise and other undesirable sounds is essential to developing sustainable cities and communities. Graduates in engineering mechanics will be well-equipped to contribute to the design of noise-free products and systems related to transportation, energy conversion, and structural integrity, among other areas.
In addition, the programme contributes to other sustainable development goals. One example is good health and well-being by offering several courses in biomechanics related to medical issues such as vascular disease and human mobility. Another one is contributing to the development of materials made of natural fibres.
Faculty and research
The engineering mechanics research at KTH is renowned internationally, and KTH is currently ranked 20 worldwide for Mechanical Engineering in the QS World University Rankings by Subject. Research fields in which engineering mechanics faculty at KTH make significant, ongoing contributions include high-Reynolds-number turbulence, geophysical flows, micro- and complex fluids, fluid flow control, material mechanics, biomechanics, paper mechanics, fatigue and fracture, reliable design, aeroacoustics, structural damping and non-linear vibrations. The programme is hosted by the Department of Engineering Mechanics .
More than 20 professors are involved in the Engineering Mechanics programme as course instructors and supervisors for degree projects. Many are well-known world-leading scientists recognised for their teaching skills and pedagogical achievements.
The Engineering Mechanics programme at KTH is strongly linked to the Odqvist Laboratory of Experimental Mechanics. This laboratory is equipped with the latest experimental devices for testing at different length scales, ranging from full-scale product testing to testing at the microscale. The Engineering Mechanics programme also has access to many state-of-the-art software for computational mechanics and to the National Academic Infrastructure for Supercomputing in Sweden, NAISS.
