MSc Vehicle Engineering
The master's programme in Vehicle Engineering covers all aspects from vehicle design, functions and dynamic properties, to systems for safety and comfort, and vehicles as part of the transport systems. Students can specialise in Automotive or Railway Engineering. Graduates have global career opportunities and the skills to contribute to innovative and sustainable solutions that minimise the vehicle industry's environmental impact.
Vehicle Engineering at KTH
Vehicle Engineering is a broad area of engineering science driven by an ever-increasing degree of mobility in the world. At the same time, the transportation sector is facing the challenge of minimising its environmental impact, requiring new, innovative solutions and capable engineers. This field will continually demand specialists to drive the transition to sustainable road and rail transport.
The master's programme in Vehicle Engineering deals with vehicle design, functions, requirements and the evaluation of different types of road and rail vehicles. Vehicle dynamics properties and the interaction with the road or track, as well as active systems for safety, monitoring and comfort, are essential topics within the programme. The programme also deals with vehicles as part of transport systems and their interaction with society.
The programme includes two specialisations: Road Vehicles and Rail Vehicles. The Road Vehicle specialisation focuses on all road vehicles, concentrating mainly on cars, trucks and buses. In the Rail Vehicle specialisation, the system aspect is critical, as the different parts of a railway system – vehicle, track, electrification and signalling – all strongly influence each other.
The programme is based on lectures, assignments, simulations, experiments and team-based project work. The first year focuses on providing a common base in vehicle engineering, including some mandatory courses for all students and mandatory courses for each specialisation. In addition to the mandatory courses, you can choose several conditionally elective courses to create your own profile, for example, related to vehicle design, functional design, structural design, control theory and transport systems.
The second year consists mainly of elective courses, a project course and the final master's degree project, which can either be undertaken at a university or, more commonly, a company. The student is encouraged to search for a suitable project in the industry, and KTH will provide assistance and suitable points of contact.
This is a two-year programme (120 ECTS credits) given in English. Graduates are awarded the degree of Master of Science. The programme is given mainly at KTH Campus in Stockholm by the School of Engineering Sciences (at KTH).
Courses in the programme
Students
Find out what students from the programme think about their time at KTH.
Career
The master's programme in Vehicle Engineering provides an excellent basis for pursuing a career in the global automotive and rail vehicle industry, at consulting companies, transportation authorities, fleet operators, and universities and institutes active in this field. Vehicle engineering is a research-intensive area in which graduates from the programme work with, for instance, design, development, calculation and testing of vehicles, vehicle components and active vehicle systems. Graduates also work with systems analysis and energy and environmental assessments of vehicles and transport systems. The cooperation between the Swedish vehicle industry and the Division of Vehicle Engineering and Solid Mechanics is very close. There are several major ongoing research programmes involving KTH, key manufacturers and the transport administration. Graduates from the programme work at companies such as Volvo Cars, Scania, Volvo Group Trucks Technology, Bombardier Transportation, NEVS, CEVT, Daimler, BMW, Williams, Altran, Semcon, SNC-Lavalin Rail & Transit, TÜV Süd, Öhlins, Continental and Bosch.
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 Vehicle Engineering are:
Within the master's programme in Vehicle Engineering, you will gain knowledge that will allow you to participate in solving the challenges facing vehicles and transport systems of the future concerning, for example, sustainable development goals such as good health and well-being, industry, innovation and infrastructure, and sustainable cities and communities. You will learn about the role of vehicles in transport systems and society, their subsystems, structures and functions, how to design, construct and evaluate their characteristics for different transport tasks, and how these affect factors such as safety, economy, energy efficiency and environmental aspects.
New, innovative technical solutions and knowledgeable engineers are needed to enable a transition to sustainable road and rail transport. As a vehicle engineer, you can work within global companies on, for instance, design, development, environmental aspects, calculation, testing and assessment of vehicles and transport systems, with sustainability representing an essential aspect of the work. With your acquired vehicle engineering knowledge, you can contribute to the development of environmentally friendly, resource-efficient, smart and safe vehicles and mobility solutions, which are essential components of an integrated transport system for a sustainable society.
Faculty and research
The division of Vehicle Engineering and Solid Mechanics is responsible for the master's programme in Vehicle Engineering and most of the courses in the programme.
Faculty and research in Vehicle Engineering
