Prerequisites for Earth and Space Physics and Engineering

Academic requirements for this programme

National Applicants (holding a Bachelor from Denmark)

Students from the following BSc Eng Programme at DTU have a legal right of admission to the MSc Eng programme in Earth and Space Physics and Engineering:

• Earth and Space Physics and Engineering

Students from the following BSc Eng programmes at DTU

• Engineering Physics
• Electrical Engineering
• General Engineering, Advanced Materials or Future Energy

can be admitted if they have completed the following as part of their bachelor programme, in addition to the Polytechnical Foundation within mathematics, physics, and programming.

As the minimum, one course in each of the following two groups providing advanced knowledge in mathematics and electromagnetism (10080 for General Engineering only), respectively:

Additionally, central courses on the bachelor are strongly recommended to acquire the right prerequisites, and it is advised to take as many courses (or equivalent) as possible - at least 5 ECTS - from the following list to prepare the desired study plan:

Other National and International (holding a Bachelor from outside Denmark) Applicants

Applicants with other BSc Engs from DTU and other BSc Engs and BScs in Natural Sciences from Danish or international universities may also be admitted to the programme, based on an individual assessment.

Applicants should possess good qualifications in basic mathematics and physics, including electromagnetics, thermodynamics, astrophysics, geophysics, basic electric circuit theory, as well as numerical methods and programming.

BScs in Oceanography from the University of the Faroe Islands can be admitted but must expect to upgrade their knowledge of basic electric circuit theory in the first semester.

The specific academic requirements for the MSc courses can be found in DTU's course database, and it is the individual student's responsibility to ensure that these requirements are met.

As a guide, the following two groups of DTU courses form the basis for the general competencies required to enter the ESPE master degree programme. It is advised that applicants during their bachelor have completed similar courses equivalent to at least the first group of courses mentioned below.

Note however that the above list of courses does not ensure all necessary prerequisites for the courses of the MSc programme. Depending on the focus area of interest during the MSc programme, different courses from the list are more relevant than others and choices should then be done in order to secure the necessary prerequisites.

Moreover, the 2^nd group of courses (or similar) in the list below form a good basis for the ESPE MSc programme.

Limited intake and selection criteria - From Autumn 2026 intake

The master's degree programme has a limited intake. Meeting the admission requirements does not automatically ensure your offer of admission. Because of the limited intake all qualified applicants will be prioritised according to a set of selection criteria and a point-based system.

Only if you are a student with a Bachelor’s degree from a Danish institution and meet one of the four criterias listed below will you be guaranteed an offer of admission:

1. Legal right of admission
2. Direct admission
3. Students who have been conditionally admitted under the Supplementary admission
4. Pre-approved students under the *Transition semester* category

Other National and International applicants

Selection criteria

If there are more qualified applicants than available student places, the selection will be based on the following criteria: 

Evaluation Criteria and Weighting: 

*Programme specific – Number of ECTS 

• 10034  - Thermodynamics and statistical physics     5  point   
• 30121  - Astrophysics I    5  point      
• 30131 - Geo- and Planetary Physics I     5  point      
• 30160  - Continuous and Discrete Time Signals     5  point     
• 30015 - Basic electronics for instrumentation     5  point     

The minimum point requirement for the programme will be determined based on the overall competitiveness of the other applicants.

General admission requirements

Only applicants holding a relevant Bachelor of Science in Engineering, a Bachelor in Engineering (diplomingeniøruddannelse) or a Bachelor of Natural Science degree can be admitted to a Master of Science in Engineering programme. The bachelor's degree must be less than ten years old.

Supplementary educational activities (only applicable for National students):  The individual MSc Eng programme states in detail which bachelor programmes qualify and whether applicants must complete supplementary educational activities. Requirements for supplementary educational activities can equate to up to 30 ECTS credits and are specified as a list of courses under the individual MSc Eng programmes. The specific requirements must be met before graduating from the bachelor's programme or in connection with conditional admission to a particular MSc Eng programme. The courses must be passed prior to the commencement of studies within one year from the conditional admission. Supplementary educational activities in connection with conditional admission to an MSc Eng programme do not form part of the MSc Eng programme, and tuition fees are charged. If the supplementary courses have not been passed within the specified deadlines, the conditional admission to the programme is withdrawn.

The Master of Science in Engineering programmes are offered in English. Therefore applicants must demonstrate proficiency in English (B-level, IELTS, TOEFL, CAE) Applying for an MSc at DTU - Language test requirements

DTU offers an Honours Programme as part of all MSc  Eng. programmes. The admission requirements are described at https://www.dtu.dk/english/education/graduate/honours-programmes

Specific prerequisites for the Industry MSc Eng Programmes

The prerequisites are similar to the specific ones that apply to the 2-year-programmes, but in addition, the applicant must have a job relevant to the studies with a workload of at least 25 hours a week, or the applicant may be self-employed in a start-up company. Read more about the rules on https://www.dtu.dk/english/education/graduate/industry-master-of-science-in-engineering