Naval Architecture and Offshore Engineering - Specialization

Learn methods to design, construct, test, and operate ships, offshore wind turbines, wave energy converters, and aquaculture facilities – while developing safe, cost-effective, and efficient structures with minimal adverse impacts on the local and global environments.

If you are interested in the mechanical aspects of Naval Architecture and Offshore Engineering, you may consider this specialisation under the master programme in Mechanical Engineering. The aim is to prepare you for a maritime industry career or basic research in this field. The focus is on developing safe, cost-effective, and efficient ships and offshore structures, that have minimal adverse impacts on the environment.

This specialisation assumes a background equivalent to the DTU BSc program in Mechanical Engineering with a focus on Maritime Engineering. You should have a basic knowledge of fluid mechanics, ship design, intact and damaged stability, environmental loading, and ship structures.

Advanced technical disciplines within Naval Architecture and Offshore Engineering include: structural assessment of ships, wave theory, wave loads on ships, and ship operations. You will also obtain competences in several closely related topics, such as flow around structures, computational fluid dynamics (CFD) as well as theory of plates and sandwich constructions. You will also learn general aspects of innovation and sustainability.

A full study plan can be seen below together with a list of recommended elective courses. It is mandatory to follow this study plan to obtain a diploma in Mechanical Engineering with the “Naval Architecture and Offshore Engineering” specialisation. In the case of an exchange stay abroad the student has to contact the Head of Study in advance. During your study, elective courses can be chosen to obtain the exact tailored Maritime profile that you desire. Finally, you will do a master’s thesis to focus and sharpen your skills and meet the requirements for the engineer of the future within Naval Architecture and Ocean Engineering. Completing this specialisation will provide you with a diploma stating that you are a Mechanical Engineer with the specilisation “Naval Architecture and Offshore Engineering”.

The following study plan assumes the start of the study in September, such that 1st semester is fall, 2nd semester is spring, 3 semester is fall and the thesis work is carried out in spring. It includes only one spring semester of courses.

To fulfill the requirements to obtain the specialization the students must take the courses in the proposed study plan.

Polytechnical foundation
Programme specific courses
Thesis
Electives
1.Semester
41111
Hydrodynamics 2
5 point
41516
Anisotropy and fibre composites
5 point
41275
Ship operations
5 point
12106
Quantitative Sustainability... Quantitative Sustainability (Polytechnical Foundation)
5 point
41822
Experimental fluid mechanics
5 point
Electives
Elective courses
5 point
2.Semester
41107
Marine and ocean engineering
5 point
41226
Advanced Wave Hydrodynamics
5 point
41317
Computational Fluid Dynamics
5 point
41517
Stiffened plates and sandwich... Stiffened plates and sandwich constructions
5 point
42500
Innovation in Engineering (Polytechnical... Innovation in Engineering (Polytechnical Foundation)
5 point
electives
Elective courses
5 point
3.Semester
41216
Structural assessment of ships
5 point
41222
Wave loads on ships and offshore... Wave loads on ships and offshore structures
5 point
41636
Design for Circular Economy
5 point
Elective
Elective courses
15 point
4.Semester
Speciale
Master's thesis
30 point

The list below includes elective courses recommended for the Engineering Design and Product Development specialization. The courses are not required to be taken to obtain the specialization.

41117 Marine and Coastal Structures 5 point Autumn E1A (Mon 8-12)
41129 Turbulent flows 5 point Autumn E4B (Fri 8-12)
41315 Applied CFD 5 point June
41316 Advanced CFD 5 point Autumn E3B (Fri 13-17)
41320 Advanced fluid mechanics 5 point Autumn E2B (Thurs 8-12)
41346 Internal combustion engines - experimental methods and data processing 5 point Spring F4A (Tues 13-17)
41514 Dynamics of machinery 5 point Spring F4B (Fri 8-12)
41525 Finite Element Methods 10 point Autumn E5 (Wed 8-17)
41526 Fracture mechanics 5 point Autumn E2B (Thurs 8-12)

Specializations are merely recommended ways of choosing the courses in the curriculum. Applicants are not admitted to a specialization but to the programme and it is possible to choose among all the courses in the curriculum following the directions given. However, if a specialization has been fulfilled the title of the specialization may be added to the diploma.

Dreaming of a career in the maritime industry?

With a degree in maritime engineering from DTU you are prepared for a career in the maritime industry - an industry in increasing demand for highly specialized engineers who can help reduce emissions and develop sustainable solutions.

Learn more about your options
Maritime Engineering