There is room for 18 students in the first programme in mechanical engineering, which takes place digitally at DTU. Still, already 23 have applied for the programme as the priority before the deadline for winter admission on 1 December.
"It is very gratifying to see that digital education appeals to young people who want to study mechanical engineering. Denmark needs more engineers, and by developing digital education, we are also creating new opportunities. It is quite natural that digitalization also moves into the way we educate our students. This is the first time we offer a diploma programme that primarily takes place digitally.
And we can only say that we have got it right. It is very satisfying that the search has been as large as it is," says Dean Lars D. Christoffersen.
Online education, but not exclusively
Denmark is one of the most digitized societies in the world. The digital engineering programmes are a brand-new initiative from DTU, which both addresses societal development and allows a new group of people to take an education as an engineer. The programmes are structured so that the students alternate between longer periods of virtual collaboration and shorter periods of physical attendance on campus.
In this way, DTU will combine the best of both worlds; digital classroom teaching, online group work, self-study, and guidance – combined with stays on campus, where the students collaborate and test their knowledge, work with exercises in DTU's workshops and laboratories. The digital programmes are of the same high quality as DTU's other engineering programmes.
A few more women
Applicants for DTU's first digital engineering programme in mechanical engineering are divided almost equally between Midt/Vestsjælland and the Copenhagen area, with a few applicants from Funen and Jutland. There is also a tendency for more women among applicants this year than in previous years.
"This is a positive development compared to the intake in recent years. At DTU, we want an equal distribution between the sexes and students from all parts of the country, so we see a development in the right direction," says Lars D. Christoffersen.
The first but not the last
The BEng programme in mechanical engineering is the first programme offered digitally by DTU. Next on the schedule is a bachelor's degree programme in General Engineering—taught in Danish—which will be provided at the summer admission in 2023
