Program Overview

Introduction to the Master's Program in Automotive Technology

The Master's program in Automotive Technology at Eindhoven University of Technology (TU/e) offers students the freedom to specialize while building a strong foundation in vehicle systems from a multidisciplinary perspective. This two-year program involves specialists from five different faculties to prepare students for complex challenges in modern mobility.

Program Structure

The program is organized around two main themes: Smart Mobility and Sustainable Mobility, promoting a systems engineering approach. This allows students to understand how technologies interact within the entire vehicle system.

Year 1: Building a Strong Foundation

In the first year, students assemble their own program with their mentor's guidance. The curriculum includes:

• Core courses (30 ECTS)
• Specialization courses (15 ECTS)
• Elective courses (15 ECTS)

Core Program

The core program is compulsory for all Automotive Technology students and includes:

1. Vehicle Dynamics: Focuses on the longitudinal, lateral, and vertical dynamics of road vehicles, particularly passenger cars on four wheels.
2. Powertrains: Covers internal combustion engines and electric drives, including the factors determining engine efficiency and the implementation of these factors in a systematic model.
3. Realtime Software Systems Engineering: Deals with the design, implementation, and analysis of realtime control systems, including requirements engineering, conceptual modeling, software evolution, software architecture, and realtime synchronization.
4. Automotive Human Factors: Examines the relationship between the vehicle, the human driver, and the dynamic environment, focusing on productivity, safety, driver comfort, and driver experience.
5. The Automotive Systems Engineering Project: A concluding project that applies the knowledge gained in the previous courses, introducing students to the integrative and systemic design and investigation of vehicle systems through selected case studies.

Specialization Courses

Students choose specialization courses from an extensive list, depending on their chosen research group.

Elective Courses

Students have the freedom to choose elective courses from a wide range of options, including additional courses, participation in an internal research project, or extending their internship. They are not limited to automotive topics and can explore non-technical subjects like philosophy or business courses to gain a different perspective on their field.

Year 2: Applying Knowledge and Skills

The second year is dedicated to applying the subject matter knowledge and skills acquired during the study program.

Internship

An internship worth 15 ECTS, equivalent to about three months of full-time work, aims to develop students' scientific research skills while giving them the opportunity to link theory to daily professional practice. The topic and location of the internship are chosen in close collaboration with the student's mentor to ensure alignment with their specialization.

Graduation Project

The graduation project, which starts after completing the coursework and internship, is a significant research project where students contribute to the development of smarter and more sustainable vehicles. The project takes place under the responsibility of a professor, either within the university, a research institution, or a company. After a preparation phase, the project lasts at least six months, culminating in a report and a presentation where the student defends their work.

Pre-Master Program

The Pre-Master program in Automotive Technology is designed for students who have not been directly admitted to the Master's program in Automotive Technology. It strengthens the student's academic foundation and prepares them for the multidisciplinary challenges of Automotive Technology. Students with relevant HBO diplomas (such as Automotive, Aerospace Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Mechatronics, or Applied Physics) are directly eligible. Others are assessed by the Departmental Admission Committee upon application.

Research Groups

The Automotive Technology program involves several research groups across different departments, including:

• Control Systems Technology
• Dynamics and Control
• Model Driven Software Engineering
• Signal Processing Systems
• Interconnected Resource-aware Intelligent Systems
• Electronic Systems
• Future Everyday
• Human Technology Interaction
• Power & Flow
• Control Systems
• Electromechanics and Power Electronics

Each group has its mission and focus areas, contributing to the broad and multidisciplinary approach of the Automotive Technology program at TU/e.