Master's track Materials for High Tech Systems Design

How do you make cars safer when in collision? How do you build lightweight aircraft or print structures with optimal mechanical properties? How do you detect failure in windturbine blades? If these questions spark your curiosity, then the Master’s track Materials for High Tech Systems Design (MHS) at the TU/e is right up your alley.

To design and manufacture complex systems, you require materials with excellent properties, such as high stiffness and strength in combination with low weight. Applications of these materials are found in the automotive and aerospace industries as well as the offshore and semiconductor sectors. In this master’s track, you learn how to quantify and improve the properties of these materials and apply them in the design of a complex structure. We study a wide range of materials –  polymers, metal alloys, ceramics and composite or hybrid materials. Advanced manufacturing techniques, such as 3D printing of these materials, are an important part of your studies.

What’s in it for me?
Material science, continuum mechanics, experimental techniques, computational mechanics,  system design, optimization and more. Material for High Tech Systems Design covers a variety of different topics. This master’s track encompasses three pillars of science: experiment, theory and simulation.=. Specialized labs (such as the Multiscale lab, the Mechanical Testing lab and the Polymer Processing Lab) and high-performance computing facilities are at the center of our education and research. MHS provides you with the skills and know-how to use these amenities, including training in software development and state-of-the-art simulation tools (both open-source codes and commercial packages).

What’s the track all about?
Materials for High Tech Systems Design (MHS) is all about acquiring fundamental understanding of the properties of advanced engineering materials and their application in complex systems. Apart from the mechanical properties of these materials, including the onset and evolution of damage and failure, you also study their thermal and electrical properties. To this end, you learn to use various modeling approaches, experimental techniques, and numerical tools to describe these properties and to predict the behavior of the materials in the system. In addition, you learn to apply the materials in the manufacturing and design process to get the most out of the material in the full structure. After finishing this master’s track, you become an all-round designer and materials specialist with a broad knowledge of a wide range of materials and their applications. 

Why would this master’s track be a good fit for me?
If you are interested in engineering materials, complex systems, advanced manufacturing techniques and material processing, enroll in the Master’s track in Materials for High Tech Systems Design! To do so, however, this master’s track requires a bachelor's degree in a field related to mechanical engineering, applied physics, aerospace engineering, or similar. You should have prior knowledge in subjects such as continuum mechanics and material properties of polymers and metals. Affinity with physics and mathematics in general would be an advantage.

Why should I follow this master’s track at the TU/e?
The Netherlands has been at the forefront of both materials science and systems design for decades, training highly skilled engineers and researchers for the high-tech industries. In Eindhoven - which is at the heart of the Brainport region of the Netherlands – this expertise has found its way to a range of industries. These include the semiconductor, automotive and  3D printing sectors and many other companies and research institutes in the eco-system for the production of advanced systems. The broad adoption of engineering mechanics in general and – in particular – the application to materials in regional high tech systems creates a unique learning environment, focused on fundamental understanding and application in the context of state-of-the-art technologies. As a graduate of this track, you have the knowledge and skills at your disposal to help tackle complex and urgent societal issues. As a result, the demand for engineers who have graduated in Mechanical Engineering with a specialization in Materials for High Tech Systems Design is high.