New at DTU - intro for MSc students
Welcome to DTU! To prepare for your arrival at DTU in the best possible way, please take time to read the info below.

Welcome to DTU! To prepare for your arrival at DTU in the best possible way, please take time to read the info below.
Important things you need to prepare before starting at DTU.
To access DTU’s data-bars, IT-systems and intranet (DTU Inside), you need a valid username and password. After you accept your study place, the MSc admission team will initiate the process for you, in order to gain access.
You will receive an email with your username and password after which you can access the information on DTU Inside. Please note that your username for DTU’s IT systems is your student ID number. For more details, please refer to your admission letter.
If you already have a valid username (student ID number) and password for DTU’s IT systems, you should not change your username or password, even if you are starting a new study programme.
When you are admitted to DTU you will be assigned an email account with the University that looks like this:
s[student ID number]@student.dtu.dk—e.g.: s119999@student.dtu.dk
DTU uses this email address to contact you both prior to, and during your stay at the University. Please make sure to check your DTU student e-mail account regularly.
You can access your DTU student e-mail account from DTU Inside, under Toolbox > DTU Student mail.
Make sure you order your student card before you arrive. It is a good idea to do it as soon as you receive your student number. It takes approximately 2-3 weeks to get your card ready for you.
To order a student card, you simply need to upload your photo to DTUbasen, which is DTU’s database for all students and employees.
You log on using your student number and your password.
Once the picture has been approved, the student ID card will be produced.
If you already have a valid student ID card, you do not need to order a new card.
We will send your student ID card to your address as listed in the national register. Most international students, however, will receive an email when the card is ready, and be asked to collect it in the International Student Services.
The student card is a personal identification card, and you should always carry your card with you when you are on DTU's campuses. Not only do you use it to identify yourself as a DTU student, but it also serves as your library card, allows you to gain access to facilities and data-bars outside regular opening hours, and grants various student discounts with relevant providers; for example in the DTU canteens.
If you need to change your pin for your student card, block a lost student card and/or order a new student card, this can be done on the Cardadmin website by logging in with your DTU Inside login.
The Cardadmin website can be used to check the status of your card.
For international MSc students: International Student Services will always send you an email once your student card is ready to be picked up. Therefore, please note, that even if the status of your student card is “Student card must be activated”, this does not necessarily mean that your card is ready to be picked up from International Student Services.
You can find a description of the mandatory and elective courses on your study programme as well as the structure and competence profile in DTU’s programme specifications for MSc programmes.
Please note that from the academic year 2023/2024, a new structure will be introduced for the civil engineering degree at DTU. This applies to students who are enrolled in the new study programmes starting from September 1, 2023. You can find more information on the new structure at dtu.dk.
This means that the curriculum for all MSc programmes will change. These changes become effective from 3 July.
DTU’s rules and regulations contain the most important rules applicable to all students at DTU.
Please note, you cannot register for courses until you have accepted DTU's code of honour. You can read more about DTU’s code of honour on our intranet DTU Inside (login required).
You can find a description of the courses offered at DTU in our online course catalogue, where you can search by keyword or by department.
When searching in the course catalogue, please pay attention to the fixed DTU schedule for the 13-week periods (February to May and September to December), which is as follows.
Each course has a time slot indicating when the course is taught, and as such allowing you to plan your desired schedule in advance. The time slots consist of the codes below, followed by either an E or an F. E means Autumn and F means Spring.
Monday |
Tuesday |
Wednesday |
Thursday |
Friday |
|
8 am - 12 am |
1A |
3A |
5A |
2B |
4B |
12 am - 1 pm |
Break |
Break |
Break |
Break |
Break |
1 pm - 5 pm |
2A |
4A |
5B |
1B |
3B |
5 pm - 6 pm |
Break |
Break |
Break |
Break |
Break |
6 pm - 10 pm |
|
Evening module |
|
|
|
You register for courses via DTU’s study planning tool the Study Planner. You need your username and password to log on to the Study Planner. See the Study Planner guide
Upon admission to DTU’s MSc programmes, you are obliged to apply for credit transfer for passed programme elements (courses etc.) from previous non-completed study programmes of the same level.
This applies to all previous MSc programmes, also those not related to science or technology.
As a student at DTU, you must pay for your books yourself.
The amount of money you can expect to spend on books depends a lot on what you study (some study programmes require almost no books at all).
A general rule is that you can expect to spend between DKK 0 and 2200 per semester.
If you are required to purchase books for a specific course, this will be listed on the course website in the DTU course base under the section “Course Literature”.
You can purchase all your books at Polyteknisk Boghandel at DTU. They offer a discount, and furthermore, they offer a booklist guarantee, meaning that they check and double-check all books with the professor and the publishing house prior to publishing a booklist. If there should be a mistake in the book listed for a specific course at the bookstore, the bookstore will make sure to correct this mistake.
It is also possible to find many used books online. It is also possible to buy books from former students, via online forums such as “Brugte bøger/Used books -DTU”. Furthermore, some books can also be borrowed from the DTU Library.
At DTU, you are required to have a laptop as a student. It is not possible to borrow any laptops from DTU, so you will need to make sure you have acquired one yourself before beginning your studies.
When you start your Masters’ Education, remember to apply for SU. SU is state funding offered from the Danish Government for further education.
Danish students are entitled to SU regardless of social standing, however if you come from an EU/EEA or other country, there are some special conditions you must fulfil in order to receive SU.
Learn more about SU and how to apply:
If you start on your MSc programme in September, you can receive SU during the holiday that falls between completing your BSc/BEng programme and commencing your MSc programme, provided that there are no more than two months between the two study programmes.
Read more about SU for step-divided courses (information only in Danish).
When studying at DTU, you have the opportunity to apply for special educational support (SPS) if you have a permanent functional impairment. The support is intended to compensate you for your impairment, so you can study on an equal footing with your fellow students.
Contact the SPS unit at DTU; you can register in DTU’s SPS enquiry portal or contact us. Find contact details on dtu.dk.
When you go from your BSc/BEng programme to your MSc programme, you must have your technical aids provided by SPS transferred. Contact the SPS Unit about this.
If you already receive special educational support on your qualifying programme, you must have your technical aids transferred. Contact the SPS Unit at DTU about this.
FAQ about SPS: