Cold Climate Engineering (Nordic Five Tech) - joint international programme
Boost your CV by studying abroad; graduate with a double degree from two internationally acclaimed universities; spend one year abroad, visit the Arctic and gain a unique specialization in Cold Climate Engineering.
The Arctic is a place unlike anywhere else. The ecosystem is fragile, the weather can be challenging and the infrastructure is scarce. These conditions make high demands on engineers working here.
The Nordic Master in Cold Climate Engineering is the first comprehensive master’s programme in cold climate engineering in Europe and gives the students a unique possibility to do field work and projects in Greenland or Svalbard. By actually going to the Arctic and applying their skills, the graduates get valuable first-hand insight into working as an engineer in one of the most challenging areas of the world.
Cold climate engineering has an increasingly important role to play in order to ensure a sustainable development of the Arctic. New shipping routes as well as mining possibilities are emerging in the region. The development of new industry in the Arctic region is intensifying fast and the industry now demands engineers who have specific Arctic competencies.
Graduates from the Nordic Master in Cold Climate Engineering will have the skills necessary to meet the demands of the industry as well to work in the fragile Arctic environment.
Focus
The main focus of the Nordic Master in Cold Climate Engineering is to give the students a profound understanding of how the obtained specializations can be applied in jobs as researchers, consulting or practising engineers in the Arctic.
All graduates will have the ability to work within a team of experts having different international backgrounds such as education, values, language, culture, etc.. and have a profound understanding of the challenging Arctic environment.
The teaching methods will include lectures, assignments, field work, laboratory work and project work. Theory is supported by experimental work and modelling, which are used intensively, and also depending on the track.
Specialization
The programme consists of three specialised study tracks:
- Land Track: Focus on Arctic geoengineering (DTU and NTNU)
- Sea Track: Focus on Arctic ships and offshore structures (NTNU and Aalto)
- Space Track: Focus on mapping and observing the Arctic (DTU and Aalto)
Find more information on study tracks and curricula on the programmes own website
Studying abroad jump-starts your career as employers are always looking for graduates with an international outlook and intercultural competencies. Upon graduation you may be eligible to enter a PhD programme at any of the participating universities, but you are also qualitied for demanding positions in industry.
Career opportunities
As a Cold Climate Engineering graduate you will typically be employed at consulting, design, surveying and construction companies, mining industry, oil companies, governmental bodies, or at research institutes and universities, which have activities related to the Arctic. Your role may be that of chief executive, development manager, team manager, consultant, specialist, or researcher.
Career Prospects for Cold Climate Engineers
When you finish the Nordic Master in Cold Climate Engineering you will benefit from the combined competences, knowledge and facilities from some of the world’s leading technical universities in the field of Arctic research. You will also gain a holistic approach to engineering in one of the most challenging regions of the world.
Each track gives a profound understanding of how the obtained specialisations can be applied in jobs as consulting or practising engineers, working in places such as design and construction companies, the mining industry, high-tech companies, research operations, and governmental bodies.
All graduates will be prepared to work in teams of experts with different international backgrounds (education, values, language, culture, etc.).
In order to apply for a Nordic Master in Cold Climate Engineering, you have to fulfill a number of requirements.
Degree Requirements
Applicants must hold a BSc or BEng corresponding to a minimum of 180 ECTS. The academic requirements varies depending on the study track:
Land Track
Students with a Bachelor's degree corresponding to a minimum of 180 ECTS credits in the following fields can apply:
- Civil Engineering
- Civil and Environmental Engineering
- Engineering Geology
- Geo Engineering
Students with a BEng in Arctic Technology can apply to the Land Track if they fulfill the requirements described in the prerequisites for the Master of Science in Civil Engineering.
Applicants must document that they have fulfilled the following minimum requirements:
- A BSc with at least 30 ECTS in Mathematics, of which at least 5 should be in Statistics, 20 ECTS in Physics
- Basics in Engineering Geology, Geotechnics and Soil Mechanics
Knowledge within material science is recommended.
Sea Track
Students with the following Bachelor’s degree can apply to the Sea Track:
- Naval Architecture
- Marine Technology
- Mechanical Engineering
- Civil and Environmental Engineering
- Applied Physics and Mathematics
Other requirements:
- Students need to have a high quality BSc degree with at least 30 ECTS in Mathematics, of which at least 5 should be in Statistics, and at least 20 ECTs in Mechanics/ Physics and/or Thermodynamics. These courses can include a) General physics, b) Applied solid, fluid or thermo-mechanics and/ or c) Structural/engineering mechanics.
- Students with a BSc in Naval Architecture, Marine Technology, Mechanical Engineering, Civil and Environmental Engineering and Applied Physics and mathematics are encourages to apply if they fulfill the requirements specified above.
Space Track
The applicant should have a Bachelor’s degree (minimum 180 ECTS credits or equivalent) in:
- Electrical Engineering
- Earth and Space Physics Engineering
- Physics
- Other related fields
The following background knowledge with at least 50 ECTS is required for the Master's Programme:
- Electronics
- Mathematics
- Basic programming skills
- Physics
English language requirements:
When applying for admission, you must provide evidence of your academic achievements and proficiency in English. The English language requirements to this programme are equal to the requirements to DTU’s English taught MSc programmes. For information on how to fulfill the English language requirements
The Cold Climate Engineering programme has a number of predefined study lines. Each line is divided between two of the partner universities. This means that you spend one year (60 ECTS) at each of the two universities.
The specific universities and the order in which you stay at them are determined by your chosen study line:
| Semester 1 | University 1 |
| Semester 2 | University 1 |
| Semester 3 | University 2 |
| Semester 4 | University 2 |
To learn more about the study tracks and the curricula, please go to the programme’s own website.
How to apply
You apply to the university were you want to spend your first year.
See study track overview on programme website.
Admission Procedure
There is joint admission for the Nordic Master in Cold Climate Engineering. This means that all applications must be submitted through the DTU online application portal.
Nordic Five Tech (N5T) is an exclusive, strategic alliance of the five leading technical universities in the Nordic countries which offers you a unique and broad range of academic specialization opportunities.
The universities participating in the Nordic Master in Cold Climate Engineering are:
Aalto University
Helsinki, Finland - www.aalto.fi
Located 10 km from the centre of Finland’s capital, Helsinki, the Otaniemi campus was designed by the world-renowned architect Alvar Aalto.
Aalto University builds on a 300-year-history from the merger of three highly-regarded universities and works towards a better world through top-quality research, interdisciplinary collaboration, pioneering education, surpassing traditional boundaries, and enabling renewal.
Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU)
Trondheim, Norway - www.ntnu.edu
Located at the mouth of the river Nidelva in the picturesque town of Trondheim, The Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) is Norway’s primary institution for educating the nation's future engineers and scientists.
NTNU represents academic eminence in technology and the natural sciences as well as in other academic disciplines—ranging from the social sciences, the humanities, medicine and architecture to fine art.
Learn more
Related programmes
Head of studies
Asmus Skar Associate Professor Department of Environmental and Resource Engineering Phone: +45 45251807 asska@dtu.dk