New BSc programme to address engineer shortage

Starting in summer 2016, DTU is offering a new BSc programme entitled ‘General Engineering’. The study programme is intended to help correct the shortage of engineers in the Danish labour market.

The new ‘General Engineering’ BSc programme has just been approved, and applications are open for admission in summer 2016. At present, Denmark has a shortage of engineers and science graduates, and all forecasts suggest the trend will continue. For DTU, the new BSc is a way to actively help tackle the problem.

General Engineering is different from DTU's other BSc programmes, all of which are focused on a particular engineering discipline. In General Engineering, the students receive basic training in engineering combined with a thorough introduction to the fundamental science subjects mathematics, physics, and chemistry. They learn to apply their knowledge to specific industry-related problems.

"We hope that some of the international students will want to work in Denmark after completing their studies. The international study environment will also help the Danish students to broaden their international horizons."
Presiden Anders O. Bjarklev

“Right from the first semester, we have incorporated what we call the design-build element into the programme. It is a practical course allowing students to combine their knowledge across disciplines to solve some real-life engineering problems. This means we are preparing the students for the real world,” says Luise Theil Kuhn, head of studies for General Engineering.

Over the three years, students gradually work toward a specialization that qualifies them for an MSc programme at DTU or another university in Denmark or abroad. The four specializations are a reinterpretation of the classic engineering disciplines and are focused on life science, materials technology, IT, and green energy technology.

A BSc in General Engineering qualifies graduates to apply for a wide range of MSc programmes, but the programme also prepares students for a labour market calling out for generalist skills combined with business understanding and communication skills.

The programme is designed to appeal to young people throughout the World - the language of instruction is English, and 50 per cent of admissions will have an international background.

“We hope that some of the international students will want to work in Denmark after completing their studies. The international study environment will also help the Danish students to broaden their international horizons,” says the President Anders Bjarklev. 

Facts about General Engineering

The model of a broadly based engineering BSc is already established in a number of technical universities in Europe and North America.

General Engineering will be offered from the summer of 2016.

The programme will scale up to an annual intake of up to 150 over the next four years.

General Engineering is aimed at

  • prospective students with a Danish upper secondary education with mathematics at A level and chemistry, physics and English at B level.
  • prospective students with an International Baccalaureate
  • foreign students with an upper secondary education with admission requirements corresponding to mathematics at A level and chemistry, physics and English at B level.

Learn more about General Engineering on the website.