Pre-Master | Mechanical Engineering | MSc University of Twente

Achieved a Dutch degree and wish to follow the master's in Mechanical Engineering? Find out if you need to follow a pre-master's first.

After you have sent in your application for the Master's in Mechanical Engineering, a committee will check your eligibility. An outcome of this assessment may be that you first have to complete a pre-master's before being admitted.

What is a pre-master's?

A pre-master's is a transfer programme for students of a Dutch university of applied sciences ('hbo' in Dutch) or a Dutch research university who cannot be admitted directly to the master's they wish to follow. The goal is to bridge the gap between your current bachelor's (in a related field) and your future master's. Learn more about pre-master's in general.

What applies to you?

Do you want to get insights into the pre-master's? The programme you need to take, depends on your previous or current education. What kind of education do or did you follow?

University of applied sciences (Dutch HBO)

As a bachelor's student from a Dutch university of applied sciences (HBO), it is mandatory to follow a pre-master's first to prepare you for this master's. You can start the pre-master's during your bachelor's as a transfer minor or after obtaining your bachelor’s degree. During the pre-master's you are taught various scientific research skills and your knowledge in mathematics and statistics is raised to an academic level.

The content of the pre-master’s is the same for all specialisations of the Master’s in Mechanical Engineering:

Contents of pre-master's for Mechanical Engineering

Quartile 1 September - November	EC	Quartile 2 November - February	EC
Calculus A	5	Calculus B	3
Linear Algebra	3	Matlab	2,5
System Analysis	4	Engineering Thermodynamics	3
Academic Research Skills	3	Elasticity Theory	2
		Academic Research Skills	4,5
Total of EC	15		15

Quartile 3 February - April	EC	Quartile 4 April - June	EC
Intro Finite Element Methods	3,5	System and Control Engineering	4,0
Heat Transfer	3,5	Dynamics 2	4,5
Fluid Mechanics	3,5
Total of EC	10,5		8,5

During or after your HBO

You have the option to follow the pre-master's during your current HBO bachelor's within a transfer minor. It's an option worth considering as it saves you time and money: the programme of 30 EC fits within your minor space and you do not incur any extra costs because you have already paid tuition fees for your bachelor's. A second option is to first get your bachelor's degree and then transfer to this Master's via the Pre-Master's.

Study load

The pre-master's is a 49 EC full-time study programme, which you must complete within one academic year and with a maximum of two exam opportunities per course.

If you follow the pre-master's during your HBO bachelor's transfer minor, you must complete an additional 19 EC of pre-master's courses during your master's programme.

Admission deadlines

Before starting the application procedure you should always check the application deadlines.

Costs

You pay a fee per EC. Each academic year, the amount per EC will be reassessed. Visit the tuition page for the current fees.

If you choose to fit your pre-master's into your current HBO bachelor's, you can avoid extra costs; after all, you already pay tuition fees for your current bachelor's.

Technical bachelor's at a Dutch research university (Dutch WO)

As a bachelor's student of a technical university or other Dutch research university, you might not be directly admissible for this Master's. Find out here if you are directly admissible or whether you have to take a pre-master's first.

You can start the pre-master's during your bachelor's as a (transfer) minor or after obtaining your bachelor’s degree.

The content of the pre-master’s is the same for all specialisations of the Master’s in Mechanical Engineering:

Study load

Depending on your pre-education, the pre-master's is a 15-60 EC full-time study programme, which you must complete within one academic year and with a maximum of two exam opportunities per course.

Application deadlines

Before starting the application procedure you should always check the application deadlines.

Costs

You pay a fee per EC. Each academic year, the amount per EC will be reassessed. Visit the tuition page for the current fees.

If you choose to fit your pre-master's into your current bachelor's, you can avoid extra costs; after all, you already pay tuition fees for your current bachelor's.

International education

As an international student, you first check whether you meet the admission requirements. If so, you need to sign up for the Master's in Mechanical Engineering, as it is not possible to apply for the Pre-Master’s directly. The admissions committee assesses your enrolment and checks whether your prior education is sufficient to successfully complete the Master's. Perhaps you need this Pre-Master's to enhance prior knowledge. In this case, your Master’s application will be converted into an enrolment for the Pre-Master's in consultation with you.

Please note that as a non-EEA international student, you can only apply for the master’s directly and do not have the option of participating in a pre-master's.

Check if you meet the admission requirements
Our eligibility check is designed to assist you as a student holding a non-Dutch diploma. It gives you an indication of your eligibility, i.e. your chances of being admitted to this Master's.

Contents, study load and costs

The content and study load (number of EC) depend on the prior education programme and can vary. To follow the Pre-Master's, you have to pay an amount per EC. The total amount is based on the number of ECs of your Pre-Master's.

START DATE

The Pre-Master's starts every September.

What is expected of you?

The pre-master's is designed not only to address any deficiencies in your prior knowledge, but it is also an effective way to find out whether studying at a research university is right for you. Therefore, the following rules apply:

You have to complete the pre-master’s successfully within one academic year.
There is a maximum of two exams per course.

Contact

For questions about your admission to this pre-master's, contact the coordinator mentioned below. For general information about the Master's in Mechanical Engineering, you can contact our Study Information Centre.

E.C.M. Luijkx MSc (Elora)

Coordinator Pre-Masters Faculty ET

premastercoordinator-et@utwente.nl

Building: Horst Complex

Pre-master's Programme

What applies to you?

Contents

During or after your HBO

Study load

Admission deadlines

Costs

Contents

Study load

Application deadlines

Costs

Contents, study load and costs

START DATE

What is expected of you?

Contact

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