Specialisation in Personalised Health Technology

Get support in choosing a master's
This specialisation will be offered from Sept. 2020
View all specialisations

Using mechanical engineering to tackle healthcare challenges

Are you interested in combining several mechanical engineering and other technical disciplines with a medical perspective in order to address healthcare problems? Would you like to contribute to the development of innovative functional prosthetics, special wheelchairs or other rehabilitation and orthopaedic aids that will increase the independence and freedom of movement of individuals? Or contribute to the revolutionary development of better devices to support or even replace organs like hearts or lungs? If so, the Master’s specialisation Personalised Health Technology (PHT), one of seven specialisations you can choose from within our Mechanical Engineering (ME) Master’s programme, could be the perfect choice for you.

The Master’s specialisation Personal Health Technology integrates several mechanical engineering disciplines to analyse, simulate and support aspects of human functioning. This offers possibilities for experimental and theoretical approaches to real-life problems, or the design of solutions for use in the medical arena. We study the special mechanical properties of living biological tissue (muscle functioning and tissue engineering), flow problems related to heart and lungs, the dynamics and coordination of the human movement system, and we apply this in the development of instruments and methodologies that support the daily life functioning of individuals. Real-life mechanical behaviour is highly non-linear, time-dependent and non-isotropic, so a lot of creative engineering is needed to deal with this.

The Personalised Health Technology specialisation is embedded and finds applications in most of the departments and disciplines of Mechanical Engineering.

Why choose this specialisation at UT?

The Personalised Health Technology specialisation combines a solid educational programme in Mechanical Engineering with highly relevant societal challenges in healthcare. It is highly multidisciplinary, as most research projects involve input from several technical disciplines and from clinical and industrial partners. The specialisation directly involves the TechMed Centre of the University of Twente, thus enabling access to a wide variety of laboratories and facilities. Both the TechMed Centre and Biomechanical Engineering are world leaders on a large number of topics.

Examples of specialisation courses

The specialisation offers a variety of courses that allows you to personalize your programme according to your own interests and preferences. These include core and elective courses and are always combined with a full-time internship in your second year at a clinical or industrial organization and your graduation project. Course options include:

A number of these courses may contain elements that link mechanical engineering to human physiology. 

graduation

Combine research with practical application in an industrial setting

As a university that places a strong emphasis on societal impact and valorization, we require our Master’s students to choose graduation projects in which they combine fundamental research with a practical application in a real-world setting. Many of these projects are carried out in cooperation with and for leading medical, societal and industrial organizations. The graduation project will be tailored according to the requirements, wishes and interests of the stakeholders, including those of our students.

Examples of graduation projects

Career Prospects

Upon completion of the Master’s programme in Mechanical Engineering, you will receive a Master of Science degree. Employers in the industry will highly value your expertise as a qualified Mechanical Engineer, so you will be equipped to enter any area of mechanical engineering – not just the area of your Master’s specialisation.

Demand for mechanical engineers is enormous. As a UT Master’s graduate, you will be amply qualified to work at a wide range of companies in a variety of positions. Many graduates find jobs in research and development or design and construction. In design teams, they take on the role of engineering specialist or integrator, often functioning as a team leader. A relatively high number of them go on to manage other engineers in their first job.

Additionally, you have a demonstrated interest in solving problems related to healthcare and biomedical engineering, and you are aware of the human touch in technology. As healthcare and technology become increasingly interwoven, the need for engineers with expertise in biomechanics is also on the rise. Your degree is a plus when applying for positions in a more specialised industry, start-ups and research institutes.

Chat offline (info)
To use this functionality you first need to:
Accept cookies