About the Materials Science Engineering study programme

• Structure and content

  Language: The programme is taught in English.

  Curriculum: See the current curriculum (pdf) 

  See the executive order (only in Danish)

  See the study activity model

  See average grades and statistics of VIAs programmes (only in Danish)

  What is a professional Bachelor's degree?

  Note: New curriculum

  At VIA, we strive to develop and improve our study programmes. Just now, we are updating the Materials Science Engineering programme as well as the other engineering programmes at VIA. The purpose being to educate engineers with the skills in demand among employers.
  
  Shortly, we will upload a new curriculum and describe the content of the Materials Science Engineering engineer programme in further detail. For now you can read more about VIA Engineering and the characteristics of a VIA Engineer by clicking this link. Read more about VIA Engineering.
  
  Furthermore, you are more than welcome to contact the programme, if you have any questions or need more information. Contact Materials Science Engineering. 
  
  During the Materials Science Engineering programme, you will attend a broad range of courses. The more general ones are going to prepare you for the world of engineering. Alongside this, you will also attend courses, that are directly related to the field of materials and the industrial sector. These courses will give you a more specialised profile that makes you stand out compared to students enrolled at other engineering programmes at VIA. At all VIA’s engineering programmes, we have independently from which field you are enrolled at, a focus on sustainability, digitalisation, innovation and entrepreneurship. These are fundamental elements, which we are working with during the entire programme and it will be naturally implemented in the lessons, projects during the semesters and internships.

  The programme provides you with a broad knowledge of materials and processes. Progressing with the problem will lead you from basic material knowledge and understanding to expert knowledge of new and innovative materials, such as those that can make textiles last longer and adjust to body temperatures.

  Each semester has an overall theme that shows you different perspectives within the beautiful world of materials. You will also gain insight into modern processing technology so you can help optimise techniques, product design, innovation, business development, financial considerations and production and supply chain consideration in manufacturing companies.

  Each subject helps you develop a deeper understanding of the challenges of the particular theme. Each semester concludes with a semester project, enabling you to work with the theme in companies all over the world. 

  Information about computer requirements

  We recommend that you acquire a PC with the the appropriate specifications before starting at VIA.

  Read about computer requirements before your programme start (pdf)

   

• Student life

  The courses at the Materials Science Engineer programme consist primarily of classroom teaching. Classes are based on project work with emphasis on problem-based learning. Project work is based on concrete cases from real businesses. Your lessons vary between theory and practice. This means, that your will learn academic theories of engineering and how to transfer theories to practical tasks, projects and cases. Project work takes place both individually and in teams. In the early stages of the study programme you will be introduced to your teammates.

  Parts of the teaching may go elsewhere, for example the innovation programme in the 6th semester which takes place in Horsens for all engineering students at the same time. 

  In your training as a material engineer, we help you set realistic goals – and achieve them. We offer mentoring programs and a study preparation course that allows you to study effectively.

  Company visits

  At VIA, we educate engineers in close cooperation with businesses. Therefore, we organise company visits during your studies, at which you can meet fully-trained Materials Science Engineers, who will introduce you to their workdays and tasks. By that, you will learn how different companies operate, what the day-to-day tasks are like for a Materials Science Engineer and what you can expect, when you finish your studies.
  
  Because of the close cooperation with businesses and the insight into the workdays of Materials Science Engineers you will get specialized skills which will motivate and dedicate you to your studies.

  Study start

  During the first days of your first semester, you will be introduced to your study programme and the study environment at your new campus. Study start is comprised of both academic introduction to your programme as well as social activities, where you get to know your fellow students.
  As a part of study start, you will meet your lecturers, student counsellors and mentors. They are all ready to answer your questions and tell you about your new study programme. An experienced student from the Materials Science Engineering programme will be assigned to you as your mentor and help you settle in your new role as a student at VIA.
  Most of our programmes have study start in the end of August, but the final programme and dates will be announced at VIA’s intranet for students. You will get access to the site if you are enrolled at one our programmes.

  Study environment

  You have the opportunity to emerge yourself in the study environment once you are enrolled.
  
  At VIA, we have a lot of different associations, which you are more than welcome to join. We have both social, academic and political , or you can join the social life at Friday bars, parties or by playing board games in the afternoon.  

• Enrolment

  Admission requirements

  • Upper secondary school leaving certificate/high school exam or
  • Danish Admission course for Engineering programmes or
  • The International and the European Baccalaureates

  Specific admission requirements

  • Mathematics equivalent to a Danish B-level (min. 250 hours*) and
  • Physics equivalent to a Danish B-level (min. 190 hours*) or geoscience equivalent to a Danish A-level (min. 375 hours*) and
  • Chemistry equivalent to a Danish C-level (min. 75 hours*) or biotechnology equivalent to a Danish A-level (min. 375 hours*)

  *1 hour = 60 minutes. Study hours during the final three years in upper secondary school.

  Applicants must have passed the above-mentioned subjects with a minimum average weighted grade of 02. If you are applying with a foreign exam, your grades will be converted into Danish grades. 

  Non-Danish applicants must include a copy of the original exam certificate and a transcript of records plus a state-authorised translation of their transcript of records in either Danish or English.

  Admission with special permission

  If you do not fulfil the entry requirements, you can apply for admission with special permission. Read more here. 

  Verification form

  Applicants who hold a non-Danish entry qualification must fill in the verification form in order to verify the hours of instruction of every needed subject during the final three years of upper secondary school as well as last received grade. This helps us convert your qualifications to Danish levels. The verification form must be stamped and signed by your previous school in order to be accepted. The form must be submitted with your application at optagelse.dk.

  Download Verification form (pdf).

  You can visit the website of the Danish Ministry of Higher Education and Science to find help or to have your qualification evaluated by the Ministry before applying.

  English proficiency certificates

  All applicants will have to document English equivalent to a Danish B-level with a minimum average weighted grade score of 3.0 (min. 210 hours, 1 hour = 60 minutes during the final three years in upper secondary school). Use the verification form for this. The grades from the applicant’s High School Diploma will be converted into Danish grades.

  Please note: In cases where applicants cannot meet the Danish B-level requirement or grade conversion is not possible, the applicant may provide other documentation. Please find an overview of accepted language test certificates and test scores here.  

  Maths syllabus

  Applicants with non-Danish entry qualifications must also fill in the mathematics form by ticking off the topics included/not included in your previous studies.
  If your secondary school mathematics syllabus does not include all topics listed, you may be required to participate in a two-week compulsory mathematics course at VIA University College before study start. Please find more information in the course description (pdf). 

  Download Mathematics form (pdf)

  You can visit the website of the Danish Ministry of Higher Education and Science to find help or to have your qualification evaluated by the Ministry before applying.

  Conditional acceptance

  Conditional acceptance means that you can apply for admission to the programme even though you do not fulfil the admission requirements at the time of application. Contact the student counsellor for more information. 

  Credit transfer 

  Students who have completed relevant study activities at an institution of higher education may be allowed to transfer their credits to VIA, which may exempt the student from exams/courses of a study programme.

  Read more about credit transfer at VIA University College. 

  NB: We reserve the right not to create classes in the event of too few applicants.

• How to apply

  Apply online through optagelse.dk. The application portal opens on 1 February every year.

  Step-by-step guides on how to apply:

  EU applicants

  Non-EU applicants

  Danish applicants  

   

  The area code for the programme is 49205

   

  Application deadlines

  The application portal opens on 1 February every year.

  Deadline for international applicants is 15 March at 12 noon. Find deadlines for Danish applicants here

   

  Available study places

  Any available study places will be published on 28 July here.  

• Fees and tuition

  Whether you need to pay tuition fee or not depends on several criterias. For further information, go to the Tuition Fees page.

  Payment schedule and Terms of Payment for Materials Science Engineering (pdf)  

  Terms and agreements

  Terms and agreement between partners and VIA University College can be seen in the different contracts under:

  • Code of Conduct (pdf)

   

• Internship

  As something new and very exciting, you will become part of a mentor company from the 4th semester, giving you the golden opportunity to use your acquired knowledge of theory in practice. The mentor arrangement is an intense collaboration with the industry during the different projects and during the internship. 

  At least one day per week will be spent at your mentor company during the 4th and 6th semesters. During the 5th and 7th semesters, you will be placed more or less full time at the mentor company, while continuing your studies and simultaneously being an employee, learning and acquiring work experience during the study programme. 

  The mentor company will assign a mentor to you and, as a mentee, you will learn on the job and get a feel for being an engineer within the industry.

  You will do a six-month internship at a company during the 5th semester (full-time employment).

  Doing an internship is a great way to obtain first-hand work experience and gain access to the best graduate jobs. 

  As this is a professional Bachelors of Engineering programme, you are required to do an internship in the 5th semester. This will allow you to apply any theory learned to real-world business tasks while practicing a number of valuable skills as well as gaining insight into your coming working methods and processes as an engineer. 

  Benefits:

  You will benefit from working in a real-life environment and gain professional experience relevant to your future career as a Material Science specialist, Quality Manager, Technical Purchasing Manager, etc.  

  The internship combined with the mentor arrangement also makes you more employable. When they are looking for graduates to fill vacancies, employers prefer candidates who are ready to work and “plug and play”. 

  The internship and the mentor arrangement have a dual purpose. You will become familiar with your professional future while you still preparing for it, and you will make good contacts with employers within your field of study. 

  VIA helps you to arrange your internship and mentor arrangement

  You can do your internship in Denmark or abroad, and we can help you to arrange it. If your mentor company is part of a global company, you might have very good opportunities to go abroad within the mentor company. 

  The internship ends with a report in which you relate your practical experience to the theoretical knowledge gained during your studies.

  Duration: 

  The minimum period allowed for an internship is 20 weeks of full-time work.

  Below you will find examples of companies that have received interns:

  • Danfloor
  • Thygesen & Birk Fabrics
  • Beirholm
  • Trademark
  • Grundfos
  • Fibertex Care

• Career guidance

  With a professional bachelor’s degree in Materials Science Engineering you are well prepared for the labour market. At VIA, we educate engineers in close cooperation with the business community. During the entire education you will be in close contact with businesses, which could become your future employers. Practice orientation is the cornerstone of VIA’s study programmes, and it will prepare you for your future work life as an engineer.
  
  With a professional bachelor’s degree in Materials Science Engineering at VIA, you will have a backpack filled with useful skills. You will possess a wide range of engineering skills, personal- and commercial skills and more specialized skills within the materials- and industry sector. Those skills will make you a whole and qualified engineer. Furthermore, as a VIA-engineer you will be prepared for working in teams with colleagues of other backgrounds and thereby colleagues, who possesses different skills and knowledge than you. By that, you are well prepared to be a part of an interdisciplinary team at your future work place.

  After successfully completing your studies, you will be able to work as a textile engineer, plastics engineer, within innovation and new product development, quality and environmental management, purchasing or something else entirely. 

  As a material engineer, you will have the skills to enter a wide range of careers.

  For instance, you can work with innovation, product development, quality and environmental management, research and development on new materials, purchasing new materials and products and consultancy on materials and processes.

  Further education

  With a full Bachelor of Engineering (BEng) programme in Materials Science Engineering, you will have the chance to continue with further studies at other universities either in Denmark or abroad.

  Our student counsellors are very happy to guide you on this.

  For instance, you may choose to continue your studies with an MSc in Engineering (Technology Based Business Development) programme at Aarhus University or Materials Technology at Aalborg University.

• International opportunities

  To enrich the study experience and nurture cultural diversity on campus, we encourage our students to study abroad and welcome foreign students from partner institutions. 

  VIA University College has an agreement with approximately 200 institutions in 33 countries in Europe as well as overseas. 

  This means that you have the opportunity to choose to study for a semester at one of our partner institutions in another country. 

  You may also choose to do your internship in an international company in another part of the world. Both possibilities give you the opportunity to experience the way of life in another culture. 

  Today's business world is a global marketplace, and so having a study abroad experience can be positive for your CV. 

  Contact our international coordinators.

• Contact

  Do you need further information regarding the programme?

  For more information about the programme please contact:

  Anne-Louise Degn Hansen
  E: aldh@via.dk (Herning)

  Anna Bro Lake 
  E: abrl@via.dk (Horsens)

  You are welcome to contact us if you have any questions.

  Contact the student counselling: eng.studycounselling@via.dk
  
  VIA University College
  Birk Centerpark 5
  DK- 7400 Herning
  T: +45 87 55 05 00
  E: herning@via.dk

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