Delft University of Technology

Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands is a modern university with a rich tradition. Its eight faculties and over 40 English-language Master programmes are at the forefront of technological development, contributing to scientific advancement in the interests of society.

Ranked among the top universities of technology in the world, TU Delft’s excellent research and education standards are backed by outstanding facilities and research institutes. TU Delft maintains close links with (inter)national industry, a strategic alliance contributing to the relevance of its academic programmes and career prospects for its graduates. All education programmes encourage creative and independent thinking with a focus on problem solving.

The student body is made up of over 100 nationalities. The university has partnerships with leading universities all over the world, enabling students and researchers to increase their international experience through cooperation and exchange. TU Delft is also a member of the IDEA league of five leading engineering universities in Europe, as well as of CESAER, the association of European schools of technology and engineering. Delft University of Technology is located in Delft, a picturesque city full of student activities, and within close range of major cities in the Netherlands and the rest of Europe.

• Mechanical, Maritime and Materials Engineering (3mE)

  The Faculty of 3mE educates committed engineers and PhD graduates and conducts breakthrough scientific research in the fields of mechanical engineering, maritime engineering and materials science. The Faculty wishes to be an excellent example of a dynamic and innovative faculty which pursues a leading position in Europe and makes a direct contribution to the economy and society.

• Aerospace Engineering (AE)

  Aerospace Engineering  is Unique.

  The Faculty of Aerospace Engineering is one of the largest of the eight faculties at the Delft University of Technology and one of the largest faculties devoted entirely to aerospace engineering in Europe. It is the only institute carrying out research and education directly related to aerospace engineering in the Netherlands.

  The 15 full and more than 50 associate and assistant professors in the four departments of the Faculty of Aerospace Engineering have an excellent reputation for both teaching and research. The faculty’s education and research portfolio targets several areas within the field of aerospace engineering. Today the Faculty has a student body of over 2300 undergraduates and graduates, about 80 permanent and temporary academic staff and 160 PhD students. Around 35% of the student population has a foreign nationality. 

• Applied Sciences (AS)

  The Faculty of Applied Sciences is the largest of Delft University of Technology and focuses on finding innovative solutions to some of the problems faced by society. In this effort, development of the fundamental knowledge needed to underpin technical developments that can be widely used throughout society is of paramount importance.

  About 45 professors in the six departments of the Faculty of Applied Sciences have an excellent reputation for both teaching and research. The faculty’s education and research portfoliotargets several domains in applied sciences.

• Architecture and the Built Environment (Arch)

  The Faculty of Architecture and the Built Environment at TU Delft, established in 1904, has a leading role in the area of architecture education and research in the broadest sense. 
  
  Some three thousand students, hundreds of researchers, lecturers and professors follow or provide education here, do research and support work in a dynamic, distinctive and internationally oriented environment. 
  
  The Faculty of Architecture and the Built Environment at TU Delft:

  • educates students to become excellent architectural engineers: from building technologists and urbanists to architects, landscape architects, real estate experts and geodata specialists, working at both national and international levels;
  • has a unique teaching concept and has a broad Bachelor's programme, two Master's programmes (incorporating five tracks) and diverse post-graduate programmes;
  • brings research and education closer together and has a broad research area, from the theory of architecture to design-driven research;
  • has a strong international community with over 30% foreign Master's students and staff from 42 countries;
  • gives hundreds of lectures, symposia, presentations, exhibitions, masterclasses annually, which are also open to the public. The faculty is also represented at international events such as the Biennales in Venice and Moscow.

• Civil Engineering and Geosciences (CEG)

  The Faculty of Civil Engineering and Geosciences (CEG) excels in research into delta technology, urban water management (the urban water cycle), civil infrastructure, transport and geo-energy. The faculty provides students and staff with an inspirational learning and working environment by means of state-of-the-art research and support facilities and research-driven education programmes in both undergraduate (BSc.) as postgraduate (MSc, PDEng, PhD) levels.

• Electrical Engineering, Mathematics and Computer Science (EEMCS)

  The education programmes of TU Delft are designed with the engineers of the future in mind. The three disciplines in the Faculty of Electrical Engineering, Mathematics and Computer Science (EEMCS) play a pivotal role in meeting this demand. Mathematics, one of the pillars of every technological science, provides the intellectual and professional tools that are the basic equipment of every engineer. Information and communication technology (ICT) is everywhere around us in society. It is one of the new paradigms of recent history. Electrical Engineering and Computer Science together account for 80% of the ICT research at TU Delft. The current focus on sustainability, high-level effectiveness and energy savings indicates the relevance of our other fields of expertise: electrical power engineering and power supply.

• Industrial Design Engineering (IDE)

  Designing for our future. That is the core business of students and researchers at the faculty of IDE. They design  and improve products and services that deal with society’s major challenges. And they are the experts, as they have been doing it for more than 45 years. Over 5.000 Industrial Design Engineers have graduated from the faculty since it was founded in 1969. IDE is still among the largest university design programmes in the world.

  Nowadays, the emphasis is on the design of durable products and services, taking into account the interests of users, industry, society and the environment. Perhaps design can even be used to stimulate users to change their behaviour, thus helping to solve (future) problems  ranging from obesity to material scarcity.

• Technology, Policy and Management (TPM)

  The Faculty of Technology, Policy and Management combines insights from the engineering sciences with insights from the humanities and the social sciences. 
  The Faculty’s mission is to develop robust models and designs in order to solve the complex challenges of today’s networked, urbanized knowledge society.

  The Faculty is comprised of three closely collaborating departments, each with a different perspective on addressing these complex societal challenges: systems, governance and values. The smart combination of these three perspectives is at the core of Comprehensive Engineering, and is the main thrust of the Faculty. 
  The main application domains of the Faculty, in which the majority of its research projects can be clustered, are: energy, climate, mobility, ICT, water, and cyber.

• faculteit Civiele Techniek & Geowetenschappen

• faculty of Applied Sciences

• faculty of Electrical Engineering, Mathematics and Computer Sciences (EEMCS)

• faculty of Technology, Policy and Management

• faculty of Mechanical, Maritime and Materials Engineering

• faculteit Elektrotechniek, Wiskunde en Informatica

• faculty of Industrial Design Engineering

• faculty of Aerospace Engineering

• faculteit Werktuigbouwkunde, Maritieme Techniek & Technische Materiaalwetenschappen

• faculteit Bouwkunde

• faculty of Civil Engineering and Geosciences

• faculteit Techniek, Bestuur en Management

• faculteit Technische Natuurwetenschappen

• faculty of Architecture

Although the University only received its current name in 1986, it has been providing technical education for over 170 years.

Royal academy: 1842 - 1864

On January 8, 1842, King Willem II founded the 'Royal Academy for the education of civilian engineers, for serving both nation and industry, and of apprentices for trade'. The Academy also educated civil servants for the colonies and revenue officers of the Dutch East Indies. 

Polytechnic school: 1864 - 1905

An Act passed on May 2, 1863, imposing regulations on technical education as well as bringing it under the influence of the rules applying to secondary education. Then, on the 20th of June, 1864, a Royal Decree was issued, ordering that the Royal Academy in Delft be disbanded in order to make way for a new 'Polytechnic School'. The School went on to educate architects, and engineers in the fields of civil works, shipbuilding, mechanical engineering and mining.

Institute of Technology: 1905 - 1986

On May 22, 1905, an Act was passed, acknowledging the academic level of the School's technical education - it became a 'Technische Hogeschool', or an 'Institute of Technology'. Queen Wilhelmina attended the Institute's official opening ceremony on  July 10, 1905. The Institute's first Rector Magnificus was the professor of hydraulic engineering ir. J. Kraus. The Institute was granted corporate rights by an Act passed on June 7, 1956.

Delft University of Technology: 1986 - present

It was an Act which took effect on 1st September, 1986, that officially transformed the Institute of Technology into Delft University of Technology, also known as 'TU Delft' (from the Dutch name Technische Universiteit Delft).

TU Delft is a member of several university federations including the IDEA League, CESAER, UNITECH, and 3TU. 

TU Delft is considered to be among the world's most prestigious universities of Engineering and technology, in general, and in Europe in particular, currently being positioned on 6th place, immediately after the top Engineering Universities of UK (Cambridge University, Oxford University, Imperial College London) and of Switzerland (ETHZ and EPFL) according to both Times Higher Education World University Rankings and QS World University Rankings. This ensures a place on the podium of European Engineering Universities (3rd place) for Continental Europe.