Cold Climate Engineering

The Nordic Master in Cold Climate Engineering is the first comprehensive master’s programme in cold climate engineering in Europe and gives the students a unique possibility to do field work and projects in Greenland or Svalbard.

The Arctic is a place unlike anywhere else. The ecosystem is fragile, the weather can be challenging and the infrastructure is scarce. These conditions make high demands on engineers working here.By actually going to the Arctic Svalbard or Greenland and applying their skills, the graduates get valuable first-hand insight into working as an engineer in one of the most challenging areas of the world.

Cold climate engineering has an increasingly important role to play in order to ensure a sustainable development of the Arctic. New shipping routes as well as mining possibilities are emerging in the region. The development of new industry in the Arctic region is intensifying fast and the industry now demands engineers who have specific Arctic competencies.

Graduates from the Nordic Master in Cold Climate Engineering will have the skills necessary to meet the demands of the industry as well to work in the fragile Arctic environment.

Programme

The main focus of the Nordic Master in Cold Climate Engineering is to give the students a profound understanding of how the obtained specializations can be applied in jobs as researchers, consulting or practising engineers in the Arctic.

All graduates will have the ability to work within a team of experts having different international backgrounds such as education, values, language, culture, etc.. and have a profound understanding of the challenging Arctic environment.

The teaching methods will include lectures, assignments, field work, laboratory work and project work. Theory is supported by experimental work and modelling, which are used intensively, and also depending on the track.

Specialization

The programme consists of three specialised study tracks:

• Land Track: Focus on Arctic geoengineering (DTU and NTNU)    
• Sea Track: Focus on Arctic ships and offshore structures  (NTNU and Aalto)   
• Space Track: Focus on mapping and observing the Arctic (DTU and Aalto)

General Admission Requirements

You must indicate in your application which study track you wish to follow and submit a draft study plan. You must apply directly to the university where you wish to study for the first year of the study track.

The common admission requirements are divided into three categories:    

• Degree requirements    
• Academic prerequisites    
• Language requirements  

Motivation letter

All applicants must write a motivation letter as part of the application. For the Land and Sea tracks the motivation letter must include a passage describing your expectations to spending one or more semesters in Greenland or Svalbard.

Degree Requirements

Students applying for the Nordic Master in Cold Climate Engineering must have obtained a Bachelor's (BSc) Degree corresponding to a minimum 180 ECTS credits. Students in their final year of their bachelor’s studies are eligible to apply, provided they complete their BSc by the start of the program.