Through his fundamental education, the academically trained Mechanical Engineer is capable of applying scientific methods and insights when solving technical problems within the field of Mechanical Engineering. Analysis, synthesis and evaluation are important factors when solving technical problems. The Mechanical Engineer is capable of taking personal responsibility when it comes to developing, applying and passing on technical science and knowledge, especially during research, conception, design and construction and in higher and pre-university education.

The field of Mechanical Engineering covers the field of technical sciences where machinery - as a collective term for tools, machines, mechanisms, instruments and installations - and mechanical systems and their auxiliary constructions play a major part.

The field of Mechanical Engineering has been divided into fundamental fields: Engineering Mechanics, Fluid Mechanics, System and Control Engineering and fields of application: Transport Technology, Logistics, Production Automation, Process Industry, Power Supply Engineering, Refrigeration Engineering and Indoor Climate Engineering. Research is being carried out in all of these fields. The results of this research are feeding education and are keeping it up-to-date. The fundamental as well as the application-oriented fields provide the students with all kinds of specialization opportunities. In order to achieve this study's aim, both the fundamental and the application-oriented fields - the compulsory part of the course programme for all students - have been incorporated in the basic programme.

After the basic programme, specialization will take place in one of the Mechanical Engineering's subareas. For this area to have enough profundity, a number of specialist subjects belonging to this area have been incorporated in the final stage of study. Completing one's study is a monitored exercise in the engineering profession. In this way a graduate can be promptly employed in functions that are in line with his specialization. Within six to twelve months a graduate can be employed in one of the other specializations. A Mechanical Engineer's education is such that a graduate can independently familiarize himself with the knowledge and skills required for this.

Depending on personal preferences and wishes as well as on the area of specialization, the graduate stands out as either a researcher, a product developer/designer or a manager. In this way the options for specialization are offering every graduate an opportunity to develop his/her strong points. During the final stages of study, special emphasis is put on the constructive aspect in its broadest sense. In some areas it is possible to put the emphasis on other aspects, like Technical Marketing, Mechatronics and Environmental Engineering. Within the framework of this course we then speak of deviations.

The course programme is characterized by the principles described above. These and the description of the field of study have determined the programme's general objectives. The study programme's subjects are derived from a specification of these general objectives. The extent and profundity of the individual subjects are determined by their interrelation and the requirement that the programme should form a well-balanced whole and a challenge for the student. For the study's recognizability and feasibility it is required that the programme connects to pre-university training and provides access for students with different preparatory trainings. The course programme's form and organization should encourage the student's self-motivation and independence. The first year is selective as far as the level of education is concerned, orientating as far as the field of study is concerned and it takes the student from a system of monitored learning to independent studying .

The university training to become a Mechanical Engineer is characterized by:

1. a high level of abstraction, necessary for conducting innovative operations;

2. the use of scientific methods and techniques;

3. a study environment where one can get acquainted with and, if possible, participate in innovation (both in the field of designing, production and application) and research opening up new horizons;

4. a sense of social responsibility;

5. a focus on application with the emphasis on both the conceptual stage of the design and the multidisciplinary social problem.

At the end of the 'doctoral' stage the student should be able, both independently and in a team, to carry out innovative activities in a Mechanical Engineering area through analysis and synthesis have acquired an insight into the social consequences of his/her actions and be capable of taking personal responsibility for the results of his/her work possess the attitude required to bring the above into operation

• Being able to identify problems within the field of Mechanical Engineering, both problems concerning new developments as well as those concerning existing matters that need alteration or optimization. Being able to formulate and analyse a problem, being able to transform this problem into a model and being able to describe the problem qualitatively and/or quantitatively, analyse it and predict its behavior by means of mathematics and physics. Being able to search for solutions systematically and methodically, being able to choose the most suitable one on the basis of relevant information. Being able to describe the chosen system's behavior on the basis of modelling. Translating the solution into a design, etc.

• Being able to identify the relations between technology and society and the social relevance of technical problems. Being able to identify the differences between scientifically based laws and patterns in which man is involved as an individual or as a group.

• Knowing the limits of one's knowledge and competence in fields of a judicial, economic, social, ethical and moral nature as well as in the field of other technical sciences. Being convinced of the necessity to consult with experts. An understanding of the iterative nature of many processes and being able to work with incomplete information. Being concentrated on the development of one's creative abilities.

After completing his/her studies a Mechanical Engineer has knowledge of and application skills in:

1. Mechanics of solids and fluids, modelling and Finite Element Methods.

2. Systems and control engineering, modelling and simulation techniques, sensitivity analyses.

3. Mathematics, physics, thermodynamics and materials science.

4. Designing and manufacturing methods including the organization of production, scaling laws, CAD, mechanical engineering processes, systems and constructions, ergonomics.

5. Multidisciplinary problems such as mechatronics, raw materials, the environment and recycling, medical technology, safety.

6. Experimenting, experimental design, the planning of operations.

7. Basics of labour law, industrial sociology, industrial organization and business administration.

8. Written and oral reporting in Dutch and English.

9. Working independently on and solving (multidisciplinary/social) problems, whether or not in a team.

On the next page you will find an outline of the course programme. In the rectangles representing the different course years the part of the programme common to all students, the first two-and-a-half years, the different parts of the examination (subjects, lab assignments and projects) have been included, together with their credits. This is followed by an outline of the final stage of study, the two-and-a-half year specialization. The rectangles representing this final stage include, respectively, a short description, the rules or requirements the course programme should meet as well as a list of specialization options.

On the pages following this outline the first thing you will find will be an elaboration on the years common to all students. The first year, the 'propedeuse', is concluded by the official 'propedeutisch' exam, regulated by law. The second official exam is the 'doctoral' or engineer's exam at the end of the fifth year. The faculty has interposed an examination in between the 'propedeutisch' exam and the 'doctoral exam', that is to say half way through the third year. By means of this exam the part of the programme common to all students is being concluded. This 'doctoral 1 (D1)' exam gives access to the following stage, the specialization course.

The contents of this specialization course depends on the specialization chosen. In this chapter every specialization option is introduced by means of a short description and a list of compulsory and optional subjects. On the basis of this list, an individual programme of subjects and assignments will be agreed upon. These course programmes may differ because of the graduation assignment in view in the fifth year and the interest that student and supervisor take in certain technical and social aspects that can come up during this assignment.

With certain specialization options it is possible to concentrate on Mechatronics, an integration area of Mechanical Engineering and Electrical Engineering and on Technical Marketing. In the latter case, it is a matter of a deviation from the main course programme, for which supplementary rules and requirements have been formulated.

It may occur that the interest among students for a particular specialization option exceeds the on-site supervision capacity. However, the faculty aims to satisfy the student's preference as much as possible. Relevant information on this has been included on the specialization selection form, available at the students' administration office.

All parts of the exam included in this chapter are being described extensively in a following chapter. Access requirements for subjects, if any, have been incorporated in the 'Onderwijs- en Examenregeling', the OER (Education and Examination Regulations) and in the subject descriptions.