The programme consists of a core track of studies and three optional tracks. In the core, you develop your general knowledge and skills in ship design, systems engineering, and a theoretical foundation in ship hydrostatics and stability, resistance and propulsion, waves, seakeeping, manoeuvring and ship structures. By choosing one of the tracks, you can develop a deeper understanding and skills in lightweight structures, fluid dynamics and management. There is also room for elective courses, where you can broaden your skillset or specialise further in your chosen track. It is also an opportunity to study underwater technology, high-speed craft, or other areas aligned with your interests and career goals.
Lightweight Structures
In the Lightweight Structures track you combine fundamental principles of naval architecture with knowledge about modern composite materials and sandwich structures and related design principles and manufacturing methods. Sweden has been a forerunner in applying such material concepts to large ship structures, and KTH has internationally acclaimed research in this area. What you learn in this track enables you to work with ship structures as well as aerospace, automotive, and other kinds of lightweight structures.
Fluid Mechanics
The Fluid Mechanics track develops your fundamental understanding and practical skills in incompressible fluid mechanics, which is the basis for understanding the flow around ships, boats, and marine installations. The governing set of partial differential equations, the Navier-Stokes equations, is derived, dissected, simplified and solved. The fundamental principles of computational fluid dynamics (CFD) and modern computational tools are introduced. In hands-on projects, you will work with modelling and solving real fluid mechanics problems. The knowledge you gain in this track is applicable to ship hydromechanics as well as to general fluid mechanics problems.
Management
The Management track allows you to complement your technical skills with knowledge of financial, organisational and managerial aspects and develop your understanding of the concepts of sustainable development from environmental, social and economic viewpoints. Emphasis is on the ability to manage and control projects, strategies for sustainable development, and management tools and systems analysis methods. The track gives a good foundation for employment as a manager for companies and projects within the maritime sector and other sectors.
This is a two-year programme (120 ECTS credits) given in English. Graduates are awarded the degree of Master of Science. The programme is given mainly at KTH Campus in Stockholm by the School of Engineering Sciences (at KTH).
Programme structure and progression
During the first year, you build your naval architecture foundation in the four core courses: ship design, marine structures, marine hydromechanics, and modelling of ship propulsion and manoeuvring. In parallel, you specialise in the three courses within your chosen track. In the second year, you can develop your individual profile by, for example, going deeper in the area of your selected track or naval architecture by studying underwater technology or high-speed craft. Alternatively, you can broaden your education by taking courses from the other tracks or on other topics. Another option could be to take an exchange semester at another university. The programme is finalised with a degree project which can be a small research project, an advanced engineering analysis or a design project. It may be performed at a university or a company.
Courses in the programme
The courses in the programme cover topics such as ocean waves, ship stability, propulsion, seakeeping, manoeuvring, ship structures, systems engineering, ship design, small craft design, and underwater technology.
Courses in the master's programme in Naval Architecture
Meet students from the programme
"My favourite course is Naval Design, as it a