Rail transport is expanding worldwide as countries invest in more efficient and sustainable ways to meet growing demand for passenger and freight mobility. Rail systems can help reduce emissions and congestion while supporting increasingly urbanised societies. This development is creating demand for engineers who understand how railway infrastructure, vehicles and traffic control interact and who can optimise the performance of the system as a whole. The programme gives you this integrated systems perspective and prepares you for work in an international industry. Railway Engineering is offered as a track within the master’s programme in Vehicle Engineering. This means that you specialise in railway engineering but graduate with a degree in Vehicle Engineering.
The master's programme in Railway Engineering is among the few programmes in the world and in Europe taught in English that cover all aspects of rail engineering, and none offers the international perspective afforded by this one. KTH offset the programme in collaboration with the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC), where it is mandatory for all students in the programme to spend one semester.
The programme focuses on the system aspect, which is extremely important in railway systems. Vehicle, infrastructure and control systems have to be designed to work optimally together. Therefore, the programme contains courses in mechanical, civil and electrical engineering. Courses delivered by KTH and UIUC complement each other, providing you with knowledge spanning the technical, operational, and economic aspects of railway systems. You study topics such as the economics of rail transportation, decision-making and optimisation, rolling stock design, running gear, train braking systems, and commuter train design.
The programme is mainly based on classes, with lectures, assignments and exams, but also includes projects and individual studies. All teachers are active researchers and will include new research trends in their course content. Throughout the programme, you meet active researchers and work with design and analysis tools used in modern railway engineering. Field trips provide additional insight into the railway sector, and many students carry out their degree project in collaboration with railway operators, consultancy companies, or other industry partners, working on challenges relevant to today's railway systems.
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).
Collaboration with the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign (UIUC)
About half of the courses are given by the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign (UIUC) and KTH, respectively, and the programme includes mandatory international mobility. At least 15 ECTS credits must be taken on-site at the partner university. Many courses in this programme are taught exclusively online by KTH and UIUC. Please note that, due to US visa regulations, there is no guarantee that fee-paying students will be able to study in the US. If the visa is denied, these students will be offered an alternative study plan.
Programme structure and progression
During the first semester, you build a foundation in railway engineering through mandatory courses covering rail vehicle technology, electric transportation, scientific methodology, and sustainable development. In the second semester, you deepen your knowledge in rail vehicle dynamics while combining mandatory and conditionally elective courses that allow you to begin tailoring your studies. The third semester is a mandatory exchange semester at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC), where you continue your specialisation through two mandatory courses and elective courses. The programme concludes with a degree project carried out at KTH or in collaboration with industry