KTH Royal Institute of Technology
MSc Software Engineering of Distributed SystemsStockholm, Sweden
DURATION
2 Years
LANGUAGES
English
PACE
Full time
APPLICATION DEADLINE
Request application deadline
EARLIEST START DATE
Aug 2025
TUITION FEES
SEK 342,000 / per year *
STUDY FORMAT
On-Campus
* non-EU/EEA/Swiss is 342,000 SEK.
Introduction
The master's programme in Software Engineering of Distributed Systems provides students with advanced knowledge for building distributed software applications that operate on various devices, from cloud servers to smartphones. Students will explore this rapidly evolving field through specialisation in software development or data analysis. Graduates have expertise in cutting-edge methods and technologies in distributed software systems and are highly demanded by the industry.
Software Engineering of Distributed Systems at KTH
The devices in which distributed software applications may operate range from cloud servers to smartphones. New technological developments create considerable demand from industry and for engineers who can design software systems utilising these developments. This master's programme is an educational response to such industrial demands. It provides you with state-of-the-art knowledge of the field, develops your practical skills to meet current industry requirements and enhances your ability to adapt to the new developments of tomorrow's technology.
The programme offers two tracks: the Software track and the Data Science track. The Software track emphasises software development courses, while the Data Science track focuses on data analysis courses. All students in the programme take 60 ECTS credits of mandatory courses including the degree project and 60 ECTS credits of conditionally elective courses. You must choose four elective courses corresponding to 30 ECTS credits from your tracks list of elective courses. The final semester is dedicated to the degree project, with one set of thesis topics provided by the faculty. Many students choose to conduct their project in collaboration with industry, either in Sweden or abroad. Some students also pursue their project at a university abroad. The choice of degree project depends on the students' plans for future industrial or research work.
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 Kista campus in Stockholm by the School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science (at KTH).
Curriculum
Year 1
Mandatory courses for all tracks
- Distributed Systems, Basic Course (ID2201) 7.5 credits
- Modern Methods in Software Engineering (ID2207) 7.5 credits
- Distributed Artificial Intelligence and Intelligent Agents (ID2209) 7.5 credits
Year 2
Mandatory courses
- Degree Project in Computer Science and Engineering, specializing in Software Engineering for Distributed Systems, Second Cycle (DA240X) 30.0 credits
- Research Methodology and Scientific Writing (II2202) 7.5 credits
At least 30 ECTS must be taken from the conditionally elective courses from corresponding track.
Mandatory courses
- Degree Project in Computer Science and Engineering, specializing in Software Engineering for Distributed Systems, Second Cycle (DA240X) 30.0 credits
- Research Methodology and Scientific Writing (II2202) 7.5 credits
Program Outcome
- Software development
- enterprise architect
- consulting
- entrepreneur
- project manager
- researcher
- business development
Scholarships and Funding
KTH offers four different scholarship opportunities for master's studies. The KTH Scholarship covers the tuition fee of a one or two year master’s programme. The KTH One-Year Scholarship is aimed at current KTH master's programme students and covers the tuition fee of the second year of studies. The KTH Joint Programme Scholarship is aimed at students in certain joint programmes and covers the tuition fee for the study period spent at KTH. The KTH India Scholarship is aimed specifically at students from India.
- KTH Scholarship
- KTH One-Year Scholarship
- KTH Joint Programme Scholarship
- KTH India Scholarship
Swedish Institute
The Swedish Institute (SI) offers a number of scholarships for students from targeted countries coming to Sweden.
KTH associated scholarship organisations
KTH cooperates with the following organisations providing scholarship opportunities for prospective KTH students.
- COLFUTURO (Programa Crédito Beca) for students from Colombia
- LPDP (Indonesia Endowment Fund for Education) for students from Indonesia
- FUNED for students from Mexico
Scholarship portals
IEFA database
The IEFA database offer a comprehensive scholarships search, grant listing and international student loan programmes.
Studyportals
The Studyportals scholarship database lists over 1,000 scholarship and grants for students worldwide applying for studies in the EU.
Scholars4dev
Scholarships for Development is a database of scholarships open to students from developing countries.
WeMakeScholars
WeMakeScholars helps students from India secure education loans from banks and NBFCs. They also lists more than 26,000 international scholarships from different trusts, foundations and govt. bodies.
Deferment of student loans in the United States
KTH is an accredited institution at the US Department of Education and holds a Title IV 'Deferment Only' status (OPE ID 03274300). US students may defer payments on existing federal student loan accounts while enrolled in a master’s programme at KTH. The 'Deferment Only' status does not allow students to take out federal student loans for enrolment at KTH. However, the accreditation facilitates grant and loan opportunities for US students as many private student loan institutions in the US use this designation as a requirement to grant new loans. Students who wish to defer payments must contact their lending institution in the US.
Several scholarship options are available. Please check the institute website for more information.
Admissions
Program Tuition Fee
Gallery
Career Opportunities
Since the programme is oriented to educate software engineers with a comprehensive knowledge of current advanced methods and technologies in distributed software systems, opportunities for graduates to find a job are extensive. The programme qualifications allow you to work in a multitude of companies developing or maintaining software, and this is a vast market. Graduates work in companies such as Ericsson, Spotify, Google, Nasdaq, Netlight, Scania group and SEB. Many students have been offered permanent positions either in Sweden or abroad, even before graduating. Feedback from graduates shows that they appreciate the knowledge of modern technologies they acquired through the programme, which enables them to be very competitive in the labour market. There are also many examples of graduates becoming key employees in their companies by promoting these modern technologies.
A large number of graduates also target an academic career, and many of them have proceeded to doctoral positions in well-known universities all over the world.
After graduation
Software development, enterprise architect, consulting, entrepreneur, project manager, researcher, and business development.