
Master of Mechanical Engineering
Leuven, Belgium
DURATION
2 Years
LANGUAGES
English, Dutch
PACE
Full time
APPLICATION DEADLINE
Request application deadline
EARLIEST START DATE
Sep 2025
TUITION FEES
EUR 7,771 *
STUDY FORMAT
On-Campus
* non-EEA fee
Introduction

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About the programme
Mechanical engineering is a very broad area of study in the field of engineering sciences. It integrates almost all disciplines of technology. Any device or product that is used in modern, everyday life is the result of an ongoing synergy between different basic techniques. In short, all products in modern society are developed by bringing together different technical disciplines. Mechanical engineering is the preferred integrator for realising this objective.
Furthermore, technological developments in mechanical engineering are often a catalyst for innovations in related domains. New production techniques make it possible to further miniaturise electromechanical systems. This requires multidisciplinary training and a curriculum in which all these technologies get the attention they deserve.
The programme offers you the choice between an application-oriented and a generic methodological approach, with many of the courses enjoying close links to the top-level industrial research of the programme’s lecturers. This ongoing link with the world of industry offers you an advanced, up-to-date content, leading to cutting edge research and development that has resulted in spin-off companies and innovation-driven entrepreneurship.
This programme consists of 5 components:
- Core courses
- Modules
- Elective courses within an engineering context
- General broadening or general interest optional courses
- Master’s thesis
Students choose 1 option within the modules. In this program, three generic options and two application-oriented options are offered:
Generic options:
- Manufacturing and Management: Modern techniques for designing and producing components, CAD and computer integration in production, management techniques, maintenance, and logistics in a company.
- Mechatronics and Robotics: Discipline focusing on the synergy of construction, perception, control, and operation of machines, optimizing their integration for competitive advantage.
- Thermotechnical Sciences: Physical principles for analyzing, designing, building, and operating combustion engines, thermal machines, refrigeration machines, power generators, etc.
Application-oriented options:
- Aero & Space Technology: Physical principles for analyzing, designing, building, implementing, and operating aerospace systems.
- Vehicle Technology: Physical principles for designing, analyzing, and building cars, vehicles, and transport systems.
Programme strengths
- The department has a large experimental research laboratory with advanced equipment, to which you will have access. FabLab (a "Fabrication Laboratory") is also directly accessible.
- The department has built up an extensive network of companies which have already recruited a large number of our alumni over many years and from whom we receive invaluable, informal feedback on the programme.
- In addition to their academic teaching and research assignments, several members of the teaching staff also have other responsibilities in advisory boards, in external companies, science & technology committees, etc. and they share that expertise with students.
- Students are also encouraged to participate in an industrial and research internship abroad.
Curriculum
The Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering is a general training programme integrating all disciplines of basic sciences, engineering and technology. An essential element of the mechanical engineering curriculum at KU Leuven is the direct training of each student in a real-life industrial or research setting. As a continuation of the design assignment in the Bachelor’s programme, the Master’s programme brings you in close contact with the industrial reality.
Ideal Students
Student Profile
Applicants must both be qualified and motivated to start our Master of Mechanical Engineering.
- You have a bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering or Electro-Mechanical engineering
- You need to have (good) knowledge of mechanics, production engineering, thermodynamics, flow, heat transfer, and a solid background in mathematics.
- Your proficiency in English (oral and written) meets all the requirements as applied at the Faculty of Engineering Science
Admissions
Program delivery
The courses are fully taught in English and also available in Dutch.
Program Outcome
- Credits: 120 ECTS
- Degree Type: Master's
Program Tuition Fee
Why study at KU Leuven
What sets us apart as a university?
A highly ranked university
KU Leuven is among the best 100 universities in the world according to both Times Higher Education World Rankings and QS World University Rankings. All of KU Leuven’s disciplines proudly belong to the top 100 of their field. Furthermore, KU Leuven was ranked by Reuters as the most innovative university in Europe in 2016.
Research-based education
Education at KU Leuven is research-based, which means students will learn from the same professors who are performing the ground-breaking research you read about in the press. New insights are instantly integrated into classes and students are encouraged to perform their own research. In our FabLab, students can use a number of high-tech machines to create whatever they want – all free of charge.
Affordable tuition fees
Higher education is highly valued in Belgium and therefore subsidised by the government. This allows KU Leuven to keep tuition fees relatively low, which gives you a price/quality ratio very few top-100 universities can match. We take pride in keeping our programmes as accessible as possible to allow the brightest students from around the globe to join our courses.
International student life with respect for diversity
According to Times Higher Education, KU Leuven is in the top 50 of most international universities worldwide with staff and students from over 150 different nationalities. For all our international students, the Pangaea student centre is their home away from home. Our university also strives for diversity and inclusion and wants to work together on a pact for more respect.
Scholarships and Funding
Several scholarship options are available. Please visit the university website for more information.
Info Sessions
KU Leuven combines the best of both worlds by hosting both online and live info sessions. You choose how, where and when to get your information in your search for the right program
Rankings
KU Leuven is among the best 100 universities in the world according to both Times Higher Education World Rankings and QS World University Rankings. All of KU Leuven’s disciplines proudly belong to the top 100 of their field.
Accreditations
Gallery
Career Opportunities
Mechanical engineers find employment across a variety of industrial sectors thanks to our broad training programme including production machinery, compressed air systems, agricultural machinery, pressure vessels, piping, the off-shore and maritime products, automation, vehicle components, electrical and chemical products, and much more.