Study Guide

Descriptions

Study objectives:

The Master's degree programme in Mechanical and Marine Engineering is part of Turku University of Applied Sciences' (TUAS) Master School. TUAS Master School brings together all TUAS' Masters' degree programmes in the fields of Business, Culture, Healthcare and Social Services, and Technology. It gives the students a great chance to create new networks with other experts beyond fields, both in Finland and globally. In the School of Leadership Excellence, you study and acquire skills and competences as a business leader and manager, and in the School of Professional Excellence, your focus is in developing to a specialist in the selected discipline.

Master of Engineering in Mechanical and Marine Engineering can act as an expert in the field of production automation, marine technology or product design, as a developer and as a project manager. Also, he/she can act independently in demanding development and expert tasks evaluating simultaneously his/her expertise. The education also provides the ability to apply research knowledge and methods to new and changing work situations.

More about the language of instruction:

The primary tuition language is Finnish, but some courses or parts of courses might be conducted in English. The operating environment is international and many courses and projects are also attended by students from the English degree programmes and exchange students.

Study contents:

The studies consist of advanced professional studies that extend the previous knowledge, elective studies, and a thesis. The education focuses on the challenges of the future, both in production automation, marine technology, and product design.

Choosing a main subject or field of specialization:

Elective studies (10 ECTS credits) provide the students with the opportunity to expand or deepen their learning to meet each student’s own learning goals.

Structure of studies:

The extent of the degree programme is 60 ECTS credits. The studies can be completed within 1.5 to 2 years while working full-time and from anywhere in Finland.
The curriculum is composed of
• Advanced studies (core competence) 20 ECTS
• Elective studies (complementary competence) 10 ECTS
• Master’s thesis 30 ECTS

Advanced studies consist of methodological courses and professional courses expanding the student’s previous studies. Active learning methods are applied. The programme is built on mixed-mode studies including lectures, seminars, e-learning, teamwork, and independent work. There are two days of contact sessions monthly.

With elective studies, the student can expand his/her skills by incorporating courses from his/her degree programme or other programmes or other universities. Some elective studies are also offered entirely online.

Final project:

A central part of the Master's studies is the Master’s thesis. The thesis work starts already at the beginning of the studies and it is carried out as a working life oriented development project. The thesis will not only develop the student’s knowledge and skills in a certain study field and specific topic but also gives the student a possibility to enhance his/her skills in leading teams and workgroups.

Career opportunities:

After graduating, engineers often find placements in positions where the emphasis is on technical competence, its development, and applications. This education aims to provide a cross-section of the latest production technologies in the industry, allowing each student to apply these techniques at least at some level within his/her organization. This will increase significantly the students’ national and international career opportunities in the field.

Qualification:

The Master's degree is a university degree that gives the same eligibility for public positions and duties as e.g. a university degree at a university.

Internationalization:

The student's own needs and the requirements of his/her work determine how the student develops his/her international competence. An international perspective can be linked with the thesis work, for example by participating in an international conference or seminar in the field. An international perspective also contributes to the development of language skills. A significant part of the source material for the studies and learning assignments come from international academic and professional sources.

Co-operation with other parties:

The Master's Degree Programme in Mechanical and Marine Engineering is planned and implemented in close cooperation with working life. The working life connection involves primarily the student, the student's workplace and education. The interaction between the students working in different positions plays an important role in the development of professional skills and the creation of collaborative networks.

A central part of the Master's studies is the Master’s thesis. The thesis work starts already at the beginning of the studies and it is carried out as a working life oriented development project. The thesis will not only develop the student’s knowledge and skills in a certain study field and specific topic but also gives the student a possibility to enhance his/her skills in leading teams and workgroups.

Research focus:

In addition to providing education, Turku University of Applied Sciences conducts applied research, research, development, and innovation. Research and development means, for example, carrying out various EU-funded projects. The projects often aim to produce new knowledge, new services or operating models for the industry. Students have an opportunity to participate in these projects, for example through project studies. Project-related content may also be included in the courses.

Postgraduate study opportunities:

A Master’s degree awarded by a university of applied sciences provides eligibility for further academic studies (Licentiate, Doctor) as well as for applying for professional teacher education. However, the receiving faculty always determines its admission criteria and may require e.g. supplementary studies. Their purpose is to ensure that the student’s starting level meets the requirements specified for academic research.

Objective

After completing the programme, the student is able to:
• act as an expert, developer and project manager in his/her own field
• identify his/her own professional skills and responsibilities
• apply research knowledge and methods to new and changing work situations
• work independently in demanding development and expert tasks in the industry
• understand the significance and status of his/her own work in the industry and in the constantly changing modern society
• take a critical view of the new applications in the industry.
• respond to the successful development of working life and the use of research data in the development of products and processes by knowing i.a. the theoretical concepts, work, research and development methods.
• deepen his/her expertise in the profiling specialisation modules of the degree programme, such as production automation, product design, and energy and marine technology ·

• Automation Engineering: After completing the studies, the student will be able to analyse production systems and simulate production at both factory and individual robot cell levels, program industrial robots and evaluate the risks of a robot system based on security standards. • Product Design: After completing the studies, the student has gained proficiency in the use of project management software and can apply project management skills to development projects assigned by companies. He/she can produce solutions, documents, and reports required in product development projects assigned by companies.
• Energy- and Marine Technology: After completing the studies, the student will be familiar with the operation and design of a ship's machinery systems and will be able to produce related technical documentation and calculations in accordance with the applicable rules and regulations of the classification society.

Development

It is possible to complete the studies while working full-time. The studies are multidisciplinary and contain both contact and distance learning. Solving community-based learning and development tasks by independent work or in small teams plays a significant role in the studies.

The pedagogical approach of the programme is based on adult pedagogy. Part of the studies is conducted online using e-pedagogical methods and in multidisciplinary environments. On average, there are two contact days per month.

Further information

The objectives for skills levels in a Master’s Degree are based on the legislation on universities of applied sciences and the European Qualification Framework (EQF). The level corresponding to a Master’s degree is level 7.

The assessment criteria for each course are described in the course implementation plan. The requirements vary according to the goals, the content and the implementation.

The courses and the thesis are evaluated on a numerical scale from 0 to 5, where 1 is the lowest approved and 5 is the highest grade. The assessment methods of the courses vary according to the objectives of the study module. Assessment may focus either on the outcome (e.g. report or seminar presentation) or the process (the student’s own activity and actions during the course) or on both. In addition to teacher assessment, peer and self-assessment methods are used in the evaluation and feedback is provided also by the client companies.