The master's programme in Naval Architecture provides a strong foundation in Naval Architecture while delivering in-depth skills through specialisations in Lightweight Structures, Fluid Mechanics and Management.

You will explore the complete processes of designing, modelling, constructing and operating boats, ships, marine installations and systems. Graduates face careers in the maritime sector, related fields or academia.

Naval Architecture at KTH:

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 have the opportunity to 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 education or specialise further in your chosen track. It is also an opportunity to study underwater technology and high-speed craft or other areas suitable for your interests and career goals.

• Lightweight Structures: In the Lightweight Structures track, you have the opportunity to 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 the application of such material concepts in large ship structures, and KTH has internationally acclaimed research in this area. What you learn in this track enables work with ship structures as well as with aerospace, automotive and other kinds of lightweight structures.
• Fluid Mechanics: The Fluid Mechanics track develops your fundamental understanding and working skills in incompressible fluid mechanics, which is the basis for the flow around ships, boats and marine installations. The governing set of partial differential equations, the Navier-Stokes equations, are 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 in ship hydromechanics as well as in 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).

Career:

The multi-disciplinary character of naval architecture, and the structure and curriculum of the programme, make the education relevant for careers in the maritime sector as well as in other fields. In the maritime sector, Swedish companies are leaders in several areas, such as ship design, ship operation, propulsion systems and design and construction of high-technology ships, submarines and small craft.

Naval architects are also employed by state authorities such as the Swedish Transport Agency and the Swedish Defence Material Administration. Significant international employment markets can also be found in the other Nordic countries, in other parts of the EU and the large shipbuilding nations in Asia.

Outside the maritime sector, you will find naval architects in, for example, the automotive industry or as technical consultants. Graduates also pursue a PhD at KTH or other universities nationally and internationally. Research projects can be theoretical or applied and often involve international cooperation.