Marine technology is a multidisciplinary field of engineering in which experts of many types are needed to develop and maintain safe and sustainable traffic on the world's waters.
At Aalto University, education in marine technology aims for an in-depth understanding of maritime engineering, including fundamental principles for design and construction, hydrodynamics, loads, structural analyses, stability, marine traffic risk management and winter navigation.
We wish to give students a thorough foundation that supports lifelong learning and research so that your knowledge base does not become obsolete. As a student, your course choices are based on your desired field of professional specialisation and guided by systematic academic advising.
View the Aalto University Marine Technology Annual Report 2020–2021 (.pdf)
The best way to access degree studies in the field of marine technology is through the Master's Programme in Mechanical Engineering, which is taught in English.
In addition to marine technology, the master's programme includes studies in fields such as mechatronics and product development.
For a suitable bachelor's degree, check out the Computational Engineering major in the Aalto Bachelor's Programme in Science and Technology!
The marine technology minor studies package provides the basics of maritime engineering for students of other master’s programmes at Aalto University and other FITech universities, e.g. students majoring in fields related to ICT and digitalisation.
Examples of study paths available to master's degree students of marine technology have been outlined below. For in-depth descriptions of these paths and their course lists, refer to our flyer on marine technology studies.
Keep in mind that while these study paths have been designed to give you an in-depth education in the field of your choosing, they are not set in stone! You can still include courses from other areas to build out your personal profile with the help of your academic advisor.
In Arctic marine technology, the key competence is to understand the cold environment and its demands on ship design, hull shape, power requirements, navigation in ice and ship safety. This requires basic knowledge of ship design, risk analysis, solid and fluid mechanics and especially an understanding of the characteristics of ice as a special material.
Aalto Ice Tank will be utilised in teaching, as one course will concentrate on model scale testing in ice. In addition, a few day excursions to the icebreakers operating in the northern Baltic Sea are organised every winter as part of a course on winter navigation.
An expert on hydrodynamics needs to understand the basic phenomena in fluid mechanics, hydrodynamic design as part of the overall design process and hydrodynamic performance as a whole, covering the various aspects of ship hydrodynamics.
Relevant field-specific topics include static and dynamic stability, calm water resistance, propulsion, hydrodynamic loads and wave-induced motion. The increasing role of computational fluid dynamics (CFD) in the design and analysis of ship flows means that a hydrodynamics expert should have a solid understanding of the relevant computational methods.
Naval architects understand the ship as a system and the relation between different disciplines. Basic knowledge of fluid mechanics is essential to design the outer shape of the ship to minimise the amount of energy needed for movement, while also keeping passengers comfortable.
As ships can operate in ice-covered seas, some knowledge of ice mechanics is necessary. Main areas of ship design are covered: buoyancy and stability, dynamics, structure, systems and risk assessment. Ship concept designs are developed in one course and improved in the other with justification for the courses chosen and the final expert profile.
A project engineer must understand the interlinked processes of design and production and manage the economical, production-related and technological risks associated with large, one-off prototype projects. It is essential to understand manufacturing methods and quality management methods as well as the role of material selection. Holistic, project-based thinking and basic knowledge of ship technology is needed to create the products of the future in a competitive fashion.
Digitalisation has a growing impact on the marine industry, with increasing automation in ships' on-board control, navigation and communication systems as well as big data and optimisation-driven decision-making in operations.
The trend is moving from on-board monitoring, automation and control to wider utilisation, optimisation and connectivity of data, including remote support and, ultimately, control and autonomy. Working in this field requires a sound understanding of the principles of naval architecture and related physics combined with a basic understanding of ICT to fully utilise novel solutions in the maritime field.
Structural designers must understand structural design as part of the overall design process and especially the random loads and the response and strength obtained. Strength itself is rarely a selling point for a ship, but it must be guaranteed and built in a way that the ship is aesthetically pleasing yet also strong and lightweight.
Numerical methods for loads and strength assessment are essential tools, thus a solid basis on mechanics is required. Decision-making, ship architecture and design and risk assessment are extensions to the professional profile that guarantee competitiveness in the markets.
Aalto University's marine technology education gives you the tools needed to perform design and research duties in the marine industry. The majority of graduates work in design and research positions in shipyards, research institutes, design offices, shipping companies and regulatory institutions.
Finland has a unique geographical location – you might consider it an island with thousands of lakes in the corner of Europe. In wintertime, most of the sea and lakes are covered with ice, posing many challenges to Finnish ship and port operators.
Despite the harsh winters, products of the Finnish shipbuilding industry are not limited to ice-going vessels. Finland is also known for specialised products such as cruise, RoPax and LNG vessels as well as azimuthing propulsion systems. Finnish ship equipment, offshore and boat industries are also well known around the world.
The industry is always looking for new professionals to design, build and operate its products. Our research group at the Department of Mechanical Engineering conducts long-term research that is closely related to the challenges encountered by the Finnish maritime industry.
View a digital brochure on the Finnish maritime sector: in English or in Finnish
We focus on the behaviour of ships and structures in normal and extreme environments. We do our research by considering the safety of maritime transportation, as well as the experiences the marine environment can offer to cruise vessel passengers.
Aalto Ice and Wave Tank is a multipurpose basin ideally suited for testing ships and other maritime structures in ice conditions.
Study courses organised by Finnish universities of technology free of charge. Courses are aimed at all Finns and permanent residents of Finland.
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