Technical University of Denmark (DTU)

Technical University of Denmark is the largest and the leading environment in Denmark for training engineers and for technical scientific research. Denmark’s first polytechnic institute, the Technical University of Denmark was founded in 1829 by the famous Danish physicist and chemist, Hans Christian Ørsted. Today, it is one of Europe’s leading engineering institutions, ranked at 112th place in the QS World University Rankings 2015/16. Currently the university is home to more than 11,000 students from more than 100 countries, enrolled across 25 departments. Its campus is located in Kongens Lyngby, a city just north of Copenhagen. The university’s official colors are red and gray, and it’s famous for its rugby and volleyball teams.

When the College of Advanced Technology was founded in 1829, Denmark had its first MSc programme in Engineering at a high academic level. The College changed its name to Danish Technical College in 1933 and finally became the Technical University of Denmark (DTU) in 1994. 

DTU has always had a strong theoretical grounding. H.C. Ørsted, the man who discovered electromagnetism, founded the College in the image of École Polytechnique in France. The objective was to educate young men to work in industry, but in the beginning DTU was not able to teach practice, so the college mainly educated technical teachers.

DTU’s mission “to develop and create value using the natural sciences and technical sciences to benefit society” stresses the importance of innovation for the University. It is the vision of DTU that DTU is recognized internationally as a leading university in the areas of technology and the natural sciences and is known for its business-oriented approach, its focus on sustainability and its appealing study environment.

DTU are committed to the international exchange of knowledge and works closely with international companies and universities. You will meet countless international students and staff at the University. In 2014, DTU welcomed 538 international students into our MSc programmes, half of our PhD students are recruited from abroad, and more than one third of our scientific staff are highly qualified researchers of international backgrounds.Learning to think creatively, analytically and globally—and taught by professor and lecturers at the forefront of their field—DTU offers you the opportunity to become a leader in your chosen profession.

Technical University of Denmark is represented in all of Denmark through its departments and research centres.DTU is one of Denmark’s foremost research universities. As such, it educates, make innovative discoveries, generate entrepreneurial ideas for improving people’s lives and protect the environment. DTU serves as an engine of economic growth and social prosperity and is especially well-known for its success in the transfer of technology from the laboratory to the marketplace.

Denmark is a democracy where personal freedom, freedom of speech and inclusive values are highly valued. It is one of the safest countries in Europe. Its public services and infrastructure run efficiently and are well-maintained. The capital, Copenhagen, is about 15 kilometers from the main DTU Campus, and easily accessible. Copenhagen is beautiful and clean, with a city centre criss-crossed by canals and pedestrian-only streets. All of these features contribute to making your stay here as a student pleasant, secure and largely hassle-free.

Denmark is a society that places high priority on running on renewable energy within this century. And at DTU, sustainable technology engineering is an intense, cross-department endeavour of ever-increasing importance.

DTU is managed in a line and staff organization with an unbroken chain of command in which managers have personal management responsibility for each organizational unit. The University’s main activities are organized in line units: departments, centres and institutes; a national laboratory for sustainable energy; and subsidiaries when activities are appropriately organized using the arm's length principle.

For almost two centuries DTU, Technical University of Denmark, has been dedicated to fulfilling the vision of H.C. Ørsted.Today, DTU is ranked as one of the foremost technical universities in Europe, continues to set new records in the number of publications, and persistently increase and develop our partnerships with industry, and assignments accomplished by DTU’s scientific advice.

The number of student enrolment is higher than ever and, for the eleventh consecutive year; it has received a record-breaking number of applications from students who want to pursue a degree from a technical elite university with a global outlook.

The international dimension is of vital importance to DTU. In 2014, it welcomed 538 international students into our MSc programmes, half of our PhD students are recruited from abroad, and more than one third of its scientific staff are highly qualified researchers of international backgrounds. In addition, the extent and intensity of its collaborations with other leading technical universities around the world continue to grow.

DTU has international educational exchange programmes with over 200 universities around the globe, and enjoys close research collaborations with its partners in addition to building research and educational programmes with the Nordic Five Tech Alliance, the Euro Tech Universities Alliance, KAIST in South Korea, the Sino-Danish Center in Beijing, Rensselaer in the U.S., and Nanyang in Singapor.

DTU is one of Denmark’s foremost research universities. As such, it educate, make innovative discoveries, generate entrepreneurial ideas for improving people’s lives and protect the environment. DTU serves as an engine of economic growth and social prosperity and is especially well-known for its success in the transfer of technology from the laboratory to the marketplace.

DTU has contributed to Denmark achieving a leading position within Technical Design, Wind Energy, Biotechnology, Electronics and Telecommunication.DTU focuses on research in technical and natural sciences that contributes to the development of society. As an industrially orientated university, it  goal is to supply high-level international research based on combining theory with constructing models and empirical methods.

DTU boasts very strong climate and energy research environments of high international standard at its Lyngby (main) and Riso campuses. For this reason, DTU is officially appointed host to the United Nations Energy Programme (UNEP) Centre with focus on climate and sustainability. DTU is also one of the leading actors in both ECRA (European Climate Research Alliance) and EERA (European Energy Research Alliance). Climate DTU, DTU’s cross-disciplinary climate platform, has been set-up to promote cooperation between universities, companies and authorities. 

Today, DTU is ranked as one of the foremost technical universities in Europe,  continues to set new records in the number of publications, and persistently increase and develop our partnerships with industry, and assignments accomplished by DTU’s public sector consultancy.

DTU is a frontrunner in applied sustainability and teaches many research based courses within engineering, technology and natural science. As an exchange student, you can study a large variety of subjects including the classical fields of engineering, but also modern areas such as wind energy, pharmaceutical design, mathematical modeling, petroleum engineering, computer science and architectural engineering.

DTU is a public, financially autonomous university, which offers BSc, MSc and PhD degree programmes in all engineering disciplines of the highest international standard with a student population of more than 9,500 students. DTU is the biggest recipient of EU R&D funding in Denmark. 

Going abroad improves your academic and personal skills, allowing you to establish a truly international network and global outlook. DTU’s BSc in General Engineering offers a cross-disciplinary and project-based education, conducted in an international atmosphere with students from around the world, providing you with the knowledge and experience necessary for working in a global market.DTU guarantees accommodation for all international students of the BSc in General Engineering throughout their three year studies. All EU/EEA citizens receive free education throughout their studies, as well as free public healthcare.