Digital Technology Engineering
- 2 year(s)
- English
- Master
- Full-time
Get to know us
- Open days
- Meet us on campus
- And more...
About the Master
The Master of Science (MSc) in Digital Technology Engineering is a 2-year program offered by Fontys University of Applied Sciences. You will get an extra specialization in Digital Technologies and you will learn about software & hardware, AI, machine learning, data analysis & statistics, and develop new skills. Become the engineer who crosses disciplines, overseeing the process of product development, product integration, business development and organizational processes! And contribute to a rapidly changing society by driving digital transformation.
Why the Master Digital Technology Engineering?
- There is no simple solution to major challenges such as climate change, infectious diseases and the exponential growth of technology. The rise of the smart society and digital transformation require a different approach to digital technology, people, processes and collaborations.
- The work field calls for engineers who can deal with high levels of uncertainty, complexity, interdependencies and adaptations and understand the ecosystem.
- To fill this gap Fontys worked together with International companies, research centers and educational institutions in the design of this brand new Master’s program.
- This master's offers a direct entry for students with an Engineering, ICT or Applied Science bachelor's degree who wish to complete their MSc degree in 2 years (pre-master's is not required) and jumpstart their career!
Professional Masters
There are two types of Master’s programs in The Netherlands: professional Masters, offered by Universities of Applied Sciences, and scientific Masters, offered by Academic Universities. Although both types of Master’s programs train to the same level, there is a difference in orientation. Professional Master’s programs have a focus on practice-based research, whereas scientific Master’s programs are more focused on research in the academic world. A graduate is expected to be able to adapt to new knowledge and adopt an inquisitive attitude. Knowledge of a limited field of study is no longer sufficient. Innovations, by and large, take place at the intersections of different disciplines. Professional Master’s programs meet this increasing need for professionals who can operate at these intersections.
What is the difference between a university of applied sciences and a research university?
What you will learn
- The program gives you the opportunity to gain extensive knowledge and skills in digital technology and systems engineering. It is designed to let you develop solutions to complex problems posed by digital transformation.
- During the Master, we facilitate a stimulating learning environment in which you work on real-life challenges, using skills such as collaboration, feedback and reflection. By working in a design-oriented way, you will experience the problems faced by the industry and understand the stages a digital technology solution goes through from start to finish.
- Upon successful completion of the Master's degree, you will be a digital technology engineer who can implement digital technology solutions and contribute to the digital transformation of organizations. You will be able to contribute to a rapidly changing digital society and have a social impact on the fields of sustainability and ethics
What will your week be like?
This Master's program is designed to keep you, the students as well as ourselves on our toes. So expect to be immersed into an environment where there is a variety of new and existing technologies. Together with the other students and our team we will dive into this constantly evolving landscape that is Digital Technology.
Coaching
As a digital technology engineer, you need to be on top of societal and global changes in your quest to shape the future. To achieve this, you’ll need a certain personal and professional attitude. As an individual, you already have many unique characteristics. From your cultural background, you can collaborate with others, utilizing your unique talents and those of others.
During the Master, you will be guided by a coach in a process that pays attention to the development of your personal and professional identity as a digital technology engineer. In a small group of students and a coach, you will reflect on your personal and professional development, and integrate knowledge, skills and this attitude in a safe learning environment.
Do you have any questions?Reach out to us and send a message to engineeringeindhoven@fontys.nl
Approach & program overview
Find out all about the details that you need to know of the Master's program in this overview below. As you would expect a more detailed explanation of the two years, and on top of that also our approach towards education.
During the Master program, courses will be given for all of the four learning lines you will be following. The learning lines ensure that you develop knowledge and skills in:
- Digital Technologies
- Systems Engineering
- Practice-Based Research
- Design-Based Working
Each learning line offers four courses during each of the four open-ended challenges. After the four challenges you will receive tutoring for each learning line on your project in the graduation phase.
Open-ended challenges
The open-ended challenges are intended to let you gain experience in the process of integrating digital technology in an engineering context, and are closely related to the learning lines. The challenges provide more depth, and your actions within the challenges are well founded. You learn to act from theoretical frameworks and you learn to look at challenges from different perspectives. The courses are meaningful because they are related to the challenges.
The first year of the Master's program consists of three open-ended challenges that are alternated with weeks of integration, reflection and testing: the so called ‘in-between weeks’. During the between weeks, you reflect on how you have applied the theoretical frameworks and the educational offerings in the learning lines to the challenges. The third challenge will be performed while you are working at a company.
| Challenge 1 - courses | |
|---|---|
| Digital technologies | Data retrieval, basic processing and data visualization |
| Systems engineering | Understanding perspectives in systems engineering |
| Practice-based research | Practice-based research - basic skills |
| Design-based working | Create and make choices |
| Challenge 2 - courses | |
|---|---|
| Digital technologies | AI: hands-on machine learning and neural networks |
| Systems engineering | Designing a value proposition |
| Practice-based research | Collecting & analyzing data |
| Design-based working | Design thinking |
| Challenge 3 - courses | |
|---|---|
| Digital technologies | Deep dive into data analysis: mastering the state-of-the-art |
| Systems engineering | Optimizing and improving product design in an organizational context |
| Practice-based research | Communicating research results |
| Design-based working | Human centered approaches |
The second year of the Master’s program is composed of one open-ended challenge. While the rest will be part of the graduation phase in which preliminary research for the graduation project takes place, and finally the graduation project itself (20 weeks). The open-ended challenge and preliminary research phase in the second year are also alternated with between weeks of integration, reflection and testing. The graduation project will be completed while working at a company.
| Challenge 4 - courses | |
|---|---|
| Digital technologies | Smart devices - sensors & embedded software |
| Systems engineering | Developing solutions: how to make a product successful |
| Practice-based research | Visualizing your process |
| Design-based working | Human centered approaches |
Graduation phase
The graduation phase consists of the preliminary research and the graduation project. The goal of the preliminary research project is to prepare yourself in six weeks for your graduation project. In pairs, you will do (desk) research, explore and determine what your design approach will be, and come up with a conceptual research strategy for your graduation project. You will get support from one of the coaches and you can make use of expert feedback when working on this project.
During your graduation project, you work in a project group on a real and relevant design question within the context of – and brought in by – an organization that is confronted with a digital transformation. You will develop a digital solution that provides an appropriate answer to the given problem of the organisation, taking stakeholder and system requirements into account.
The Design-Based Learning approach enables you to solve realistic (design) problems while reflecting on your own learning. It emphasizes planning and designing essential activities in the design of products and realization of ideas within authentic (technical) environments. Within this design process you make decisions about the steps to take and are constantly iterating. As a result, you get increasingly better at generating specifications, making predictions, experiencing and creating solutions, testing and communicating.
Overall, you work in a self-directed manner within the Design-Based Learning approach and reflect on the constructive (learning) process. We believe that Design-Based Learningis the answer to the question of how to become a self-directed professional.
The digital technology engineer is a type of professional that can be described through the T-shaped professional model.
- The horizontal bar of the T represents the breadth of expertise, such as the ability to engage with other experts across a variety of systems and intellectual and disciplinary cultures.
- The vertical part of the T represents a depth of expertise in a specific knowledge domain.
Companies are calling for these T-shaped professionals with in-depth knowledge of one discipline and a broad knowledge base in adjacent areas, general business or entrepreneurial fields. We envision the T-shaped digital technology engineer as a professional who is able to communicate and understand the experts, while having a development-driven and entrepreneurial mindset.
Requirements
1. A bachelor degree in either: Automotive, Aviation, Electrical Engineering, Engineering, Industrial Product Design, Logistics Engineering, Aerospace Technology, Maritime Technology, Mechatronics, Human and Technology, Industrial Engineering, Applied Mathematics, Mechanical Engineering, HBO-ICT, Informatics Technical Informatics or Applied Physics. Is your study not mentioned? Contact us and we can talk about possibilities.
2. To be accepted onto the master, you must have a suitable English language qualification:
- IELTS Academic score of 6.5 overall (with a minimum of 5.5 in each element).
- TOEFL iBT score of 90 (with minimum scores of listening 17, reading 18, speaking 20, writing 18).
Dutch, German and EU-students with a Bachelor degree according to the Diploma list of the Code of Conduct can be exempted from the required IELTS or TOEFL iBT test report. After receipt and verification of the application form, Fontys University will send the enrollment letter / conditional enrollment letter/dismissal letter by email.
Diploma and language requirements NON-EEA
1. A bachelor degree in either: Automotive, Aviation, Electrical Engineering, Engineering, Industrial Product Design, Logistics Engineering, Aerospace Technology, Maritime Technology, Mechatronics, Human and Technology, Industrial Engineering, Applied Mathematics, Mechanical Engineering, HBO-ICT, Informatics Technical Informatics or Applied Physics. Is your study not mentioned? Contact us and we can talk about possibilities.
2. To be accepted onto this degree course with us you must have a suitable English language qualification:
- IELTS Academic score of 6.5 overall (with a minimum of 5.5 in each element).
- TOEFL iBT score of 90 (with minimum scores of listening 17, reading 18, speaking 20, writing 18).
After receipt and verification of the application form, Fontys University will send the enrollment letter/ conditional enrollment letter/ dismissal letter by email.
Costs
The tuition fees indicator helps you to determine the tuition rate for your situation. The information and tuition rates from this indicator are without engagement.
go to tuition fees indicator 2025-2026 go to tuition fees indicator 2024-2025
Statutory tuition fees and institutional tuition fees
A distinction is made between statutory tuition fees and institutional tuition fees. Only if you satisfy all statutory requirements regarding your nationality and if you have not yet been awarded a degree, will you be eligible for statutory tuition fees. Via the tuition fees indicator, you can secure an indication of the type of tuition fees that will be applicable in your situation. To do so, please make use of the indicator above.
Distinctions are made between the following types of Institutional Tuition Fees:
- Low institutional tuition fees
- High institutional tuition fees
Different types of tuition fees and Exemption Regulations
These different types of tuition fees and the Exemption Regulations are fully detailed in the:
The amount to be paid may vary in accordance with the following situations:
- If you have enrolled in more than one course programme (at Fontys and/or elsewhere), it is possible that you may only be obliged to pay one set of statutory tuition fees.
- If you believe that you may be eligible to pay only the statutory tuition fees on the basis of information that may be unknown to us, please report this to your Course Department.
- If it later transpires that you do not meet the requirements for statutory tuition fees, you will be obliged to pay the (higher) institutional tuition fees and if this is the case, you will be notified accordingly.
Some Fontys study programmes offer the NL scholarship to their students. Check out the link to see if this study programme participates and for more information.
Information about NL scholarshipYou might also be eligible for other scholarships not provided by Fontys. These can be found on the Study in NL website.
Go to StudyinNLPaying in instalments
Collection will occur in a maximum of ten equal instalments on or around the 26th of the month. Depending upon the processing time required after your enrolment, the direct debit may need to be moved to the following month. If so, the amount outstanding will then be divided and added to the remaining instalments to be executed until and including the June instalment.
If paying the full sum in a single payment
If you commence your studies on 1 September, the direct debit pertaining to your Tuition Fees will be executed on or around 25 September. If you commence your studies after 1 September, the direct debit will be executed on or around the 26th of the month in which you commence your studies.
Non-EU students
Incoming non-EU students will receive a payment letter from their study department, which must be paid before the deadline. In the following academic years, payment can be made by direct debit.
Non-SEPA
If you have a Bank account number of which the bank is not situated in one of the SEPA countries, and you are a national of a country outside the EEA without an address in The Netherlands, then you will receive a payment letter from Fontys via your course department.
The Dutch currency unit is the Euro (i.e. abbreviated to ‘EUR’ or ‘€’).
The average living expenses per month for a foreign student living and studying in Holland are between EUR 1,100 and EUR 1,500 per month. These living expenses cover rent, insurance, food, public transportation, books, clothing and other general costs.
Dutch Immigration Service (IND) requires non-EEA students to proof they have access to € 14.641 per year (€ 7.320 per semester)
Costs within the first months upon arrival will be higher than all other months due to a housing deposit, intro week and books. Study books are usually bought at the start of the semester and therefore it is wise to reserve and have direct access to an amount at the start of the semester which can cover the price of all study books and the living expenses for the first two months.
Before starting your study at Fontys, you must find suitable housing. Unfortunately, it is not easy for international students to find accommodation in the Netherlands due to the housing crisis. Start your accommodation search early. Please be aware that finding a place to live is your own responsibility. However, we are happy to assist in any way we can.
More information about accommodationOur collaborators
We have worked in close partnership with several companies.
- Philips
- ASML
- Solarge
- VDL
- CSU
- Sioux technologies
- TMC
- Bodec
- van Berlo
- van Rijsingen green
Finn van der Velden
Finn worked on challenge 3 at Morphotonics in Veldhoven.
What really resonated with us about this tech startup from Brabant were its high-tech environment, the available expertise, the hospitable atmosphere, and its flat organisational structure.
“The main difficulty in our project was the sheer amount of stakeholders from different engineering disciplines. In order to overcome this stakeholder overload, we applied different focus group sessions, which really helped us to establish consensus.”
Anıl Coşar
Internship at Stactics, in collaboration with Whysor and Connecting Agri&Food.
The aim was to help farmers get a broader understanding of their agricultural practices by developing a tool that would facilitate informed decision making. “As for my tip, having 3 companies within a challenge was difficult to navigate but all of them assisted with different parts of our project. Starting with Stactics, which helped in guiding us about programming decisions, Whysor was the company who provided sensors and a dashboarding tool, and CAF was our connection to farmers as they are experts in the agricultural sector. Even though this diversity was difficult to manage as all of them are major stakeholders, it also can be turned to an advantage of utilizing everybody's expertise to suit your own.”
Maarten Derks
Maarten graduated at Crux Agribotics, an OEM that develops and sells a machine called the SortiPack®.
“I liked the process of involving users to better understand their needs and spreading these insights throughout the company. This assisted the internal shift from a technology-push culture towards a more user-centric approach. After graduation I started a job at Crux Agribotics as R&D specialist, focusing mostly on data analytics. I am also working together in a team on making a market ready product out of the outcomes of my research, which gives me lots of satisfaction. I would advice you to pick a project that contributes to a real need of the company, and not an internship project, even though I know this is difficult. Telling a company what your dream project would look like could help with this.”
Career opportunities
As a Master's graduate, you are results-oriented and can deal with a high degree of flexibility, complexity and interdependence that the application and integration of digital technology requires. This integration takes place both in the innovation of existing products and/or services and in the change of internal production and organizational processes. To achieve your goals, you combine your advanced technical knowledge (hardware, software, and analytical skills) with your ability to communicate with and assess the needs of the various stakeholders.
Junior positions
- Test engineer,
- Business process analyst,
- Process engineer,
- Production engineer,
- Design engineer
- And many more
Medior/senior positions
- Product owner,
- Project manager/coordinator,
- Project lead NPI,
- NPI production engineer,
- Field support engineer.
- Again, many more possibilities
How to apply
All applications for our programmes have to be conducted via www.studielink.nl. Studielink is an online portal that allows applicants to apply and maintain their registration whenever they want to.
The application process may differ for EU and Non-EU students, please read below what applies for you.
Application deadlines
| EU | non-EU | |
| September intake | 15 June | 15 May |
Dutch students can still apply until August 31st.
To start your online application
- Log in to Studielink: www.studielink.nl.
- Submit your personal details (please ensure that you enter your names as stated on your passport and/or identity card), ensuring that all details are entered correctly, i.e. capital letters where required.
- Add 'New Enrolment Application': mind you choose the correct intake.
- Add your previous education and answer the supplementary questions.
After your enrolment request has been submitted, you’ll receive a confirmation email from Studielink.
Intake
Part of the application process is an intake. The goal of the intake is to manage each other’s expectations and check whether the purpose and programme profile of the master’s are clear to you. You can find out if you have the right mindset, such as open-mindedness and willingness to develop. You will automatically receive an e-mail to plan this intake.
Still in doubt?
You’re more than welcome to walk in and talk to us, meet the master’s team, explore our location and ask your questions. We’re available every Friday from 15:00 to 16:00 h.
Located in Eindhoven, Rachelsmolen 1, Building R10, First floor, Pulsed room.
Agenda
Sign up for one of our events. There's no better way to find out if this study programme is right for you! Visit a webinar from the comfort of your home or meet us live on campus. Whichever you choose, we hope to meet you soon.
Information session Master Digital Technology Engineering | Online
21 Nov 2024
16:00 - 17:00 CET
Programme
Online info session Master Digital Technology Engineering | Online
02 Dec 2024
19:00 - 20:00 CET
Programme
Curious about taking your skills to the next level? Join our online info session to discover everything about the Master in Digital Technology Engineering!
Frans Fonville, the programme coordinator, will give you a deep dive into the curriculum, explain life as a student in the vibrant tech hub of Eindhoven, and cover key details on internships and admissions. Got questions? This is your chance to get all the answers directly.
Don’t miss out on this opportunity to see if this cutting-edge master’s is the perfect fit for you!
Open Day
January 26, 2025
Programme
Having trouble making up your mind about your future studies? Or maybe you've already decided? Either way, we invite you to experience it firsthand at our Open Day. Step onto our campus and get a real taste of what your chosen study programme could be like. Our students and teachers will be your guides, ready to show you around.
Mark your calendar for our upcoming Open Day on January 26, 2025.
Do you want to be a part of it? Simply share your details, and you'll be among the first to receive updates.