Master's Degree - Master programmes

The Machine Design option of the Master in Mechanical Engineering aims to train students with skills for research, development and design of all types of equipment and mechanical structures.

The curricular plan was designed in order to provide students with tools, modeling and simulation techniques, experimentation, and methodologies that enable them to design mechanical systems and components, their production processes, as well as to plan and coordinate these projects.

It allows students to apply the knowledge acquired throughout the course to real projects in the Mechanical Engineering field.

During the course, students will have the opportunity to acquire skills in different areas of knowledge that are fundamental to the Design of Machines, such as:

• Machinery and Equipment Design Methodologies and Processes;
• Advanced Numerical Methods Applied to Mechanical Engineering;
• Machines and Structures Dynamics;
• Calculation of Complex Metal Structures;
• Tribology and Lubrication;
• Equipment Reliability and Maintenance;
• Ergonomics and Safety of Equipment and Machinery.

This option of the Master in Mechanical Engineering encompasses advanced engineering techniques with practical learning thus providing an integrated skills training that is highly desired by employers.

Even though mobility plays a crucial role in the modern economy, affiliated industries face challenges related to decarbonization, increased safety requirements, digitization, circularity of components and cost savings. These challenges must be addressed using the latest scientific discoveries related to structural design and new materials in innovative product development processes. The Aeronautical structures and vehicles Specialization will provide students with the most up-to-date methods for structural design and optimization of aeronautical structures, while exploring the synergies between aeronautics and other mobility industries.

In a world where fighting climate change is perhaps the greatest challenge humanity has ever faced, the transition to clean energy sources and the more efficient use of this essential asset are crucial. The Fluids and Energy specialization of the Master in Mechanical Engineering was designed to give future engineers in this area the skills that will allow them to effectively contribute to these new challenges.

In this master’s degree, the knowledge of fluid mechanics and heat transfer prior acquired in the B.Sc. degree will be enhanced, analyzing in detail different thermal systems, and addressing more specific topics, such as computational fluid mechanics, combustion, building air conditioning, renewable energies, energy management, energy and cooling, supported by an experimental component ensured by laboratorial work. Aiming a broader training, the areas of management, control systems, machine parts, optimization of mechanical systems and industrial maintenance, which are necessary for any mechanical engineer, are also part of the syllabus. The acquired knowledge will be put into practice in a course focusing in the design of thermal systems as well as in the Dissertation, with which this master’s degree ends.

The purpose is to ensure that future Masters in Mechanical Engineering from the Fluids and Energy Specialization are qualified to continue their studies at the level of the third cycle or to perform activities of conception, design, operation or management of energy systems, taking into account the both economic and environmental sustainability of the solutions, while also adding value to the organizations in which they will develop their professional activity.

The implementation of the industry 4.0 puts an increasing pressure on business to adopt technologies that allow the digitization of production processes through monitoring, control, management and optimization in real time.

In order to create an ecosystem that combines communications with equipment, robots, CNC machines, flexible production centers, autonomous vehicles, conveyor belts, etc. it is necessary to have engineers with a strong background in Automation, combining a solid background in mechanics with knowledge of electronics and advanced programming.

In this master’s degree, students will have the opportunity to deepen their knowledge in terms of actuations, pneumatics, hydraulics and electricals, learn how to simulate and program robots, microcontrollers, programmable logic controllers, computers, address automatic control systems and optimize their behavior. Students will also have the opportunity of working with 2D and 3D artificial vision, combined with artificial intelligence in order to allow automatic object recognition and features’ extraction. Simulation and experimental laboratory work will be performed in all of the courses in order to consolidate the acquired knowledge. The dissertation, carried out in the last semester, in the University or in a company, will allow the development and implementation of an automatic solution.

The main goal of this Specialization is to ensure that future Masters in Mechanical Engineering are qualified to continue their studies at the third cycle level, or to integrate a company to carry out activities of conception, design, operation and maintenance of automatic systems, adding value to the organizations in which they develop their professional activity.

The Automation Specialization of the Master in Mechanical Engineering was conceived to give future engineers in this area the skills that allow them to effectively contribute to these new challenges.

The Manufacturing Specialization of the Master in Mechanical Engineering at FEUP has as its main goal the training of graduates with a solid knowledge and skills aiming to the combination of new materials with advanced manufacturing processes, the creation of a new generation of qualified leaders to face the industry digitization smart manufacturing challenges. The future Manufacturing graduates will conduct the ongoing revolution in the materials and manufacturing processes, contributing decisively to a dynamic, resilient and sustainable industry, responsible for the economic development of our society.

The Manufacturing Specialization of the Master in Mechanical Engineering at FEUP  offers a balanced training of different courses, with a strong concentration in the disciplinary areas of Design, Design and Manufacturing (30 ECTS) and Materials (18 ECTS). This Specialization also has a strong focus on content related to Industrial Management (21 ECTS), essential for operating in the industry plants of the future. Further training supplements is also provided in the fields of Applied Mechanics (6 ECTS) and Automation (4.5 ECTS), which are fundamental for the training of future graduates with an integrating capacity of knowledge from different areas of Mechanical Engineering. The syllabus also offers flexibility, allowing students to carry out 9 + 1.5 ECTS courses offered across the universe of the University of Porto, thus making it possible to have graduates with different and unique profiles.

The master’s course will culminate with the completion of a master’s dissertation that will have students facing challenges in the areas of Materials and Technological Processes (30 ECTS). The master’s dissertation will preferably be carried out in a business environment, through a network of industrial partners, or integrated into R&D units or Interface Institutes (INEGI) associated with the Mechanical Engineering Department. Hence, the transition and integration of the graduates from the academic environment to the job market will be enhanced and facilitated.

To grasp the dynamics of organizations in an integrated way  while also being an active agent of change is a huge challenge: this is the scope of the Specialization in Engineering and Production Management of the Master of Mechanical Engineering. The simultaneous understanding of technological and management processes, guaranteed by a basic training in Mechanical Engineering and a subsequent in-depth knowledge of Management principles and methods, is of great value for the training of a 21st century engineer.

The courses of this specialization are structured around these two axes: as a complement to technological training, courses are developed addressing topics such as, for example, the analysis of the dynamic behavior of linear systems, learning to design classic controllers, numerical modeling of technological processes, energy management and knowledge of the energy chain, and aggregating this scope of knowledge in an integrative course that introduces the methodologies of Design and the Life Cycle of mechanical systems.

Regarding the management methods axis, the fundamental principles to understand how a company works and how to prepare for the Industry 4.0 revolution are addressed: from the concepts required to discern the accounting and financial impact of the main operational decisions, to the ability of modeling unstructured problems and which analytical methods are used to solve them, including information systems, production management and quality management techniques, until the development of the necessary skills to understand and manage the logistics and management function, what initiatives to develop within the scope of smart companies.

In the last semester of the master’s degree, students are challenged to apply the acquired knowledge in the Dissertation that is carried out in an industrial context, thus completing the master’s degree.

The transversal specialization of “Mechanical Engineering – General” will allow to:

• Train mechanical engineers capable of responding to the needs of micro, small and medium-sized companies, which represent a very relevant part of the national employment market.
• A survey of FEUP’s 10 main employers of mechanical engineers clearly showed that one of the main virtues of the current MIEM is its transversal character;
• To take into account a significant number of students who are attracted to more than one area of mechanical engineering (design, energy, production, automation, management …) and who want to have a more general education.

Therefore, this transversal specialization will be a distinctive feature of M.EM in relation to the other master’s degrees in mechanical engineering.

It should also be noted that there is a consolidated tradition in Universities of Excellence for implementing study cycles in Mechanical Engineering where a “transversal” Specialization coexists with “in-depth” Specializations”.