Technical University of Denmark

The Technical University of Denmark, known as DTU, is a public technical university in Kongens Lyngby, north of Copenhagen. It was founded in 1829 by physicist Hans Christian Orsted as a polytechnic institute for the applied sciences. It remains a specialist engineering and science university rather than a comprehensive one. Beside Lyngby it operates sites at Riso, Ballerup and elsewhere, including Arctic work from Greenland.

Organization is by departments rather than faculties, including DTU Compute, Electrical Engineering, Energy, Wind and Energy Systems, Biosustain, Nanolab, Space, Physics, Chemistry and Mechanical Engineering. Graduate students use national-scale facilities in wind energy, biotechnology, nanofabrication and space instrumentation. The university is known for engineering, especially energy systems, quantitative biology and applied physics.

Enrollment is about 13,000 students, with master's students forming a large share because many Danish engineers complete a two-year MSc after a bachelor's degree. International students account for a high share of English-taught master's programs, coming from Europe, Asia and elsewhere. Faculty and scientific staff number several thousand including PhD students on staff contracts. Alumni work in Danish industry, energy firms and public technical agencies.

Graduate study is built around two-year MSc programs taught largely in English and a three-year PhD that is a paid research post. Master's work mixes coursework with a thesis; the PhD is laboratory- and supervisor-based. The year is organized in two semesters with a modular course system. PhD students are employees with salaries; master's students may hold teaching jobs or industrial thesis placements. Lyngby is a campus town on the S-train line into Copenhagen.

In the Grad School Navigator directory, Technical University of Denmark lists 11 graduate programs across 8 subjects: 10 master's programs and 1 doctoral program, with the widest choice in biology, materials science & engineering and artificial intelligence. Technical University of Denmark holds rank 128 in the GSN Overall University Ranking.