MSc Programme

Systems and Control

As the complexity and importance of our many

Faculty of Mechanical,
Maritime and Materials
Engineering (3mE)

industrial structures and manufacturing

systems grow, so does the guiding hand of
Systems and Control. This active research
area is an important discipline in many fields,
involving such specialists as engineers,
physicists, mathematicians and designers.
The world of systems and control guides
more of our lives than most of us realise.
Areas as diverse as the manufacturing and
semiconductor industry.
Infrastructure management, transportation,
communications and logistics, energy delivery, the
medical profession, and the family household are
increasingly dependent on it. And as the world becomes
more and more automated and guided, its impacts
will spread even further. The MSc programme trains
students to use interdisciplinary strategies involving
modelling, signal processing, controller design, and
system analysis. It prepares engineers for a key role
in the field of dynamics and control technology for
complex systems and processes. The programme
provides top-quality expertise and skills for successful
professional careers in research, technology
development and design. For students who wish to
expand their academic career. The MSc programme is
the perfect preparation for the national graduate (PhD)
programme of the Dutch Institute of Systems and
Control (DISC) as well as other PhD programmes.

Masters programme

Tools to regulate
behaviour of other
devices and systems

The two-year MSc programme in Systems and Control

is aimed at students with a technical BSc background
interested in analysis and control of dynamic systems
in their widest sense. The programme addresses both
fundamental and application-specific features,
emphasising the multidisciplinary character of the field.
It gives attention to applications in mechanical
engineering, electrical engineering, applied physics,
chemical and aerospace engineering.
Combining the disciplines above results in an
interdisciplinary approach, with attention given to
modelling, experimental design, mathematical system
theory, signal analysis and processing, model based

control design, and hardware and software systems. For

systems of high complexity, such as high-order, non-linear or
time-delay dynamics, hybrid and embedded systems, study
targets range from small-scale micro-systems to large-scale
industrial processes. An MSc degree in Systems and Control will
surely be a key engineering qualification for future decades.

Programme specialisations
Due to the diversity of participating groups and flexible setup,
the MSc programme can offer many specializations, ranging
from a pure engineering profile to more theoretical oriented
research. Delft Centre for Systems and Control (DCSC)
Teaching and research at the DCSC encompasses the wide area
of modelling, estimation and identification, control and
optimisation of linear, nonlinear and hybrid dynamical systems.
Applications include, but are not limited to, mechatronics and
microsystems, sustainable industrial processes, transportation
and traffic control, adaptive optics, automotive applications,
and physical imaging systems. DCSC has extensive laboratory
facilities and participates in many collaborative research
projects with industrial partners.

Examples of graduation
projects
Model based Control design of adaptive optics for confocal
microscope with biological specimen
Model predictive traffic control: Efficiency versus accuracy
Towards data-driven autonomous control systems in the
process industry
Large perturbation recovery for bipedal robots

Career prospects
Programme graduates find careers across numerous sectors of
industry and academia which range from management, to
design, research and development in technical departments.
In our technologically developed society, commercial and
governmental organisations are in constant need of people with
a solid engineering education at the academic level, and this
need will surely grow. Because of system complexity, an
increasing number of engineers are playing a crucial role in the
advising on and selling of smart products and capital
equipment. Naturally there are also numerous careers awaiting
systems and control engineers in academia, where these skills
are in high demand as well.

Curriculum Systems and Control Engineering

The MSc programme in Systems and Control is a two-year curriculum of lectures and assignments. The course section consists of
a compulsory part, an elective part in which modules are chosen from a list of systems and control modules, and a freely selected
part chosen in consultation with the MSc coordinator and/or the MSc thesis supervisor. Within the elective courses students have
various specialization options, for instance motion and vibration control, automotive control, nonlinear control, process control,
hybrid systems, and embedded systems. The programme includes an optional internship of three months, which will be part of the
Master thesis project.

First year
1st semester

2nd semester

Introduction Project SC (3EC)

Robust and multivariable control design (5EC)

Control Theory (6EC)

Integration project SC (5 EC)

Filtering & identification (6EC)

Philosophy & methodology of engineering science & design (3 EC)

Modelling and Nonlinear Systems Theory (4EC)

Optimization in systems and control (4EC)
Systems & Control Electives (( 18 EC)
Free elective Courses ( 6 EC)

Second Year
1st semester

2nd semester

Literature study ( 15 EC)

Master thesis project (45 EC)

Compulsory Courses

Systems & Control courses ( 18 EC)

Free elective Courses ( 6 EC)

Master thesis project (60 EC)

1 EC = 28 hrs study, according to the European Credit Transfer System (ECTS) Total amount of credits MSc system and control engineering programme = 120 EC

For more information on all courses: www.studyguide.tudelft.nl.

A challenging and enriching programme

My name is Sofie Haesaert. I am currently working towards a PhD in
Systems and Control at TU Eindhoven. In 2012 I obtained a Masters
degree in Systems and Control from the Delft University of Technology.
I chose for the 3TU master in Systems and Control, because I was
intrigued by the mathematical approach to the analysis and control of
diverse phenomena in Engineering.
I appreciated the people working in the area of systems and control.
They were very open and enthusiast, and with their help I was able to
follow a challenging and enriching program.
During the first year, I followed the obligatory courses in combination
with an individual selection of elective courses. These courses were in
general of high quality and well explained. The practical projects, such
as the introduction and the integration projects, allowed me to apply the
theory on some laboratory set-ups. By the end of my first year, I even got
the chance to participate in research on multi-agent systems at the
university of Texas.
The second year of the master I focused solely on my graduation project.
During this year, I first had to do a literature survey. After having
obtained a solid background on the topic of my thesis, I started working
on my thesis. The personal guidance and coaching I received helped me
to improving my scientific reasoning, my writing and my work.

Sofie Haesaert
(The Netherlands)

Admission requirements
and application procedures

For further information

BSc degree from a Dutch university

Please visit the webpage for all details,

complete requirements, deadlines and contact
information: www.dcsc.tudelft.nl

Direct admittance is granted to students with an

academic BSc degree in Mechanical Engineering,
Electrical Engineering, Applied Physics, Aerospace
Engineering, Chemical Engineering or Technical
Mathematics of a Dutch University of Technology or
a University of the IDEA League (ETH Zrich, RWTH
Aachen, Paris Tech). Any possible deficiencies in
background can be resolved by one or two additional
courses included as electives. For students with other
academic BSc degrees admittance to the MSc
programme will be judged on a case by case basis.
Application goes through Studielink: tudelft.studielink.nl.

Degree from a Dutch university of

applied sciences (Dutch HBO)
Candidates with a (HBO) Bachelor degree in Electrical
Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Applied
Mathematics, Applied Physics, Aerospace Engineering
and other programmes can be admitted. A pre-masters
programme of 30 ECs needs to be completed before the
candidate is formally admitted.
Application goes through Studielink: tudelft.studielink.nl.

dr.ir. T.J.J. van den Boom

T +31 (0)15 27 84052
E sc-coordinator-dcsc@tudelft.nl
Further information for international applicants
International office 3ME
T +31-(0)15-278 2222
E internationaloffice-3me@tudelft.nl
3ME Faculty
Mekelweg2
2628 CD Delft
Student association OOC:
www.dcsc.tudelft.nl/~outofcontrol
www.facebook.com/TUDelft
@DelftUniversity

International applicants
To be considered for admission to a MSc Programme
youll need to meet TU Delfts general admission
requirements.
For international students, the application period starts
in September and closes on 1 April. To start an MSc
application, fill in the online application and pay the
non-refundable application fee of 50. Then send hard
copies of the application documents to TU Delfts
International Office. Please note that you should apply
early if you want to apply for a scholarship as well!
For more information about the application procedure
and studying at TU Delft in general, go to:
www.admissions.tudelft.nl.
Please visit the webpage for all details, a full list of
requirements, deadlines and contact information:
www.master.tudelft.nl.

The three leading universities of technology in the

Netherlands -Delft University of Technology, Eindhoven
University of Technology and the University of Twente
- have joined forces in the 3TU.Federation. This
federation maximizes innovation by combining and
concentrating the strengths of all three universities in
research, education and knowledge transfer. Together
they offer five Masters programs including CME. The
core programmes of the 3TU masters are largely
identical and can be followed at any of the three
locations. You will benefit from the special strengths of
the three universities by choosing a specialisation at
any of the three locations. You will be registered at the
location of your choice, but you will automatically be
co-registered at the other two locations to ensure
access to the facilities of all three.