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Get a good impression of what your study programme will look like.
In the Master System Design, you learn how to design complex high-tech systems from start to finish. You combine mechanics, electronics, software, and AI into solutions that actually work, using a structured design approach inspired by the Diamond Model. Along the way, you also build the master's-level skills that set you apart: critical thinking, independent research, and leadership in multidisciplinary teams.
Move from solving given problems to defining your own. You learn to ask the right questions, dive deep into technical detail, and keep the bigger picture in view.
Every project is a real design challenge, from a large OEM, a medium-sized supplier, or a smaller high-tech firm in the region.
Use modelling, simulation, and digital twins to test up to 90% of your design virtually before you build the prototype.
This is a hands-on programme. From day one, you work on a year-long design challenge, together with classmates, supported by lecturers and coaches. Every year follows a complete design cycle: from understanding the problem, to building a working prototype, to testing whether it actually solves what it set out to solve.
Each project comes from real life. A high-tech company in the Brainport region or one of our research groups. The structure follows the Diamond Model: a proven approach to system design that takes you through requirements analysis, architecture and concept design, detailed design and modelling (including a digital twin), and finally realisation, verification, and validation.
You can follow the Master System Design full-time or part-time. The content, projects, and final qualification are the same. What differs is your pace and how you combine the master with the rest of your life.
In year one, you build a solid foundation in system design, mechanics, electronics, and AI. You work on a year-long design project that takes you through a full design cycle: from requirements and architecture to detailed design, modelling, and a working prototype.
Your specialisation track quietly shapes your focus. System Engineering students lean into integration and control engineering. Precision Engineering students go deeper into mechanical detail, materials, and manufacturing. Automotive Systems students work on energy and mobility, batteries, drivetrains, and the transition to sustainable transport.
Examples of courses you'll take:
• System Design 1 & 2. The technical foundations of designing complex high-tech systems.
• Mechanics and Design Principles. Analysing and managing physical effects in high-precision systems.
• Data Handling, Machine Learning & AI. How to apply AI techniques in your design work.
• Control Engineering, Modelling & Simulation, Measurement Systems. Depending on your track.
Your study load is around 40 hours per week: 8 hours of on-campus teaching spread over two days, 16 hours of self-study, and 16 hours of project work.
You spend your second year on your graduation project. 40 hours a week at a high-tech company of your choice or with one of our research groups. You design, build, and validate a working solution, supported by both an academic supervisor and a company supervisor. The year culminates in your master's thesis and a final prototype.
Throughout the master, you have two kinds of support: someone for your project, and someone for you.
Wondering what's to come after applying for this programme? Go over the entire admission process.
Please note! If you wish to apply for housing through Fontys, the application deadline is June 15.