The complex multidisciplinary problems and challenges in our society require deep problem solvers in science, management and engineering who are also capable of interacting with and understanding specialists from a wide range of disciplines and functional areas. Industry refers to these people as T-shaped professionals. The T-shaped professional model has been the reference for the bachelor and master curricula in Aerospace Engineering at Delft University of Technology. The bachelor provides the broad academic background in the domain of aerospace engineering. The life cycle of the engineering process and contextual storylines of famous persons in aviation, aeronautics or space form the cement and thread for the themes of the bachelor curriculum. The bachelor develops the academic intellectual skills and attitudes to analyse, apply, synthesize, and design, and prepares for the master.
The master programme aims to develop the basic competences acquired in the bachelor to a higher level in terms of knowledge, critical reflection, making judgements and working independently. While “engineering and design” is the central theme of the bachelor, “research” is the theme of the master. This curricular framework gives the bachelor and master an own profile and identity. They use state-of-the-art content that is interwoven with thematic design projects and trainings for personal and system building skills, using international standard text books, up-to-date teaching methods, excellent facilities, with a focus on the aircraft and spacecraft throughout the programmes. Excellence programmes are available for the top 5 percent students in both bachelor and master. In these honours classes self-regulated students define their personal learning objectives and levels to be attained. Their key concept is that of open-ended learning and autonomy. In the bachelor the excellence programme substitutes design projects in the regular curriculum by one ambitious and compelling project with a high societal relevance and visibility. In the master it is a halfyear add-on programme about taking the lead in the creation and operation of new products, systems or processes, and developing awareness and understanding of the importance and strategic impact of research and technological developments on society.