In addition to doctorate PhD programmes, the three universities of technology in the Netherlands also offer technological designer programmes known as PDEng (Professional Doctorate in Engineering).

This tailor-made programme is designed for MSc graduates who are able to create high level, technological and innovative designs for complex issues with a multidisciplinary character.

Additional dimension: interdisciplinary work
The goal of a PDEng programme is to provide an additional dimension to a full master’s programme by extending it and adding new elements to it. A PDEng student develops the competencies for synthesis and interdisciplinary work.

A PDEng graduate (a technological designer) has the competencies to create innovative technological solutions for products, processes, and systems. The solutions are based on functional requirements as well as on business and market requirements, within the context of society as a whole.

The technological designer programmes take two years to complete. During the first year extensive knowledge and experience of the latest design methods and their applications is gained. The second year of the programme is spent in industry, where the PDEng trainee works on an individual design assignment at a high–tech company.