Computational Mechanics

Overview

The goal is to provide them with the skills needed for modelling, formulating, analysing and implementing simulation tools for advanced engineering problems, as well as skills for understanding these approaches in the broader context of engineering science. An entrepreneurial component complements these skills, providing students with tools for setting up successful businesses and enhancing their own employability.

This Computational Mechanics master’s degree at the  Polytechnic University of Catalonia, has received the International Master’s Programme distinction (2013 call) awarded by the Government of Catalonia’s Agency for the Management of University and Research Grants (AGAUR).

This master’s degree is organised by an international consortium of five leading universities in cooperation with the International Centre for Numerical Methods in Engineering (CIMNE): Swansea University (UK), Ecole Centrale Nantes (France), Universität Stuttgart (Germany), Tsinghua University (China) and the UPC.

Professional opportunities

The field of Computational Mechanics is constantly growing within European industry. Cutting-edge technological advancements depend upon the implementation and use of advanced computational simulation tools. This consistent expansion is reflected in an increasing demand for highly qualified professionals within this field. The strength of this master’s degree can be measured by the graduate employment rate in leading R&D departments in industry (55%) and the number of graduates continuing their education on doctoral programmes related to Computational Mechanics (40%).

Generic competencies are the skills that graduates acquire regardless of the specific course or field of study. The generic competencies established by the UPC are capacity for innovation and entrepreneurship, sustainability and social commitment, knowledge of a foreign language (preferably English), teamwork and proper use of information resources.

• Complete and consolidate their basic training in problem-solving with numerical and computational methods.
• Attain advanced knowledge of the theory and application of numerical methods to the solution of engineering problems.
• Apply numerical methods using calculation programs, graphics pre- and post-processors, programming languages and calculation libraries.
• Complete and consolidate knowledge, criteria and critical thinking to come up with conventional solutions and analyse results in problems that are characteristic of numerical modelling.
• Acquire a critical awareness of the European Union and international vanguard in the use of numerical methods in engineering.
• Solve real engineering problems by the identification of the underlying mathematical model, the most appropriate method of calculation and the critical interpretation of the results.
• Independently use their knowledge and understanding of computational engineering to design solutions to new problems, incorporating theoretical and practical knowledge, from other disciplines where appropriate, and designing new, original and suitable problem-solving methods.
• Understand the applicability and the limitations of numerical modelling and existing calculation technologies.
• Attain knowledge of advanced numerical modelling and apply it to the different areas of engineering.
• Show knowledge of the latest numerical technologies for solving basic problems and also of the modern physical models of materials science.
• Learn and apply quality control techniques for numerical simulation using modern tools.
• Understand the applicability and the limitations of the different numerical simulation techniques and receive training in calculation methods: pre- and post-processing programs, programming languages and standard calculation libraries.