Master of Science in Machine and Production Automation Engineering Technology
Choosing the Kortrijk-based Master of Science in Machine and Production Automation Engineering Technology means training to become an industrial engineer who makes production processes and machines faster and more flexible. The Master’s programme is a continuation of the Bachelor’s programme. It focuses on optimising systems to achieve higher efficiency and faster processing times. You learn to use advanced tools such as digital twins and machine learning, which are essential for designing and improving competitive, sustainable production environments.
What
Machine and Production Automation engineers design the smart, efficient, and sustainable production environments of the future. You will learn to develop advanced machines and automate entire production systems.
The Master’s programme is a continuation of the two major learning pathways in the Bachelor’s programme:
Production automation is the integration of controls, PLCs, robots, vision and mechatronically optimised systems into a single high-performance production system. Machine automation or mechatronics is the development and optimisation of motion by combining robust electromechanical design with high-dynamic machine control.
Strong Digital Focus
In the Master’s programme, you will learn a great deal about digital engineering. While the programme remains rooted in traditional electromechanics and automation, these domains are enhanced by state-of-the-art digital techniques. Work with virtual models (digital twins) for design and simulation will increase. In addition, you will gain thorough expertise in data analysis, machine learning and condition monitoring to enable preventive maintenance and process optimisation.
A broad perspective on the production process
You learn to look beyond the machine. You learn to optimise the entire production process: from raw materials to the finished product, including logistics such as automated storage management. Programming and using robots is an essential part of that. You will be able to contribute to a sustainable, flexible and competitive industry.
Hands-on and embedded in the industry
During extensive lab practice, you work on industrial installations that are very similar to those in practice. You come into contact with the professional field through project work, the work placement, and the Master’s dissertation. These valuable experiences contribute to your role as a future-proof industrial engineer.
The Master of Science in Machine and Production Automation Engineering Technology, based in Kortrijk and housed within Ghent University’s Faculty of Engineering and Architecture, is unique in Flanders.
Remarks
Ghent University has Ghent-based and Kortrijk-based Engineering Technology programmes, organized by two faculties (Bioscience Engineering and Engineering & Architecture). This study programme is offered at Kortrijk Campus and is organized by the Faculty of Engineering and Architecture.
The Master of Science in Machine and Production Automation Engineering Technology is unique in Flanders.
For whom
The admission requirements may vary. Depending on your prior education, you can either enrol directly or there may be additional requirements.
Structure
The programme consists of three Bachelor’s years (i.e. Engineering Technology), followed by one Master’s year. In the Master’s curriculum, you have a choice of three minors:
- Smart Machines
- Smart Factories
- Smart Technologies
Labour Market
Job opportunities are various and manifold. A considerable number of our graduates ends up in technical, management or commercial positions: as automation engineer, R&D engineer, production and maintenance engineer (wood, textile, plastics, nutrition,...), sales engineer, technical manager, project manager, service engineer, safety manager, or lecturer, ... Various sectors are open to you: machine manufacturing, metal industry, electronics, integrators, the services sector (hospitals, public services, transportation ...). Design offices are also eager to employ our graduates. Other important employers are the government, semi-public institutions (e.g. The Federal Planning Bureau, the Belgian Buildings Agency, ...) and the education sector. A career at a research institute is also among the possibilities. Or maybe you will start your own company?
Be sure to check out these interesting testimonials at ikbenindustrieelingenieur.be (in Dutch).
Quality Assurance
At Ghent University, we strive to educate people who dare to think about the challenges of tomorrow. For that purpose, we provide education that is embedded in six strategic objectives: Think Broadly, Keep Researching, Cultivate Talent, Contribute, Extend Horizons, Opt for Quality.
Ghent University continuously focuses on quality assurance and quality culture. The Ghent University's quality assurance system offers information on each study programme’s unique selling points, and on its strengths and weaknesses with regard to quality assurance.
More information:
Unique Selling Points
- Multiperspectivism: We train our students into becoming engineers with both technical and academic-scientific knowledge, theoretical as well as practical skills and attitudes, a broad polyvalent base (first and second year) and a clear specialization (third and fourth year).
- Curriculum: Our curriculum contains clearly defined learning pathways of increasing complexity.
- Profile: We focus on specific key aspects based on our own on-campus research and long-standing collaboration with the industry.
- Talent development: Our programme aims to strengthen our students’ knowledge of specific technical-scientific matters, while also focusing on those generic skills that are indispensable for future engineers, like communication and project management, legal aspects as well as economic and ecological ones.
- Integration of theory and practice: our curriculum contains many hours of tutorials and practicals, during which we use our well-equipped infrastructure to apply the theoretical knowledge covered in the lectures.
Strengths
- Our dedicated team of lecturers: Our programme boasts a team of highly motivated lecturers. Since we are a rather small-scale programme, all of our lecturers are very approachable.
- Mentoring services: In addition to providing tutorial services, we also offer mentoring services (i.e. follow-up of individual students) in the first year.
- Interdependence of education and the industry: We have at our disposal state-of-the-art laboratories in which our industrial partners, lecturers and students collaborate closely.
- Room for practical experience: We place a strong emphasis on hands-on lab sessions from the first year onwards. And we maintain a mix of 60% theory and 40% practicals throughout the entire study programme.
- Assessment: Our students appreciate the fact that they are well informed about the form and content of the assessments. It gives them a clear view of what to expect while studying.
Challenges
- Internationalisation: at university level there are sufficient opportunities for internationalisation, of which our programme makes insufficient use.
- Alumni outreach: we engage in alumni outreach but are still looking for appropriate initiatives to strengthen it further.
- Reputation: our programme is relatively new, and hence, not sufficiently known.
Accreditation
This study programme is accredited by the Accreditation Organisation of the Netherlands and Flanders (in Dutch: NVAO) in 2024.
The accreditation decision and the assessment committee's report can be found here.
This information was last updated on 16/07/2025.
In case of questions or suggestions with regard to the publicly available information, please contact the study programme.