Graduate engineers acquire the mindset and skills to develop innovative solutions. Being responsible for the design of products and processes, they can make a difference to our lives by ensuring that manufacturing takes place safely, with sparing use of non-renewable resources and minimal emission of carbon and pollutants. Our vision is that today’s industrial engineers need a solid understanding of sustainability, as they are the ones who make the decisions that affect a product’s environmental impact along its whole life cycle.

Based on this vision, as well as on the research and laboratory activities of our Department, we have developed the Master’s programme in Industrial Engineering for Sustainable Manufacturing to provide you with a well-rounded view of environmental and socio-economic impact assessment, and with the ability to select, size, and manage cutting-edge technologies that have the greatest potential to improve the sustainability of production systems in the coming decades: from additive manufacturing to robotics, from renewable energy sources to hydrogen technologies.

The definition of the curricula was carried out in close cooperation with a panel of companies that see innovative and sustainable technologies as opportunities and necessary conditions for long-term prosperity. North-eastern Italy and the entire cross-border region at the foothills of the Alps feature solid industrial ecosystems that revolve around metallurgy and other “hard-to-abate” industries such as glass, building materials, wood and pulp and paper, as well as innovators in the fields of renewable energy and the circular economy. Partner companies and institutions in this ecosystem support the program by offering workshops, study visits and internships to our students, as well fulfilling career opportunities for our graduates.

The cross-border and multinational scope of this industrial ecosystem was one of the motivations for delivering this Master’s programme entirely in English. In this way, our students will acquire a working knowledge of technical English and an aptitude for working in multi-cultural contexts, so that they can spend their skills to start a successful career anywhere in the world. This choice also allows for the involvement of international colleagues and experts, either face-to-face or remotely, so that our students gain access to the latest knowledge and a global view of sustainability and manufacturing.

We are committed to innovate teaching and learning to maximise individual engagement and students’ success. Traditional lecturing will be supported by an active learning approach, including laboratory experiences, problem- and project-based learning with the opportunity of deriving solutions in groups to benefit from diverse backgrounds and to experience teamwork. Our focus is on real engineering case-studies, based on the cooperation with professionals and experts from the industry.

Two majors are available to the enrolled students, allowing them to pursue a Master’s degree either in Mechanical Engineering or Management Engineering, according to current Italian law (Laurea Magistrale Interclasse). For both pathways, candidates will be able to choose between two curricular options, respectively focusing on sustainable materials and metalworking or on sustainable processes, energy and the environment. This flexibility opens up further opportunities, particularly for graduates aspiring to enter either a PhD programme in engineering (two are offered at our Department) or training programmes to become teachers in secondary education.