Top universities for Finite Element Methods (FEM) in Europe

Top Universities for Finite Element Methods (FEM) In Europe

When studying the effect of forces and pressures on a structure, it would be difficult to understand the effect in certain areas. So, for better analysis, we replace the structure with miniature finite elements. Then we solve the effect of the force inside each element to understand how the force affects the geometry at every point.

FEM is one of the emerging fields of CAE. Owing to the growing demand for numerical methods among the industries, the academia is now offering specialised courses in computational engineering subjects. Though FEM is taught in many universities as one of the subjects, very few universities offer FEM as a specialised course or core subject. In this article, we picked out 5 such universities for student who wish to pursue FEM in Europe.

Swansea University:

Course available:

• Computer Modelling and Finite Elements in Engineering Mechanics, MSc / PGDip

• Computational Mechanics, MSc

Swansea University is one of the international forerunners in the field of computational engineering. The course is accredited by The Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE), the Institution of Structural Engineers (IStructE), the Chartered Institution of Highways and Transportation (CIHT), and the Institute of Highway Engineers (IHE). Professor Olek Zienkiewicz, also called the “Father of the Finite Element Method”, developed FEM in 1967 while being a professor at Swansea University. His International Journal of Numerical Methods in Engineering is still the major journal in the field of Numerical Computations. The Zienkiewicz Centre for Computational Engineering (ZCCE) works on various research projects related to FEA, CFD, and other computational engineering subjects.

Southampton University:

Courses available:

• MSc Computational Engineering Design (Advanced Mechanical Engineering Science) (1 year)

• MSc Mechatronics (Advanced Mechanical Engineering Science) (1 year)

Southampton is one of the top 20 UK universities and is ranked 8th in research intensity. The courses at Southampton cover core modules in numerical and computational methods such as FEA, CFD etc. Students at Southampton have a chance to complete research projects under the guidance of Computational Engineering and Design Research Group which has strong ties with academia and industry. The testing and structures research laboratory at Southampton university works on projects allied to finite element model validation.

Aarhus University:

Course available: MSc Mechanics

Aarhus University is the leading public research university in Denmark. It is ranked among the top 100 universities in the world. The MSc Mechanics course at AU combines theory with practice and covers advanced calculation methods such as FEM and multidisciplinary simulation tools. Topics such as CFD, structural analysis, fracture mechanics, and modal analysis will be covered. The Aarhus University centre for Integrated Materials Research is an interdisciplinary research centre that works on projects related to materials engineering.

University of Stuttgart:

Course offered: MSc Computational Mechanics of Materials and Structures (COMMAS)

The University of Stuttgart aims to transcend department boundaries in terms of research. Located in a region of economic strength, Stuttgart enjoys the highest research funding among German universities. Annual funding reaches as high as 246 million euros and this shows how much the university is the powerhouse for industry, national and industrial researches. Also, the funding ensures excellent research facilities, including Europe’s most powerful supercomputer. Research is highly interdisciplinary at Stuttgart and it is labeled as “Stuttgart’s way” in the mission statement of the university. The University is involved in various joint research projects and one of its manifestation of such efforts is the SRC SimTech Excellence Cluster where brings together engineering, mathematics, and computing together.

Universitat Politéchnica de Catalunya – Spain

Course offered:

• Post Graduate Programme in Computational Mechanics

• Post Graduate Programme in Numerical Methods in Engineering

This is an Erasmus Mundus program offered in collaboration with five leading universities. The course aims at training students in modelling, formulating, analyzing, and implementing simulation tools to solve complex engineering problems. Some of the research groups and research labs at UPC dedicated to Computational Engineering research include:

• Sciences of Engineering and Global Development(EScGD)
• Numerical Methods in Applied Sciences and Engineering(LaCAN)
• Numerical Analysis and Scientific Computation (ANiComp)
• Continuous and Computational Measure Mechanics(MC2) –UPC
• International Centre for Numerical Methods in Engineering(CIMNE)

When applying to universities abroad, it is vital that you present yourself with some technical knowledge if you wish to secure scholarships or a funded admit. To gain technical knowledge, you can work on projects related to FEA and add them to your portfolio. To know more, log onto Skill-Lync and take a look at the courses available.

Happy Learning!

If you wish to secure funded admit to universities like the ones here, all you have to do is enroll with us and complete the projects in our coursework. These projects can help you get a funded admit/scholarship when you transfer abroad.

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