Change of study programme and field of study on the B Eng and BSc Eng programmes
Applicants who have passed courses corresponding to the first year of study on the applied study programme can be enrolled in the programme via a change of study programme or a change of field of study. Thus, the student will be enrolled in the second year of study or later by passing quotas 1 and 2. The 60 ECTS credits - equivalent to the first year of study on the desired study programme - will be transferred to the new study programme upon admission. In addition, DTU’s rules on pre-commencement credit transfer apply.
In a BEng programme, the first year of study has been passed if, as a minimum, the first and second semesters of the study programme in question have been passed.
In a BSc programme, the first year of study has been passed if, as a minimum, 60 ECTS credits from the three mandatory blocks of courses (Enrolled before September 2023: basic natural science courses, technological specialization courses, and projects and professional skills courses // Enrolled after September 2023: the Polytechnic foundation, Programme specific courses and Projects) have been passed.
It is not a prerequisite for applying for a change of study or field of study that the student is enrolled at DTU. Read more under the rules for re-admission at DTU Inside under 'Study rules'/'Re-admission'.
If it is assessed that an applicant cannot make a change of study or field of study, it will be assessed whether the applicant can be admitted to the program via quota 1 or 2. That also applies if the applicant has courses from another university and is thus considered an external study change but chooses not to have an assessment of an external study change made.
If the student is admitted via quota 1 or 2 (via the ordinary admission), DTU’s rules on pre-commencement credit transfer apply.
Applicants from DTU
Change of field of study means that the student changes the field of study within the study programme, i.e. from one BEng programme to another BEng programme or from one BSc programme to another BSc programme.
Internal change of study programme means that the student changes from a BSc programme to a BEng programme or vice versa at DTU.
Applicants who have passed 60 ECTS credits or more at DTU and thus apply for a change of field of study or internal change of study programme will have an assessment of whether they have passed courses corresponding to the first year of study on the study programme applied for.
Application and application deadlines
The deadlines for applying for quota 1 are
- 1 May (study start 1 September)
- 1 November (study start 1 February).
If the applicant before the deadline of 1 May (summer intake) or 1 November (winter intake) has passed 60 ECTS credits or more from a former unfinished BSc or BEng programme at DTU, and if the applicant's qualifying exam qualifies for quota 1, the applicant must apply for a change of study programme or field of study instead of a regular admission.
Courses passed after the deadlines 1 May and 1 November cannot be included in the assessment of the 60 ECTS credits.
If the applicant’s upper secondary exam only qualifies for quota 2, or if the applicant wishes to be assessed in quota 2, the deadline is
- 15 March at 12:00 noon in case of study start on 1 September, and
- 15 October in case of study start on 1 February.
If the above deadlines are not met, the applicant will not be able to make a change of study or field of study, nor will the applicant be assessed in quotas 1 and 2, as the application will be rejected.
In case of study start on 1 September, an application for change of study programme or field of study must be submitted via www.optagelse.dk.
In case of study start on 1 February, an application for change of study programme or field of study must be submitted via a form that is available during the application period at DTU’s website under ‘Vinteroptag’,
Applicants must inform about passed subjects/courses/educational elements from a previous higher course of study. Find more information on pre-commencement credit transfer at DTU Inside under 'Study rules'/'Credit transfer'/'Pre-commencement credit transfer'.
Applicants from other universities
External change of study programme means the applicant changes from a study programme at another university to a BSc programme or a BEng programme at DTU.
Applicants who have passed 60 ECTS credits or more from a Bachelor of Science in Engineering, Bachelor of Engineering, or Bachelor of Natural Science programme at another university and thus apply for an external change of study programme choose whether they want an assessment of whether they have passed courses corresponding to the first year of study on the study programme applied for.
Application and application deadlines
Applicants who have passed 60 ECTS credits or more from a technical or natural science higher education programme must apply for a change of study programme no later than
- 1 May (study start on 1 September)
- 1 November (study start on 1 February).
If the application is submitted before 1 May (summer start) and 1 September (winter start), an assessment of external study change will be made automatically.
If the deadline is not met, it will only be assessed whether the applicant can be admitted via the ordinary admission system (quotas 1 and 2). If the student is admitted via the ordinary admission system, DTU’s rules on pre-commencement credit transfer apply.
If the applicant’s upper secondary exam only qualifies for quota 2, or if the applicant wishes to be assessed in quota 2, the deadline is
- 15 March at 12:00 noon in case of study start on 1 September
- 15 October in case of study start on 1 February.
In case of study start on 1 September, an application for change of study programme or field of study must be submitted via www.optagelse.dk.
In case of study start on 1 February, an application for change of study programme or field of study must be submitted via a form that is available during the application period at DTU’s website under ‘Vinteroptag’,
Applicants must inform about passed subjects/courses/educational elements from a previous higher course of study. Find more information on pre-commencement credit transfer at DTU Inside under 'Study rules'/'Credit transfer'/'Pre-commencement credit transfer'.
Processing of the application
For an applicant to change study programme or field of study, the following requirements must be met:
- The applicant must meet the applicable admission requirements for the desired study programme
- By the application deadline (1 May/1 November), the applicant must have passed courses corresponding to the first year of study on the applied study programme. Above, you can find a specification on what the first year of study corresponds to in a BEng or a BSc programme.
Please note that the assessment only includes courses passed by the application deadline (1 May/1 November).
As a general rule, courses/programme elements that have been passed more than five years before admission to DTU are not included in assessing a change of study programme or field of study. However, in special cases, the relevant head of studies may grant an exemption from this rule based on a specific academic assessment. Whether an exemption may be granted is assessed by the head of studies in connection with the general processing of the application for a change of study programme or field of study. Courses that have exceeded the five-year limitation period will only be included in the assessment of a change of study programme or field of study if the student so wishes.
- The applicant must apply for a change study programme or field of study within the application deadline (1 May/1 November).
- There must be vacant places at the level of study applied for and on the desired study programme. If the number of students applying for a change of field of study exceeds the number of vacant student places, student places will be distributed in decreasing order of grade point average from the qualifying high school exam.
Consequences of changes in study programme and field of study for BEng and BSc students
Deadlines for change of study programme and field of study
- The first-year exam has been passed when the BEng student has passed 30 ECTS credits among those courses that the student, according to the curriculum, must participate in the first year of study in the new field of study/on the new study programme or when the BSc student has passed 30 ECTS credits within the mandatory course blocks (Enrolled before September 2023: basic natural science courses, technological specialization courses, and projects and professional skills courses // Enrolled after September 2023: the Polytechnic foundation, Programme specific courses and Projects) in the new field of study/on the new study programme.
- The maximum period of study is the prescribed period of study + one year from study start in the new field of study/on the new study programme; however, reduced by one semester for every 30 ECTS credits transferred for the student to the new field of study/study programme.
Note that special deadlines and exam attempts apply to students who have passed ECTS credits which are not equivalent to the first year of study
As this is a new ordinary admission (quotas 1 and 2), DTU’s rules on pre-commencement credit transfer apply.
Note that special deadlines apply to students who have changed their field of study before 2017
For students who have changed their field of study before the winter admission of 2017, the original admission date will apply to the calculation of deadlines for the study programme - for example, regarding the maximum period of study - unless this puts them at a disadvantage compared to students who have changed their field of study at a later time. In that case, the general rules for change of study programme and field of study apply.
Courses and exam attempts
Exam attempts on failed courses in the previous field of study will only be transferred if such courses are mandatory in the new field of study or are not applicable to a course in the new field of study. Failed courses that can only be transferred as elective courses or a course among others in the mandatory groups will not be transferred unless the student wishes to take these courses as part of the new field of study.
If students are admitted through a change of study programme/field of study, they will be granted a new exam attempt on the failed courses on which all attempts have been used if the course is part of the new field of study.
If it is assessed that the student cannot make a change of study or field of study, but must be admitted via quota 1 or 2, the student will have the number of exam attempts used in failed courses that the student has previously taken at DTU reset to zero. The student is given three new exam attempts in the courses in question if the courses can be included in the study programme the student is admitted to.
Students who change their study programme/field of study must also register for the courses they wish to take in the new field of study.