The future is electric

With a master’s degree from Chalmers University of Technology, maybe your next job will be at the forefront of the electrification field?  

  • Smita from India is a first-year master’s student at Chalmers in sustainable electric power engineering and electromobility.

  • Chalmers University of Technology has been educating engineers since 1829 and has a strong focus on sustainability. All its nearly 40 master’s programs are taught in English. The university is in Sweden’s second largest city, Gothenburg, the same place where Volvo’s headquarters are located. The company has built close connections with Chalmers within both research and education. Many graduates also find their first job here. Soon there will be plenty more to do since Volvo Cars has teamed up with Northvolt for one of their biggest investments yet. Be part of the shift towards electrification

    3,000 new job opportunities
    By 2025, Volvo Cars will establish a new battery manufacturing plant in Gothenburg that will create 3,000 new job opportunities and support Volvo’s strategy of only producing electric cars by 2030.
    The rapid progression in battery research and electrification of the transport sector in Sweden has brought forth collaboration between Chalmers University of Technology and two other Swedish universities. The aim is to contribute with more research, more engineers and continuous competence development in battery technology and power electronics.
    “Chalmers has a key role to play here, in the form of newly graduated engineers from our strong selection of foundational education programs, but also through our alumni and others at different stages of their professional lives, who are looking to sharpen their skills,” Chalmers president Stefan Bengtsson said in a statement.

    Encouraging to meet the industry
    A master’s program related to this subject area is sustainable electric power engineering and electromobility at Chalmers. Smita from India is a first-year master’s student in the program. Her main interests lie in sustainable power systems and renewable energy.
    “I am excited about more opportunities and innovation in the city. I recently attended an event hosted by Chalmers called Elkraftdagen where the representatives from both Volvo Cars and Northvolt were there, and they talked about the various job opportunities and the growing market for battery systems. It was very encouraging to learn about the upcoming industries and the roles we could play in them in the near future.”

    Prepared for real life challenges
    But how is this emerging electrification field reflected in her studies at Chalmers?
    “We have elective courses on battery system management and projects in the same area which help us prepare for the industries and the real life challenges faced in the plants. The control systems are also a huge part of our master’s program which are super useful in battery management systems. There is also the Chalmers Formula Student project which has a whole unit dedicated to battery management systems and its integration with the electric vehicles which makes up for an exciting, industry related, learning experience.”
    Some things Smita loves about her program are the many events, study visits and guest lectures from industry leaders.
    “We have had two guests from Volvo and an electrical aircraft startup by a previous PhD student in the last study period. The conversations with them were very humbling and nothing short of enlightening,” she says.
    And in 2025, when the new battery plant is up and running, maybe that’s where Smita will go next. “I can see myself working there, especially in the battery applications, control systems and system management and connections area. It is close to my field of interest, and I think it would be a good career move considering the rise in electrical vehicles.”
    Vedrana Sivac

  • Volvo Cars and Northvolt will place their first joint battery factory in Gothenburg, Sweden, next to Volvo Cars’ assembly plant in Torslanda. Illustration: Volvo Cars

  • Facts about Chalmers University of Technology
    Chalmers offers bachelor, master and PhD programs. All master’s programs are taught in English.
    Tuition fees: Master’s programs are approximately $15,000/year. Higher education in Sweden is free for students from countries within the European Union (EU), the European Economic Area (EEA) or Switzerland.
    U.S. Friends of Chalmers Scholarship: Scholarships that cover all tuition fees are awarded annually to citizens of the United States of America.
    For more information, see the Chalmers website: www.chalmers.se/masters and www.chalmers.se/scholarships