Blue Dot Characteristics

• They exceed the normal scope of project work by putting learning into a new context and by involving real-life and relevant engineering projects
• They extend beyond a single student, semester, and department
• They have a clear purpose. Students test their skills in practice. It must also be possible to use the result in practice and, for example, present it at an engineering competition or the like
• The projects involve close contact with the business sector or other relevant external and internal stakeholders
• They are academically very demanding and require a commitment out of the ordinary in relation to the theoretical and practical challenges of the project
• They are interdisciplinary and require intensive teamwork between the various engineering domains with a view to finding the best solution to specific engineering problems or challenges
• They have open problems that require creative solutions, which the students have to work out and describe, plan and implement as well as complete (parts of)
• In their structure (and organization), they reflect how an engineer actually works in practice
• They create identity and strengthen students’ academic and personal development
• They result in sustainable solutions

DTU’s students are generally allocated to a Blue Dot project via an ECTS-based element (an ordinary course, a special course, a final project, a BSc project, an MSc thesis, etc.), but the students’ involvement, effort, and time consumption regarding the element in question are usually far beyond expectations.

In other words, credit may be granted for the Blue Dot projects, as participation counts as part of the study programme and qualifies a student for ECTS credits. The student will also be awarded a separate diploma for participation in a DTU Blue Dot project.