The MENTOR consortium, led by Ruhr-Universität Bochum (RUB), established a Joint Master programme named „Methods and Technologies for Sustainable Aviation Propulsion and Power Generation” (acronym MENTOR) together with its partners Université de Liège (ULiège), Ecole Centrale de Lyon (ECL, and Università di Napoli Federico II (UNINA), leading to a joint degree. This core consortium of European universities will be enlarged by research institutions, lecturers from well-known universities, and leading companies in the field, all of which contribute their specific expertise to the programme and are involve in the further development of the curriculum and in quality assurance. The programme is closely connected to ongoing high-end research, offering to its graduates not only attractive exits into business and industry but also into a scientific career.
MENTOR aims at the training of young professionals, who will shape up the energy transition for power generation and propulsion in industry and research. The unique characteristics setting MENTOR apart with respect to other master programmes offered in the fields of aerospace engineering or energy transformation for power generation are, on one hand, the synergic and holistic treatment of the topics shared between these two areas and, on the other hand, a highly structured learning programme, encompassing a well-balanced portfolio of methodological fundamentals, soft-skill modules and technology-specific courses.
The well-structured programme is conducive of an easy, student-friendly mobility scheme among the partners whilst leveraging on their core, internationally renowned competences. In addition to a strong theoretical underpinning, the programme will include practical training, carried out in cooperation with key stakeholders. Successful students will receive a joint degree of the four partner universities.
MENTOR means top-end quality. The joint Master underwent external programme accreditation, following the European Approach. The accreditation process started in 2025, the on-site visit of the evaluators took place on 13 and 14 January 2026, and their very positive remarks on all aspects of MENTOR were received on 09 February, allowing for last comments from the consortium, before the final decision will be published by the Accreditation Council (expected by 23 February 2026). This process will be repeated every sixth years and is an important and objective element of MENTOR’s quality assurance system. It safeguards that MENTOR is fully developed and adequately resourced, and that all services and support mechanisms for the students are working properly.
The consortium handed in an application for funding to the European Commission and is very optimistic that it will soon be able to award ERASMUS MUNDUS scholarships to the best applicants.
Applicants and students are advised to consult also the websites of organisations like Campus France, German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD; scholarship database), or Academy of Research and Higher Education (ARES) to inquire for scholarships and other forms of support.
Overview curriculum and mobility scheme
For details, please have a look under Curriculum
MENTOR graduates:
· are able to apply advanced analysis, diagnose, design and optimisation methods for energy conversion systems for stationary power generation as well as for civil aviation. In particular, they are familiar with modern approaches to climate-neutral energy transformation whilst mastering the fundamental physical principles governing these processes;
· have an in-depth understanding of different concepts of power generation and modern propulsion for civil aviation and holistic engineering approaches to minimise their climatic impact by improving their efficiency and flexibility. By applying this knowledge, graduates could achieve in particular, that smaller amounts of primary energy carrier (e.g. sustainable fuels, waste heat) and also a large variety of them, depending on the local availability, can be deployed in the same processes and machines;
· will be able to identify, capture and exploit synergies among different systems and processes and transfer knowledge across technological areas, adapting their technical skills as required
by the demands of the engineering problems at hand.
The portfolio of the academic learning outcomes will be complemented by professional skills ranging from presenting and communicating with academic researchers and non-academic stakeholders etc. and personal skills like team-working
and the ability to engage with multiple stakeholders. This will place them in a privileged position in the employment market, making them ideal candidates for industrial as well as research stakeholders.
The envisaged number of three to four full partners (currently, partners investigate whether VKI can become a full partner) is explained by the aim to form a flexible, easy-to-administer consortium, where the size and reputation
of the partners guarantee that a wide range of high-quality courses can be offered to the students. The language of instruction will be English exclusively, as it is the main working language in Engineering and facilitates a common
understanding within the community of MENTOR teachers, researchers, and students. Training in the local languages on different levels will be offered to the students in the mobility phases, facilitating social integration at each
location and allowing to expand and deepen existing skills in the respective languages towards fluency in the professional field.
In addition to the specific academic knowledge skills,
MENTOR students will also develop important soft and intercultural skills, by
· enjoying seminars and presentations by top-level experts from international academia and external professionals,
· benefitting from team building activities,
· enhancing fluency in English (and basic skills in each of the local languages spoken at the destinations of their journey through the programme),
· learning to deliver attractive, to-the-point presentations of their work,
· being exposed to entrepreneurial thinking and approaches,
· being able to mediate knowledge exchange activities among professionals in the sector,
· bringing together different stakeholder group perspectives and work in multinational teams,
· being capable of thinking beyond discipline boundaries and to explore and generate new ideas that can be applied to current and emergent challenges.
MENTOR graduates will enjoy excellent employability.
MENTOR is proud to have a dense network of associated partners, supporting and sustaining the programme.
Different types and levels of support are possible and are explained, individually by each associated partner, in a letter of support.
Prof. Dr. Francesca di Mare
Academic Coordinator of the MENTOR joint Master Programme