51Âþ»­

mechanical-engineering

Mechanical Engineering MSc/PG Dip/PG Cert

Developed in consultation with industry and accredited by the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET)*, this course ensures our graduates have recognised and relevant skills for a range of industries, including automation, machine vision, automotive, consumer products and material processing.

Block teaching designed around you

You deserve a positive teaching and learning experience, where you feel part of a supportive community. That’s why most of our postgraduate taught students will enjoy an innovative approach to learning using block teaching, where you will study one module at a time. You will benefit from more regular assessments and feedback, a better study-life balance, and a simplified timetable that provides more time for work, professional development, caring responsibilities, and everything else that's important to you. Our block-taught courses are informed by industry practice, often accredited by professional bodies, and are delivered by passionate and talented academics, who will help you develop the skills to achieve your goals.

Read more about block teaching

Overview

Maximise your employment opportunities on this course, which responds to the UK engineering skills gap and the global demand for multiskilled engineers by providing industry-relevant content, placement opportunities and input from research-active teaching staff. This means our graduates are equipped to work at the forefront of this exciting industry in roles responsible for designing and developing the world around us. 

You will grow your skills across core engineering disciplines by studying modules such as Engineering Business Environment and Research Methods, Advanced Materials Structures and Design and Advanced Mechanical Engineering, plus others. You will be supported by our academics and technicians with your individual project, a substantial piece of work focused on your specific research interests. 

In addition, you will learn about the environmental impact of human activities and energy consumption, as well as the role of the mechanical engineer in seeking solutions to the immediate needs of society. The course builds your transferable skills by giving you an insight into the engineering business environment and by broadening your understanding of other engineering disciplines. 

Our graduates are working as engineers in design, development, research and manufacturing roles for companies including BMW, Siemens and Ricardo.

Key features

  • Accredited by the IET*, which ensures you will develop the appropriate skills and knowledge for an engineering career and professional registration. 

  • Learn from research-active teaching staff who are involved in research areas including combustion modelling and energy conversion, computational theology and surface engineering. 

  • Develop your practical skills in our facilities, which include laboratories for the study of thermo-fluids, solid mechanics and dynamics with control, an energy laboratory for thermodynamics, and mechanical workshops fitted with computer numerical control machine tools. 

  • Meet like-minded people and get hands-on engineering experience by joining our student societies, including 51Âþ»­ Racing, where students design and build a car to race at Silverstone. 

  • Boost your career prospects through an optional one-year placement** where you can gain industrial experience in your area of interest. Previous Engineering students have undertaken placements with companies including, Caterpillar and Network Rail. 

  • Prepare for a career in a wide range of industries including robotics and automation, machine vision, consumer products and manufacturing. Opportunities also exist for further academic study towards a doctorate degree and a career in research.  

**Country restrictions apply 

By completing the Mechanical Engineering MSc from 51Âþ»­, I was given a bright future and a number of opportunities. The course helped me improve my management and business skills, and as it is recognised world-wide, it allowed me to get onto good placements more easily.

Vipul Rana, graduate

 

Accredited Programme Web Small1052

 *This programme is currently under review for accreditation from the 2024 intake onwards. It will go forward for CEng (further learning) accreditation by The Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET) in 2024. Formal accreditation can only be granted after an accreditation visit and approval from the IET’s Academic Accreditation Committee.

 

Scholarships:

51Âþ»­ offers a range of undergraduate and postgraduate scholarships and bursaries to help you realise your academic ambitions.

International Scholarships

Find out about available scholarships and country specific fee discounts for international students. 

 

More courses like this:

Aeronautical Engineering MSc

Electronic Engineering MSc

Engineering Management MSc

Mechatronics and Robotics MSc

 

51Âþ»­ has been shortlisted for the Postgraduate Award in the 2024 Whatuni Student Choice Awards (WUSCAs), as voted for by students.

  • UK
  • EU/International

Programme code: H30071

Duration: 12 months (September start), 16 months (January start)

Start date: September, January

Fees and funding: 

2024/25 full-time fees for UK students: £9,500 per year.

Find out more about course fees and available funding.

 

Programme code: H30071

Duration: One year full-time.

Start date: September, January

Fees and funding:

For 2024/25 tuition full-time fees will be £17,600 per year.

Find out more about course fees and available funding.

 

Entry criteria

You should have the equivalent of a British Honours degree (2:2 minimum) in a relevant subject.

We are happy to consider equivalent qualifications from anywhere in the world.

If you have no formal academic qualifications but do have extensive industry experience we will consider your application on an individual basis.

International students must also have a valid ATAS certificate to study at 51Âþ»­ to enrol on the course.

English language requirements

If English is not your first language an IELTS score of 6.0 overall with 5.5 in each band (or equivalent) when you start the course is essential.

English language tuition, delivered by our British Council-accredited Centre for English Language Learning, is available both before and throughout the course if you need it.

Structure and assessment

 

Course modules

Teaching and assessments

Academic expertise

 
  • Engineering Business Environment and Research Methods
  • Advanced Materials, Structures and Design
  • Advanced Mechanical Engineering
  • Resource Efficient Design and digital manufacturing
  • Individual Project

 

 

 

The modules are delivered through a mixture of lectures, tutorials and laboratories. This ensures a good balance between theory and practice so that real engineering problems are better understood through an underpinning of strong theoretical and analytical knowledge translated into practical skills.

 

 

 

 

Contact and learning hours

You will normally attend four hours of timetabled taught sessions each week for each module undertaken during term time; for full-time study this would be 16 hours per week during term time. You can expect to also undertake around 24 further hours of independent study and assignments as required per week.

Mechanical Engineering teaching staff are active in several important research areas, including: Combustion modelling and energy conversion research using both experimental and CFD methods to analyse efficiencies and emissions of energy systems Computational rheology, non- Newtonian biofluid simulations, viscoelastic effects on lubrication thin film flows Surface engineering via surface modification of materials for enhancement of mechanical, tribological and chemical properties.

Facilities and features

Facilities

The main mechanical lab is a large open-plan space designed to accommodate the study of thermo-fluids, solid mechanics and dynamics. It also has an area with machine tools for manufacture of student designs.

There is a purpose built engine testing facility with full instrumentation to measure engine performance and emissions. This facility is normally used by our final year engineering and research students.  Typical student projects include running the engine with alternative fuels such as bio-fuels and water-in-diesel emulsified fuels to improve performance and emission characteristics.

An additional CAD design suite shared with the Mechanical and Design programmes provides access to computing facilities with specialist CAD design tools such as ProEngineer Creo2, Solidworks, Autodesk Multiphysics Simulation software

Listen to Professor Rick Greenough, Energy Systems explain the importance of heat pumps and how they work in our Energy Lab.

Library and learning zones

On campus, the main Kimberlin Library offers a space where you can work, study and access a vast range of print materials, with computer stations, laptops, plasma screens and assistive technology also available. 

As well as providing a physical space in which to work, we offer online tools to support your studies, and our extensive online collection of resources accessible from our , e-books, specialised databases and electronic journals and films which can be remotely accessed from anywhere you choose. 

We will support you to confidently use a huge range of learning technologies, including the Virtual Learning Environment, Collaborate Ultra, 51Âþ»­ Replay, MS Teams, Turnitin and more. Alongside this, you can access LinkedIn Learning and learn how to use Microsoft 365, and study support software such as mind mapping and note-taking through our new Digital Student Skills Hub. 

The library staff offer additional support to students, including help with academic writing, research strategies, literature searching, reference management and assistive technology. There is also a ‘Just Ask’ service for help and advice, live , online workshops, tutorials and drop-ins available from our , and weekly library live chat sessions that give you the chance to ask the library teams for help.

More flexible ways to learn

We offer an equitable and inclusive approach to learning and teaching for all our students. Known as the Universal Design for Learning (UDL), our teaching approach has been recognised as sector leading. UDL means we offer a wide variety of support, facilities and technology to all students, including those with disabilities and specific learning differences.

Just one of the ways we do this is by using ‘51Âþ»­ Replay’ – a technology providing all students with anytime access to audio and/or visual material of lectures. This means students can revise taught material in a way that suits them best, whether it's replaying a recording of a class or adapting written material shared in class using specialist software.

Opportunities and careers

Find the people who will open doors for you

51Âþ»­'s award-winning careers service provides guaranteed work experience opportunities 51Âþ»­ Careers Team
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Placements

During this course you will have the option to complete a placement year*, an invaluable opportunity to put the skills developed during your degree into practice. This insight into the professional world will build on your knowledge in a real-world setting, preparing you to progress onto your chosen career.

Previous Engineering Management students have taken up placements with companies such as Caterpillar and Network Rail.

Our Careers Team can help to hone your professional skills with mock interviews and practice aptitude tests, and an assigned personal tutor will support you throughout your placement.

*Country restrictions apply

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51Âþ»­ Global

This is our innovative international experience programme which aims to enrich your studies and expand your cultural horizons – helping you to become a global graduate, equipped to meet the needs of employers across the world.

Through we offer a wide range of opportunities including on-campus and UK activities, overseas study, internships, faculty-led field trips and volunteering, as well as Erasmus+ and international exchanges.

Engineering students visited the BMW Motorrad factory in Berlin, and learned about the engineering, mechanical production, assembly line and logistics behind building up to 800 top-quality motorcycles a day. Examples of UK-based trips include a visit to the MINI Plant Oxford, to gain insight into management, marketing and manufacturing.

 

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Graduate careers

Our graduates are working as engineers in design, development, research and manufacturing roles for companies including BMW, Siemens and Ricardo.  

Mechanical Engineering MSc student Yogesh Ramanathapuram Nagarajan’s research into whether 3D printers can be used to create strong enough composite materials to make planes, cars and military armours has been so impressive it was published in a prestigious international journal.

He won funding to present his research at an international conference at the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow and his work has been published in a special issue of the  Journal of Mechanics  (Cambridge University Press). 

Yogesh said: “It was my first time at a conference like that and it was a really good experience. I got a lot of good support at the conference from more experienced people and they gave me some very good ideas for me in the future.” Read his full story.

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