Mechanical Engineering - MSc/Postgraduate Diploma/Postgraduate Certificate

The full Master's course comprises 180 credits divided into three 60 credits stages: Postgraduate Certificate, Postgraduate Diploma, and Masters. Students work incrementally through the three stages and must pass all modules at each stage in order to progress to the next.

Core modules include:

• Modelling and Simulation - An introduction to finite element analysis, practical composite Finite Element modelling techniques and computational fluid dynamics.
• Computer Vision and Modern Control - Explores imaging, image formation, image processing and analysis, 3D vision, virtual engineering, virtual instrumentation and digital control.
• Innovations in Operations Management - An in-depth look at innovations strategy, managing operations and processes, open innovation and the underpinning theories of the management of innovation learning, resource based value and social capital.
• Masters Group Project - Working in groups on research programme design, along with design and development programmes, including stakeholder requirements, specification development, revision of design process, analysis and modelling, and design for manufacture as well as purpose.

Optional modules include:

• Design of Fluid Systems - An in-depth look at the design hierarchy for fluid and thermal systems, finite origins of the governing equations, analytical solutions and their shortcomings, difference method, application to governing equations and numerical stability.
• Structural Integrity in Design - Here, you will advance your knowledge in structural integrity concepts, failure criteria, designing against fatigue, non-destructive testing and inspection techniques, structural health monitoring and fracture mechanics.
• Industrial Applications of Vision and Automation - Explores methods of machine vision and automation, software based image analysis and computer vision, to solve industrial inspection problems.
• Robotics Fundamentals - An introduction to the fundamental issues in Robotics, which are now common in both industry and service robots; including Manipulator trajectories and dynamics, use of software to simulate manipulators and kinematics solutions for manipulators with multiple degrees of freedom.
• Intelligent and Adaptive Systems - You will explore the application of Intelligent and Adaptive systems in a range of problem domains and the defining characteristics of these systems which include autonomy, learning, pattern recognition, and the ability to deal with uncertain and imprecise data.

The optional modules available to you may be determined by the subjects you have studied in your degree.

Please also note this structure is for the full-time course delivery only. For part-time delivery, the same modules will be studied. However, the structure will differ.

The University continually enhances our offer by responding to feedback from our students and other stakeholders, ensuring the curriculum is kept up to date and our graduates are equipped with the knowledge and skills they need for the real world. This may result in changes to the course. If changes to your course are approved, we will inform you.

The MSc Mechanical Engineering comprises a combination of taught modules and a dissertation.

For more details see our full glossary of learning and teaching terms.

For full-time students, the taught course is in two teaching blocks, from September to December, and then January to May. You then begin your dissertation.

Part-time students generally complete the course over two or more years. This allows for flexibility in the number of modules you can comfortably handle in one year alongside personal and professional commitments.

Assessment is through a combination of examinations and coursework, and your dissertation project.

For more details see our full glossary of assessment terms.