MSc Engineering (Automotive) (Near STEM)

The aim of the programme is to equip non-engineering graduates with a STEM background to meet the stringent demands of today’s highly competitive industrial environment. On completion of these courses students acquire a broad understanding of Engineering with a focus on automotive engineering.

The University has been running automotive degree courses for almost forty years and is very well-established within the automotive industry. We have some 250 undergraduate and postgraduate students reading automotive engineering so are one of the largest providers of automotive engineering degree courses in the UK. We have excellent facilities in automotive engineering technology including an automotive centre with engine test facilities.

The development of skills and advancement of knowledge focus on:

the selection of materials, process and techniques for the structural analysis and the design and construction of automotive components such as body and chassis, in relation to vibration and vehicle dynamics;
understanding of alternative power train and fuel technologies, their impact on vehicle performance and environment;
the construction of CAE models and to assess implications of the results, the limitations of present techniques and the potential future direction of developments in the CAE field;
appreciation of the need for process and product development relevant to the introduction of products in a cost effective and timely manner;
critical review of the present knowledge base, its applicability, usage and relevance to enhance product and enterprise performance.

The successful postgraduates of the programme will acquire the knowledge and understanding, intellectual, practical and transferable skills necessary for the analysis and synthesis of problems in engineering through a combination of experimental, simulation, research methods and case studies. They can expect to gain work in a range of disciplines within a variety of industries from specialist technical roles to positions of management responsibility.

A pass in A-Level Mathematics or equivalent; and
typically a minimum of 2:2 honours degree in mathematics, physics, astrophysics or other relevant first degree and whose programme would have made extensive use of applied mathematics to design and explain engineering and/or scientific concepts will give access to the Near STEM route; OR

Why choose this course?
This pioneering programme consists of a number of “specialist” Masters awards with an expectation that students will have studied a STEM related discipline to a Bachelor’s level or equivalent, as opposed to a “traditional” masters philosophy aimed at students from an engineering background. The programme offers options with separate entry routes for candidates transitioning from ‘Near STEM’ and ‘Far STEM’ disciplines:The Far STEM route is for first degrees where statistical analysis was a dominant feature of their analytical studies. Students will spend one to two semesters studying appropriate Level 4/5 modules in the first year then joining the Near STEM cohort (e.g., chemistry or biology).

The Near STEM route is for admission of relevant first degree candidates and whose programme would have made extensive use of applied mathematics to design and explain engineering and/or scientific concepts (e.g., physics or maths).