Course Overview

This degree will provide you with sufficient knowledge and skills to allow you to operate as a competent practitioner within the field of mechanical engineering. You will develop not only technical know-how but also a practical and analytical approach to problem-solving that will allow you to address a range of mechanical engineering challenges.

Within this context, the main aims of this degree are:

• to provide the opportunity for students to progressively acquire a thorough grounding in the concepts and skills of the central topics in mechanical engineering;
• to give you the skills and knowledge to deliver solutions to real engineering problems;
• to show you how engineering works in a business context, enabling you to achieve results within economic constraints;
• to become effective engineers and undertake lifelong learning particularly for continuing professional development.

This course gives an integrated knowledge of engineering that is currently appreciated by most engineering employers. Core modules will provide you with a thorough understanding of many of the most important and central subjects in mechanical engineering today, from computer modelling to engineering materials. There is considerable focus on gaining practical experience and lectures by visiting practicing engineers will ensure you?ll become familiar with current methods and approaches within industry.

When you graduate you will be able to:

• apply general engineering theory and scientific principles to find solutions to a wide range of practical problems;
• understand the management and business practices and apply professional and ethical responsibilities including global and social context of engineering;
• understand the use of relevant test and measurement equipment;
• teamwork, management and leadership for effective practice;
• demonstrate your ability to apply mathematical methods to model and analyse mechanical engineering problems;
• display your competence with a range of test and measurement equipment;
• apply creativity and appropriate computer based methods for solving mechanical engineering problems.

This degree is both academically rigorous and practically focused. It will also develop your analytical and problem-solving skills.

The specific aims of this course are:

• to provide the opportunity for you to progressively acquire a thorough grounding in the concepts and skills of the central topics in mechanical engineering.
• in conjunction with other pathways within the Department of Computing and Technology, to provide the specialist knowledge base and skills for you to specify and design the electronics subsystems relevant to a particular subject area.
• to provide you with the engineering skills and knowledge required in a business context to achieve an economic solution.
• to enhance the University's course provision by offering a range of vocationally useful modules which you will find interesting, stimulating and relevant to a wide range of scientific activities; and by providing you with a range of transferable skills pertinent to a wide variety of career developments.
• to widen and develop your experiences and your organisational and analytical skills such as to enable you to enhance your role within your organisation.
• to enable you to consolidate professional and personal expertise in competitive commercial and industrial environments.
• to widen and develop your understanding of essential facts, concepts, principles and theories to your chosen engineering discipline.
• to develop your creativity and innovation in solving problems, and in designing systems, components and processes.
• to develop your ability of demonstrated discipline-specific practical skills, particularly concerning laboratory work, project work and the use of discipline-specific software.
• to develop your transferable skills within the field of communication with colleagues and others, using both written and oral methods; to work separately or in a multi-disciplinary team.
• to encourage you to become effective engineers and undertake lifelong learning particularly for continuing professional development.

Additional course information

Upon completion of this course you will be able to demonstrate knowledge and understanding of:

• appropriate mathematical methods relating to modelling and analysing engineering problems.
• the principles appropriate to the specific discipline.
• management and business practices and apply professional and ethical responsibilities including global and social context of engineering.
• the use of relevant test and measurement equipment.
• teamwork, management and leadership for effective practice.

Module Guide

Assessment

A variety of assessment methods will be used to assess practical skills, where appropriate. Employer contributions to assessment are valued. Assessment can take the form of closed and open-book examinations, essays and reports, work produced in response to practical classes and demonstrations, log books, student presentations and posters.

Facilities

Facilities include a CADCAM centre, industrial-scale CNC milling machine, CNC lathe, rapid prototyping machine, scanning electronic microscope, Instron bi-axial fatigue testing machine, tensile testing machine, material preparation facilities, welding equipment, various mechanical machines, and various electronic testing and measuring equipment such as oscilloscopes, signal generating/testing facilities.

Special features

This course provides the option of taking a sandwich year employment placement between years two and three. Sandwich placements are taken with an employer working in a field related to your study, and can be accommodated when positions become available, or when organised by the student. Sandwich years placements are managed and assessed by the Department of Engineering and the Built Environment. These can be used to accrue up to 30 credits towards your final degree.

Links with industry and professional recognition

Accreditation is to be sought from the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET) for Incorporated Engineer Status.

Associated careers

These pathways prepare you for a variety of occupations in engineering. Employment can be in design or development, testing, quality assurance, production, or assembly. You also have the opportunity to move into sales or technical marketing.

UCAS Tariff points:	150 - 150
Additional Requirements:	Preferred subject(s): GCE A-level Mathematics, Physical Sciences GCSE(s) Required: 5 GCSEs at grade C or above including English language, mathematics and science

Entry requirements listed are for September 2013 entry. Entry requirements for other intakes may differ.