Mechanical Engineering MEng/BEng (Hons) with foundation year

Get to grips with the mechanical science every engineer needs and build the foundation for advanced study. Explore how things move and behave under force by applying Newton’s laws of motion and discover how materials respond when put under stress.

Develop shear force and bending moment diagrams for different beam loading scenarios and dive into the world of thermofluids to see how heat and fluid flow power engineering processes. This module aims to equip you with the core knowledge to understand, analyse and design mechanical systems across a range of industries

Compulsory

Deepen your understanding of key mathematical methods in engineering by learning to translate real world problems into mathematical models. Develop your ability to analyse these problems using appropriate techniques and modern mathematical software. Explore topics including linear algebra, calculus, complex numbers, mathematical software, numerical methods, probability and statistics.

Compulsory

Engineering design is where creativity meets innovation, turning ideas into real products, processes, or systems that meet real world needs. You will tackle exciting technical and intellectual challenges, drawing on a wide range of engineering knowledge and skills to bring your solutions to life Follow a structured design process, manage projects effectively and tackle problems with creative solutions. Using industry-standard tools and software, apply key design techniques through both individual and group work. Create a prototype of your design and use CAD software to clearly present your ideas and show how your design works.⁴

Compulsory

Discover how the right materials and manufacturing processes turn great ideas into products. Explore the four main classes of engineering materials: polymers, metals, ceramics, and composites and learn how they are used across industries like aerospace, automotive, and electronics.

Get to grips with common manufacturing techniques, including innovative processes like additive manufacturing (3D Printing), and understand how material behaviour influences production. Develop skills in material and process selection using tools such as Ashby charts and Granta EduPack, while exploring key principles of electrical and mechanical science that link to materials and manufacturing.

Compulsory

Take your understanding of mechanical science to the next level as you deepen your knowledge of how rigid bodies move and how materials respond to forces. Learn to apply solid mechanics to real world design problems, building skills that will prepare you for more advanced study and professional practice.

Develop knowledge in both dynamics and statics. In dynamics, investigate how things move and vibrate, from analysing plane mechanisms and gear systems to balancing rotating parts and using differential equations to study vibrations.

In statics, focus on how materials withstand forces, including torsion in shafts, shear stresses in beams. Learn how to calculate stresses, strains, and deflections in structures using methods such as Macaulay’s and unit load.

Importantly, explore failure theories, experimental testing and be introduced to finite element analysis (FEA), a powerful computer aided simulation tool used by engineers worldwide. Learn how to apply 1D, 2D, and 3D elements to model how components behave under load and solve static problems with confidence.

Compulsory

Explore the core principles of thermodynamics and fluid mechanics that power modern engineering. Learn to apply the first and second laws of thermodynamics to real world systems, from engines and power plants to refrigeration and air conditioning. Study thermodynamic cycles such as Otto, Diesel, Brayton and Rankine, and see how they drive everyday technologies.

Understand the complexities of fluid flow, including laminar and turbulent behaviour, viscous effects, boundary layers and forces like lift and drag. Use dimensional analysis to simplify complex problems and apply continuity, momentum, and energy equations to practical engineering situations.

Additionally explore topics such as one-dimensional isentropic flow, entropy, heat engines and irreversible processes. By the end of the module, you should know how to calculate the performance of ideal and real engine cycles, analyse refrigeration and heat pump systems and understand how air-conditioning processes impact human comfort.

Compulsory

Build key skills to succeed in product innovation. Develop your creativity, engineering management abilities and practical experience with digital tools and experimental methods. As the projects grow in complexity throughout the year, learn how to analyse, design and improve real products.

Use a systems-based approach to guide your design work and explore what it means to design responsibly as an engineer—considering environmental, social, economic and cultural factors, including diversity and inclusion. Look at what drives sustainable business practices, including industry standards and legislation, and learn how to review existing products to understand their performance and environmental impact.

Design your own innovative solutions using CAD/CAM software, evaluate different concepts and consider how materials, manufacturing and function all affect the final product. Along the way, you should develop a full set of professional design outputs, including drawings and bills of materials.

Compulsory

Gain the knowledge and skills in electronic systems, instrumentation systems and control systems. Emphasis will be placed on design, simulation, laboratory practical demonstration and optimisation of electro-mechanical instrumentation and control systems using appropriate engineering software tools applicable to engineering industries.

Compulsory

This module² provides you with an opportunity to reflect upon and gain experience for an approved placement undertaken during your programme. A placement should usually be at least 26 weeks or equivalent; however, each placement will be considered on its own merits, having regard to the ability to achieve the learning outcomes.

Optional

This module² provides you with an opportunity to reflect upon and gain experience for an approved international study/work placement undertaken during your programme. A work/study placement should usually be at least 26 weeks or equivalent; however, each placement will be considered on its own merits, having regard to the ability to achieve the learning outcomes.

Optional

Build upon the basic principles of stress and dynamic analyses covered in previous modules. Understand the fundamentals of stress analysis and the behaviour of materials under stress, thus enabling you to select and apply concepts creatively in the solution of complex problems of stress analysis in design.

Your work throughout this module will also focus on the theoretical fundamentals of vibration analysis and is aimed at developing your ability to apply these to practical system. Topics include the theory of elasticity, vibration theory and finite element analysis.

Compulsory

Explore the science and engineering behind modelling and simulating how heat and fluids behave in real-world systems.

Learn how to simplify the complex equations that describe heat transfer and fluid flow (like the Navier-Stokes equations) using practical engineering assumptions. This should help you find analytical solutions to thermofluid problems commonly found in engineering.

As the module progresses, you'll also be introduced to computational thermofluid mechanics. This means using numerical methods and specialised software, like Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD), to solve more complex problems that can’t be solved easily by hand. Learn how to validate your results and understand the limitations of these tools.

Compulsory

Take on an independent engineering project to apply your skills in a professional context, demonstrating your readiness for graduate employment. Apply the knowledge you’ve gained throughout your degree, while developing the critical and soft skills that employers value. Demonstrate creativity, analytical thinking, problem solving, effective communication and professional project management, all within the framework of current industry and research practice.

Begin by defining your project title, aims, objectives and hypothesis, establishing the originality of your work. Conduct a thorough literature review to understand the current state of knowledge, identify opportunities for innovation, and inform the design of your project. Depending on the project scope, you may undertake theoretical development, experimental work, design, surveys, or advanced data analysis, all contributing to a clear set of deliverables.

Throughout the project, refine your abilities in selecting appropriate methods and tools, critically evaluating sources and communicating complex ideas clearly and professionally. Strengthen your project management skills, including time management, risk management and compliance with ethical and regulatory frameworks, all of which are crucial for future careers in engineering.

Maintain professional documentation of your work, recording progress in a project logbook and meeting regularly with your supervisor to reflect on achievements and plan future actions. You will have access to technician support and extensive laboratory and industry compatible workshop facilities and software, should your project deliverables require this⁴. Your project concludes with the production of a formal technical report and an oral presentation, preparing you to present and defend your work in front of both technical and non-technical audiences, mirroring professional engineering practice. This module will help you graduate with proven experience in independent project delivery, evidencing your strengths for graduate roles in industry or further academic research.

Compulsory

Choose one of the following optional modules to complete the BEng. For those studying the MEng, module selection here will decide your master's year specialist pathway.

Advanced Materials and Manufacturing - 30 credits

Leads to both the MEng Mechanical Engineering (Mechanical Pathway) and MEng Mechanical Engineering (Manufacturing Pathway)

Build on your knowledge of materials and manufacturing, focusing on how material properties, microstructure and manufacturing methods are connected, especially in industries like automotive and aerospace.

Gain further knowledge and the analytical tools required to critique the structure—properties- processing and in-service performance—of both advanced metallic and non-metallic structural materials (composites, engineering ceramics and polymers).

Explore advanced materials, including metals, composites, ceramics and polymers, and learn how their structure and processing affect how they perform in real-world applications. Study cutting-edge manufacturing methods like additive manufacturing using power beam technologies, alongside more traditional manufacturing processes.

Control Systems Engineering - 30 credits

Leads to the MEng Mechanical Engineering (Mechanical Pathway)

Build on your knowledge of instrumentation, electronics and control by exploring how modern digital computer systems are used to control real-world engineering systems.

Learn how to represent and analyse linear, single-input single-output systems that operate in discrete time— which is key to understanding digital control. Using industry-standard software like MATLAB and Simulink, design and test digital control systems, helping you quickly get to grips with core concepts.

Get hands-on experience with microcomputers, sensors and actuators to see how feedback control systems work in practice. Real-world examples will help you see how digital control can improve system performance.

Clean Energy - 30 credits

Leads to the MEng Mechanical Engineering (Renewable Pathway)

Explore clean energy and new technologies that provide heat, power and transport solutions for a more sustainable future. Learn how to assess global energy challenges, understand the science behind climate change and evaluate different renewable energy options and their real-world impacts. Study how to design efficient energy systems, including off-grid and hybrid solutions, while gaining practical skills in analysing their costs, sustainability and benefits. Understand how policy, community engagement and innovation shape the transition to cleaner energy systems.

Sustainability and Product Design – 30 credits

Leads to both the MEng Mechanical Engineering (Manufacturing Pathway) and MEng Mechanical Engineering (Renewable Pathway)

Elevate your product design skills with a whole-systems approach that puts sustainability and real-world impact at the heart of engineering. Learn how to translate customer needs and sustainable requirements into clear design goals and develop innovative products that meet the demands of today’s global industries.

Gain hands-on experience using advanced, industry-standard design tools and methods, while considering the entire product lifecycle, from manufacture, to use and end-of-life. Explore how products fit within wider business, environmental and social contexts, helping you develop the commercial awareness and ethical understanding highly valued by employers.

Build your confidence in evaluating and testing your designs to ensure they meet performance, quality, and sustainability goals. Use industry aligned laboratories and workshop facilities⁴ and be supported by academic and technician expertise providing you with the opportunity to create physical models of your designs, giving you practical insight into the design and prototyping process.

Enhance your digital engineering skills using industry standard CAD software, supported by online learning resources that allow you to develop your capabilities at your own pace. Become equipped with a portfolio of skills and experiences that could provide you with a competitive edge in the job market, whether you are aiming for careers in product design, advanced manufacturing, or engineering consultancy.

Availability of optional modules may vary depending on student demand.

Optional

Engineering Practice and Strategic Analysis – 30 credits

Develop the leadership, planning, and decision-making skills needed to manage new and emerging technologies in engineering and manufacturing. Focus on real-world issues like sustainability, ethics and risk, preparing you for professional practice. Learn how to plan and deliver successful projects, understand how your specialism fits within wider business and global contexts, and reflect on your professional growth. Explore innovation, product development and strategic planning to help you make informed, future-focused decisions.

Industrial Group Project – 60 credits

Work on real-world engineering challenges in collaboration with industry collaborators. Apply your technical knowledge, project management skills and teamwork skills to develop innovative solutions for complex engineering problems. Working in groups, define the problem, conduct research, develop and test solutions, and present your findings to an industry client. The module emphasises professionalism, creativity and communication, ensuring that you gain valuable experience that aligns with industry expectations. Upon successful completion of this module, you should have gained sufficient practical experience in engineering design and analysis, enhanced problem-solving abilities and strengthened your ability to communicate technical solutions effectively—all essential skills for a successful engineering career.

Computational Mechanics and Control – 30 credits

Build strong mathematical and analytical skills for solving real engineering problems. Focus on computer-aided engineering (CAE) and finite element analysis (FEA) to improve mechanical designs. Get hands-on experience using simulation tools to test different modelling techniques and understand their strengths and limits.

Explore advanced control systems using MATLAB/Simulink and Quanser lab kits, learning how to design and analyse control systems that meet real-world performance goals.

Key content includes:

Computational mechanics

• Advanced FEA: Contact, impact, flexible bodies and material models for composites.
• Topology optimisation for better design performance.
• Fatigue analysis using simulation tools.

Advanced control systems

• LQR, LQG, and Model Predictive Control (MPC) techniques.
• Nonlinear control including Lyapunov stability and sliding mode control.
• System identification tools like Kalman filters and recursive least squares methods.

Compulsory

Engineering Practice and Strategic Analysis – 30 credits

Develop the leadership, planning, and decision-making skills needed to manage new and emerging technologies in engineering and manufacturing. Focus on real-world issues like sustainability, ethics and risk, preparing you for professional practice. Learn how to plan and deliver successful projects, understand how your specialism fits within wider business and global contexts, and reflect on your professional growth. Explore innovation, product development and strategic planning to help you make informed, future-focused decisions.

Industrial Group Project – 60 credits

Work on real-world engineering challenges in collaboration with industry collaborators. Apply your technical knowledge, project management skills and teamwork skills to develop innovative solutions for complex engineering problems. Working in groups, define the problem, conduct research, develop and test solutions, and present your findings to an industry client. The module emphasises professionalism, creativity and communication, ensuring that you gain valuable experience that aligns with industry expectations. Upon successful completion of this module, you should have gained sufficient practical experience in engineering design and analysis, enhanced problem-solving abilities and strengthened your ability to communicate technical solutions effectively—all essential skills for a successful engineering career.

Smart Manufacturing and Virtual Prototyping - 30 credits

This module has two main parts: manufacturing optimisation and virtual prototyping. Learn how to improve manufacturing systems and use digital tools to design and test products before they’re made.

In the manufacturing optimisation section, build computer models to simulate how manufacturing systems work. Using maths and programming, learn how to solve real decision-making problems in production. Upon successful completion of this module, you should know how to analyse performance, spot improvements and optimise how systems run.

In the virtual prototyping section, explore digital tools used to design and test products virtually. See how virtual simulations save time and money by predicting how a product will perform. Learn to create and test digital models before anything gets physically made—helping you design smarter and more efficiently.

This module prepares you to improve manufacturing processes and confidently use digital tools in modern engineering design.

Compulsory

Engineering Practice and Strategic Analysis – 30 credits

Develop the leadership, planning, and decision-making skills needed to manage new and emerging technologies in engineering and manufacturing. Focus on real-world issues like sustainability, ethics and risk, preparing you for professional practice. Learn how to plan and deliver successful projects, understand how your specialism fits within wider business and global contexts, and reflect on your professional growth. Explore innovation, product development and strategic planning to help you make informed, future-focused decisions.

Industrial Group Project – 60 credits

Work on real-world engineering challenges in collaboration with industry collaborators. Apply your technical knowledge, project management skills and teamwork skills to develop innovative solutions for complex engineering problems. Working in groups, define the problem, conduct research, develop and test solutions, and present your findings to an industry client. The module emphasises professionalism, creativity and communication, ensuring that you gain valuable experience that aligns with industry expectations. Upon successful completion of this module, you should have gained sufficient practical experience in engineering design and analysis, enhanced problem-solving abilities and strengthened your ability to communicate technical solutions effectively—all essential skills for a successful engineering career.

Alternative Energy Systems – 30 credits

Gain the technical, analytical and practical skills needed to design, assess and optimise solar, wind and hydro energy systems. Explore the principles of solar radiation, wind resource assessment and hydropower fundamentals, focusing on how energy is converted and the availability of natural resources. Learn how to design and operate systems such as solar PV, solar thermal, wind turbines and hydro power, including how to integrate these into hybrid systems.

Throughout the module, apply thermodynamic and fluid dynamic principles to analyse system performance, assess energy output and reliability and identify ways to optimise efficiency. Explore the materials, structural design and manufacturing of renewable energy technologies—such as solar panels, wind turbine blades and hydro turbines—along with their supporting infrastructure.

Examine the environmental, social and economic impacts of renewable energy deployment, considering sustainability, land use, lifecycle emissions and community engagement. Cost analysis and financial modelling will help you evaluate the feasibility and return on investment of renewable energy projects, while exploring the effect of market trends and policy incentives. Study how renewable energy connects to existing power networks, including the role of smart grids, storage systems and demand-side management.

Compulsory