Course description
Content
Modules covered include:
-Innovations in Operations Management
-Computer Vision and Virtual Environments
-Solid Systems Modelling and Simulation
-Structural Integrity in Design
-Design of Fluid Systems
-Finite Element Modelling with Elastomers and Similar Materials
-MEng Level Group Project
Part-time study
Part-time students generally complete the course over two or more years. This allows for flexibility in selecting the number of modules which a student can cope with in one year, bearing in mind other work and life commitments. Specific provision is made for part-time students and we endeavour to timetable modules on only one day per week for these students.
Further information
Please see the programme structure for both part time and full time study.
Teaching and learning
In common with other MScs in the Graduate School, MSc Mechanical Engineering is delivered by a combination of taught modules and a dissertation. For full-time students, the taught programme is delivered over two teaching blocks, the first of which normally runs from September to December and the second from January to May. The dissertation period then follows, normally culminating in a dissertation report to be submitted by the end of November.
Specific provision is made for part-time students and the Graduate School endeavours to timetable modules one day a week for these students. Part-time students generally complete the course over two or more years.
Study facilities
Bristol Institute of Technology hosts its own servers to provide Windows, Linux and Unix based operating systems. There are over 500 available workstations in our teaching laboratories, as well as a large open-access laboratory, providing PC and Unix based machines. The Bristol Institute of Technology has its own IT Helpdesk, staffed by students from within the Bristol Institute of Technology, and available for both students and staff to use. There are also 24 hour computer labs on campus available for student use.
The Bristol Institute of Technology operates an extensive pastoral care system that includes induction programmes and access to academic staff and student advisers for guidance and support throughout your time here as a student.
Study time
Students will qualify for the awards MSc, Postgraduate Diploma and Postgraduate Certificate by accumulating credits on completion of modules, as follows:
-The MSc in Mechanical Engineering requires 180 credits, including 60 credits from the dissertation;
-The Postgraduate Diploma in Mechanical Engineering requires 120 credits, all from the taught part of the course ie no dissertation is completed;
-The Postgraduate Certificate in Mechanical Engineering requires 60 credits, all from the taught part of the course.
Taught modules are worth 15 credits each (with the exception of the MEng Group Design module which is worth 30 credits). The programme has been carefully structured to meet demands of industry as well as the requirements of engineering institutions, thus all modules are considered core and therefore must be taken.
Typically full-time students can expect 12 hours classroom contact time each week, equating to attendance two days per week. Part-time students should expect a proportionate number of contact hours each week based on the number of modules being studied and would normally attend only one day per week.
All students will undertake a 60 credit dissertation – a substantial piece of independent work that must be completed in order to achieve the full MSc qualification. Full-time students normally complete this between the end of Semester 2 and November of that same year. Part-time students may spend an extra year completing the dissertation depending on their personal circumstances.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much additional time and independent study will this course require?
A 15-credit module typically involves two to three hours per week over a 12 week period in structured activities, although this may vary. You should reckon on devoting approximately a further nine hours per week to each module. This means that a full-time student may need to spend up to 50 hours per week on his/her studies. In practice, of course, students spread this load over the holiday period, and there may be times of particularly intensive activity, when deadlines need to be met.
How much time and effort will I be expected to put into the dissertation?
You should view your dissertation as a part-time activity over the duration of the course. Writing the dissertation is demanding, not so much because of its length, which is about 15,000 words, but because you are expected to identify a research question that is important and interesting to you, and then think analytically and creatively about this question. This will involve extensive, critical reading of relevant literature.
I am in the final year of my undergraduate degree. Why should I do a postgraduate degree and what better career prospects can this give me?
By doing a Master's degree, you would be gaining skills and knowledge valued by employers - making yourself much more attractive to employers and much more likely to be invited to interview. The engineering sector in Europe is very competitive with many highly educated and highly skilled engineers seeking the best jobs. An MSc qualification, particularly one such as this which includes a strong management element with advanced technical knowledge, would certainly improve your career prospects. We also expect that this MSc programme will meet the academic requirements of the Professional Institutions for Chartered Engineer status
