Mechanical Engineering with a Foundation Year - BEng (Hons)

You will explore the field of mechatronics by designing and building a fully functional system that integrates mechanical, electronic, and software components. This hands-on approach develops your technical skills, problem-solving abilities, and collaborative working practices.

Following the CDIO (Conceive-Design-Implement-Operate) framework, you will define project goals, develop system designs, integrate hardware and software solutions, and refine system performance through iterative testing. This approach ensures you can bridge theoretical knowledge with real-world application while encouraging creativity and critical thinking.

Through project-based learning, you will apply mathematical concepts like system modelling to deepen your understanding of system dynamics and control optimisation. This module equips you with the skills needed to manage complex projects effectively while enhancing your problem-solving and analytical capabilities.

You will develop hands-on expertise in computer-aided design (CAD) by designing, prototyping, and presenting a product from concept to completion. This module follows a design thinking approach, guiding you through need analysis, market research, concept development, and iterative refinement of mechanical, electronic, and software components.

You will define project objectives, design components and assemblies, and implement solutions using CAD tools for modelling, simulation, and technical documentation. Emphasis is placed on developing precise constraints, tolerances, and functional prototypes while strengthening your problem-solving and critical-thinking skills.

Through practical projects, you will gain experience in sketching, dimensioning, extrusion, revolving, and assembly. You will also conduct market research to identify user needs, document project progress, and present your final design, showcasing its functionality and potential market appeal.

Assessment includes competency-based tasks, evaluated as pass/fail, to demonstrate core CAD skills, alongside project-based evaluations that assess your ability to design, analyse, and present a complete project. This approach equips you with the technical and professional skills necessary for real-world product design and development.

This module introduces core topics in manufacturing and inspection, focusing on both subtractive and additive manufacturing techniques. While additive manufacturing is growing in importance, subtractive methods remain dominant in many industries.

You will collaborate with an industry partner to solve a real-world problem, designing parts and assemblies, while also proposing suitable manufacturing techniques for your solution. You will explore subtractive and additive manufacturing techniques in the workshop while manufacturing one of your group’s proposed parts and evaluate both the manufacturing process and part’s effectiveness using key inspection techniques.

Peer review will be used alongside group work; where you will have individual accountability for project completion and present to both technical and non-technical audiences, including peers and industry professionals at InnovationFest.

Your group will be expected to analyse the environmental impact of your physically manufactured part; including any transport and storge incurred by the manufacturer or customer, developing skills to operate in sustainable, globally aware industries.

The Applied Mechanics and Structural Analysis module offers a project-based learning experience where students apply core engineering principles to real-world mechanical systems. Combining theory with hands-on projects and teamwork, the module develops critical skills such as analytical thinking, problem-solving, and collaboration. Key topics include stress analysis, fatigue and failure criteria, fracture mechanisms, pressure vessels, beams, and vibrations, giving students a solid foundation in mechanical engineering.

Students engage in industry-relevant projects, using advanced simulation tools and modelling techniques to solve complex challenges. Collaboration with industry partners provides insights into professional practices and career pathways. By documenting their work on platforms like LinkedIn, students gain experience in personal branding and networking. This practical approach builds technical expertise, communication skills, and confidence, preparing graduates for success in engineering and related industries.

This interdisciplinary STEAM module equips you with essential leadership, project management, and business strategy skills, preparing you to navigate complex engineering challenges. You will work in industry-driven, collaborative teams, applying technical expertise to solve real-world problems, integrating sustainability, ethics, and global engineering principles.

Through industry-defined projects, you will engage in Systems Thinking, analysing engineering systems holistically to develop strategic problem-solving abilities. You will participate in start-up simulations, focusing on innovation, market research, and business development, with activities including business case preparation, video pitching, and presenting at the Innovation Fest.

The module features hands-on workshops, facilitated group work, and industry mentorship, ensuring you gain practical leadership experience. Regular client feedback and industry engagement enhance your ability to lead, communicate effectively, and make informed decisions, preparing you for high-impact roles in engineering and technology-driven industries.

The Sustainable Machine Elements Design module introduces you to the design, analysis, and optimisation of machine components with a focus on sustainability and engineering principles. You will gain hands-on experience with modern design and analysis tools while exploring materials, recyclability, and performance efficiency.

Using software such as CAD and finite element analysis (FEA), you will design mechanical components—such as beams, linkages, cylinders, and columns—considering stress, strain, and buckling. Project work will emphasise both theoretical analysis and real-world applications, helping you develop critical thinking, problem-solving, and professional reporting skills.

Collaboration with industry partners is a key feature of this module: they will offer real-world project scenarios, deliver guest talks, and provide feedback on your work. These industry connections will expose you to professional practices, current trends, and practical applications, enhancing your employability and industry readiness.

Additionally, this module incorporates soft skills such as report and document writing, as well as presentation techniques, to prepare you for professional practice. By undertaking team-based projects—such as developing a suspension system for Formula Student vehicles—you will learn to integrate sustainable design principles into engineering solutions while gaining valuable insights from industry professionals.

This module equips students with essential skills in AI, programming, and data processing, bridging traditional engineering practices with modern data-driven approaches. Emphasizing critical thinking and ethical considerations, students will learn data-driven modelling, decision-making, and project management skills while working on real-world engineering problems. Key skills include evaluating data quality, conducting literature reviews, and applying systematic problem-solving techniques.

Through team-based projects, students will design and implement data-driven solutions, using decision matrices to justify choices and presenting their findings professionally. Assessments combine competency-based tasks on programming and data processing with project-based evaluations that cover AI, predictive maintenance, and control systems. By uploading project solutions to GitHub, students build a strong portfolio, enhancing their employability and showcasing practical skills to future employers in engineering and data science.

The module aims to provide students with theoretical and practical skills required to design, analyse and optimise complex engineering, energy production, waste heat recovery/utilisation and hydraulic systems. Emphasis is placed on application of thermodynamics, fluid mechanics/dynamics, heat transfer and energy concepts and principles. An understanding of energy dynamics and associated losses is vital to improving the usability, efficiencies and industry-standard compliance of such systems, especially in response to the growing sustainability requirements, environmental concerns, stringent regulations and increased economic costs.

The knowledge and understanding will be gained through a project-based approach, group tasks and competency-based assessment, emphasising learning by doing. The module will explore the intersections of engineering innovations and industrial/societal challenges, considering how engineering system design and optimisation can contribute to a greener and more sustainable future, while adhering to relevant codes/standards and legislation.

You will develop technical, intellectual, and practical skills including expertise in digital/physical prototyping and experimentation, and numerical techniques using simulation tools (such as ANSYS/MATLAB), to address real-world challenges. Intellectual abilities such as critical thinking, problem-solving, and systems analysis will be learned, alongside transferable skills such as communication, teamwork, and project management, to prepare students for multidisciplinary environments and enhance their employability.

This module offers a comprehensive overview of power transmission systems, focusing on the evolution from traditional internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles to modern hybrid and electric vehicle (HEV/EV) architectures. You will explore key drivetrain components such as engine, energy storage systems, electric motors, power electronics, and vehicle controls, learning how these elements work together to enhance vehicle performance, energy efficiency, and sustainability. Emphasis is placed on the critical role of advanced energy storage technologies like lithium-ion batteries, supercapacitors, hydrogen fuel cells, and regenerative braking in optimizing energy management and addressing environmental challenges.

Combining theory with practical experience, you will use industry standard software to design and simulate drivetrain models and operate a motor-dynamo test rig integrated with an ICE to bridge theory with real-world application. By the end of the module, you will develop core technical skills and problem-solving abilities, with assessments focused on system simulation and collaborative work. These skills will equip our graduates to drive innovation in automotive power transmission and contribute to the advancement of sustainable energy systems, preparing them to excel in the dynamic and evolving automotive industry.

In this module you will cover electric and electronic vehicle infrastructure including sensors, actuators, data transfer and signal processing using microcontrollers. You will also apply your learning to real-world examples, from component to system level. You will work in teams to design and implement test procedures to obtain necessary data for control purpose and will also investigate the limitations of systems and methods used within the automotive sector.

The assessment focuses on fundamental skills like component response and behaviour analysis, microcontroller-based control programming and data transfer. Project-based assessments evaluate the application of these skills in real-world contexts.

This module explores sustainable industrial design principles with a focus on balancing environmental, economic, and social considerations in the design and manufacturing process. Through a project-based learning approach, you will work in groups to design and develop products that meet sustainability goals without compromising functionality, reliability, or compliance with manufacturing standards. The module is designed to equip you with the critical knowledge and skills needed to design and develop products that meet the demands of sustainability in the modern industrial landscape. You will engage with cutting-edge tools, methodologies, and frameworks to design products that minimise resource usage, optimise energy efficiency, and meet quality assurance standards.

Throughout the module, you will develop critical problem-solving, teamwork, and communication skills essential for sustainable innovation in industrial design. You will develop practical skills in life cycle analysis, circular economy principles, and energy-efficient production, equipping you to address real-world sustainability challenges in industry. The module fosters responsible design thinking, encouraging you to address pressing sustainability challenges in the modern industrial landscape. By the end of this module, you will be able to apply sustainable design principles in product and system development, ensuring practical feasibility while contributing positively to sustainable development goals.

The delivery will include industrial talks, sessions to cover technical content, and facilitated group work, emphasising skill application and development. Assessment includes competency-based evaluations, focusing on core skills of sustainable design principles, alongside project-based assessments that apply these skills to real-world contexts. Projects will explore environmental, economic, and social considerations in the design and manufacturing process. You will also be assessed on your ability to review literature, devise ideas, present findings, and justify your choices.

This module provides a strong foundation in control and automation systems for modern manufacturing, blending theoretical concepts with hands-on application. Students explore core topics such as feedback control, PID systems, and open-loop vs. closed-loop control, alongside automation strategies like robotic assembly and CNC machining. Through team-based projects, workshops, and real-world case studies, students develop skills in system design, integration, and optimization, while gaining practical experience with tools such as MATLAB/Simulink and Programmable Logic Controllers (PLCs).

To align with industry trends, the module integrates Artificial Intelligence (AI) into control and automation, demonstrating how machine learning algorithms can optimize control systems and enhance predictive maintenance. Additionally, cutting-edge concepts such as Industry 4.0, Internet of Things (IoT), and Digital Twins are incorporated, showcasing how connected systems and virtual models are revolutionizing manufacturing processes.

The module emphasises industry-relevant experience through guest talk, site visits, and an industry-led project where students design and troubleshoot control systems for simulated manufacturing scenarios. Workshops cover key topics like PLC programming, hardware-software integration, and cybersecurity. Assessments include pass/fail tasks on core skills like simulation and PLC troubleshooting, while project-based evaluations focus on system design, performance validation, and adherence to industry standards. These experiences build both technical expertise and professional skills such as teamwork, communication, and problem-solving, preparing students for careers in automation and control engineering.

This module is designed to provide you with the opportunity to undertake a credit bearing, 40- week Professional Placement as an integral part of your Undergraduate Degree. 

The purpose of the Professional Placement is to improve your employability skills which will, through the placement experience, allow you to evidence your professional skills, attitudes and behaviours at the point of entry to the postgraduate job market. Furthermore, by completing the Professional Placement, you will be able to develop and enhance your understanding of the professional work environment, relevant to your chosen field of study, and reflect critically on your own professional skills development within the workplace. 

This capstone module challenges you to work autonomously while strategically aligning your innovative solutions with commercial objectives. It mirrors real-world scenarios where engineers are required not only to operate independently but also to integrate market-driven goals and strategies into their design and development processes.

This Individual Project is not just an academic exercise, but a comprehensive showcase of your accumulated knowledge, competencies, and behaviours. It provides an opportunity to work independently, confront real-world challenges, and emerge as a capable, self-reliant professional ready to contribute meaningfully to the engineering industry.

You will undertake an in-depth, research-informed project exploring a personally chosen topic aligned with your programme of study. Working with an allocated supervisor and mentor, you will define a project that results in a practical outcome (artefact) supported by contextual material.

30 credits

Advanced computer-aided engineering (CAE) incorporating artificial intelligence (AI) can significantly accelerate the development cycle of components, processes, and systems. AI algorithms trained on simulations can predict product performance, reducing development lead times and enabling faster market entry. This module covers key aspects of CAE, including fundamental principles, boundary condition selection, and CAE limitations, while using simulation and AI to optimise mechanical components.

The module emphasises both theoretical analysis and real-world applications, promoting critical thinking, problem-solving, and professional reporting skills. Collaboration with industry partners provides real-world project scenarios, guest lectures, and feedback, enhancing employability and industry readiness. Students will also develop soft skills such as report writing and presentations, integrating AI into engineering simulations and gaining valuable insights from industry professionals. By combining theoretical concepts with practical hands-on approaches, the module bridges the gap between theory and practice, preparing students for the engineering industry.

Lightweight chassis and suspension design will provide you with an understanding of the development and optimization of vehicle chassis structures to overcome contradicting requirements between customers demand for handling and comfort, and the manufacturers need for passenger safety paired with environmental concerns. You will be using industry-standard modelling techniques to develop the knowledge and skills required for Body in White (BIW) engineers, but also for engineering in the wider context.

In the module you will also learn about the behaviour of vehicle suspension systems and the impact of design changes on system response. You will gain essential knowledge by performing experiments and simulations on simplified sub-systems, allowing you to verify and contrast the difference, thereby exploring the limitations of the methods and system used.

Throughout the module you will develop critical thinking, problem-solving, teamwork and communication skills essential for the successful development of complex chassis or suspension systems whilst working closely with industry partners.

The Smart Powertrain Systems module gives you an in-depth understanding of the automotive powertrain components, systems, and subsystems that drive vehicle performance, efficiency, and dynamic behaviour. This module focuses on advanced powertrain technologies, and their integration within modern automotive systems to meet performance, safety, and environmental standards. You will explore the design, operation, and optimization of key powertrain components, including internal combustion engines, electric and hybrid drivetrains, transmissions, and energy storage systems. The module emphasizes the transition toward advanced powertrains and sustainable technologies, using industry-standard tools and techniques for modelling and analysis. Analytical methods are introduced to evaluate the performance, power delivery, and energy efficiency of automotive propulsion systems under various conditions.

In addition to powertrain systems, the module covers the standards and regulations for powertrain and vehicle testing. You will learn about the testing protocols, systems, and equipment in the vehicle-type approval process. You will develop skills in industry-standard tools and techniques to analyse and optimize automotive powertrain systems. Completion of this module will equip you with skills to evaluate the performance of modern powertrain systems and prepare you for a future career in the automotive industry, and hence contribute to mitigating future engineering challenges in the sector.

Operations management is a key role within any manufacturing organisation, you will be exposed to manufacturing techniques which are based around AI and system modelling to ensure that the business operates in the most effective and competitive manner across the globe.

Apart from being exposed to new manufacturing modelling techniques such as Systems modelling and Digital twins, you will also be exposed to traditional mathematical modelling techniques such as Monto Carlo simulation and Discrete Event simulation.

Underpinning these advanced simulation techniques, you will be exposed to the fundamentals of traditional tools and techniques such as forecasting, capacity planning, Lean, JIT, Agile, single piece flow and value stream mapping.

As part of any manufacturing business, it is essential that you understand the importance of Supply Chain Management and digital supply chains, where you will gain an understanding of how the advantages and disadvantages of one versus multiple suppliers, along with developing strategies to ensure the business is building a resilient and green supply chain.

This module presents an integrated theoretical and practical knowledge in materials processing, manufacturing and assembly performance in-service. That is done through team-based design-and-build projects including material selection, characterization and manufacturing using different techniques such as CNC machining, casting, thermomechanical and additive processing.

The understanding of the processing of materials will be reinforced by hands-on laboratory experience of selected materials processing, which enables students to conceive innovative solutions, design a functional mechanical assembly system. Materials selection process, designing and tailoring their properties will be used through application of specific software. Students will develop an understanding of the techniques used in Computer Aided Manufacture of components and products. Topics include CAD, CAM and CNC data forms, simulation of machining operations, manufacturing cells, calibration, measurement and testing, 3-D System simulation; assembly systems; post processor configuration and application; advanced process simulation and product development.

The module is structured around the CDIO (Conceive-Design-Implement-Operate) framework, a robust methodology for tackling engineering challenges. Students will conceive project goals, design and refine components and assembly systems, implement solutions through testing performances. The process will enable students to bridge theoretical knowledge and real-world application while encouraging creativity and critical thinking.

You will build on the skills developed in the Final Year Project (FYP) Module 6.3, advancing your ability to tackle real-world challenges through a holistic, interdisciplinary approach. This module combines advanced technical knowledge with the practical aspects of delivering scalable, impactful projects.

You will work on projects that bridge academic learning and professional practice, creating solutions that are technically robust, socially relevant, and commercially viable. This process strengthens your problem-solving abilities while enhancing project management and critical thinking skills.

By the end of the module, you will have developed the expertise to contribute effectively to industry and society, while gaining insights into how your final-year project can be further advanced within professional or academic settings.

This module is designed to provide you with the opportunity to undertake a credit bearing, 6- weeks Engineering Micro/Virtual Placement as an integral part of your Undergraduate Degree.

The purpose of the Engineering Micro/Virtual Placement is to improve your employability skills which will, through the placement experience, allow you to evidence your professional skills, attitudes and behaviours at the point of entry to the job market. Furthermore, by completing the Engineering Micro/Virtual Placement, you will be able to develop and enhance your understanding of the professional work environment, relevant to your chosen field of study, and reflect critically on your own professional skills development within the workplace.

The module is assessed on a competency basis via a portfolio of work to document and evidence your experience throughout the Micro/Virtual placement. The portfolio submission will include a poster or reflective artefact to enable you to evaluate concisely your professional journey and the graduate attributes you have gained throughout the placement experience. You will be expected to reflect on your current skills, behaviours and attitudes within a professional environment and demonstrate how the Engineering Micro/Virtual Placement has served to enhance these.