BEng (Honours) Engineering (Mechanical)

UCAS code

H303

Attendance

Full-time

Four years full-time (including one year work placement) or three years full-time

At a glance

Benefit from excellent facilities on a course designed to produce professional and flexible mechanical engineers with Incorporated Engineer status from the Institution of Mechanical Engineers. In your third year, you can complete a paid placement with industry partners that include Cummins and EDF Energy.

Key points
• Benefit from excellent facilities including rapid prototyping and materials testing.
• Opportunity to gain experience in a paid one-year placement with multinationals like Bosch and Unilever.
• Work alongside practising engineers studying part-time, sponsored by employers.
• Practical course with a strong emphasis on hands-on laboratory experience.

What is mechanical engineering?
Mechanical engineering involves designing, developing, installing, operating and maintaining almost all objects with moveable parts. Most man-made items involve mechanical engineers during development or manufacture.

It is a diverse and exciting engineering discipline and covers many areas of our everyday lives. It provides many career opportunities in a climate of rapidly changing technologies and industrial practices.

About this course

You gain the specialist academic knowledge and complementary professional and personal skills needed to work in the mechanical engineering industry or to specialise in research and development.

You develop your intellectual and practical skills to design solutions to real problems. The hands-on nature of the course ensures that theoretical knowledge is complemented by practical skill. This course produces engineers immediately ready to work in the workplace.

You have access to a wide range of hardware and equipment, including computer-aided design (CAD) software such as ProEngineer, and analysis software such as Fluent, Abacus and Matlab. This ensures that you are skilled in using the industry standard tools and equipment needed by industry.

You develop your practical knowledge and ability using specialist facilities that include
• rapid prototyping equipment to create accurate prototypes of product designs from CAD-generated information and a 5-axis machining centre which completes the CAD/CAM cycle
• a robotics laboratory to study computer-controlled manufacturing equipment
• an automotive workshop for engine testing
• a wind tunnel for thermofluids studies

Once you have learnt skills and tested your ideas on campus you have the opportunity to take a one-year paid work placement in year three. Previous students have taken placements at companies such as • EDF Energy • Cummins • Rolls-Royce • Unilever • Bosch.

Placement salaries are typically £12,000-£18,000 and allow you to apply your learning, develop new and existing skills, increase your industry knowledge and experience, and be more attractive to potential employers.

Full-time students benefit from working alongside part-time students who are practising engineers sponsored by employers.

Key areas of study
Key areas include • engineering practice • engineering mechanics • computer methods.

Associated careers

As a graduate mechanical engineer you can find employment in engineering companies spanning manufacturing, design, research and development and production.

Depending on how you specialise during the course you can go into industries that include • aerospace • automotive • transport • building services • medical engineering • sport equipment design • power generation • alternative energy • product testing • project management.

Professional recognition

The course is accredited by the Institution of Mechanical Engineers and the Institution of Engineering and Technology. This accreditation meets the academic requirements for you to register with the Engineering Council as an incorporated engineer after you graduate. You must also have completed the whole course with us.

Course content

Year one modules

• engineering principles • engineering practice • engineering mathematics • mechanical engineering • computer methods for engineering design • materials and manufacturing processes

Year two modules

• thermofluids • engineering design and manufacture • mathematics for engineers • engineering business management • environment and society • automated manufacture • mechanics of solids and properties of materials • dynamics control and instrumentation

Year three

• optional work placement

Final year core modules

• final year project • project and quality management • engineering structural analysis • computational fluid dynamics • industrial energy management • hydraulics and pneumatics • integrative design studies

Final year options

• composite materials • non-destructive testing • engineering design for sustainability

Assessment

• coursework • project • examinations

Entry requirements

2014 entry requirements

Normally five GCSEs at grade C or above including English language and mathematics, plus one of the following

• 220 points from at least two GCE/VCE A levels or BTEC National qualifications including mathematics or a mathematics-based subject to at least AS level

• Foundation – pass from the Extended Degree Programme Engineering and Mathematics, dependent on academic performance

• Access – an Access to HE Diploma with at least 45 credits at level 3 and 15 credits at level 2. At least 15 level 3 credits must be at merit grade or above, from a QAA-recognised Access to HE course, or an equivalent Access to HE certificate.

If English is not your first language you must have an IELTS score of 6.0 with a minimum of 5.5 in all skills or equivalent. If your English language skill is currently below IELTS 6.0 we recommend you consider a Sheffield Hallam University Pre-sessional English course which will enable you to achieve an equivalent English score.

We will make an offer to all applicants who are likely to achieve or better these entry requirements.

We welcome applications from people of any age. We may be flexible in our normal offer if you can show a commitment to succeed and have the relevant skills and experience. This must show that you will benefit from and finish the course successfully.

2013 entry requirements

Normally five GCSEs at grade C or above including English language and mathematics, plus one of the following

• 220 points from at least two GCE/VCE A levels or BTEC National qualifications including mathematics or a mathematics-based subject to at least AS level

Fees

Home and EU students

2013/14 academic year

For 2013 entry, membership of professional bodies is included in the course fee.

International students

2013/14 academic year

Typically £10,680 a year

2014/15 academic year

Typically £11,250 a year

How to apply

You apply for this course through UCAS.

Contact details

For more information or to check the progress of your application phone +44 (0)114 225 5555, fax +44 (0)114 225 2167, e-mail admissions@shu.ac.uk