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Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering (Distance Learning) (Top-up) (2 Year)

Entry requirements


GCSE/National 4/National 5

3 GCSEs at grade C or above to include English and Mathematics/3 GCSEs at grade 4 or above to include English and Mathematics.

About this course


Course option

2years

Distance learning (part-time) | 2024

Subjects

Mechanical engineering

Manufacturing engineering

**Overview**
If you have an interest in improving and creating products and want to top up your HND or Foundation degree to a full Bachelor's degree, this BEng (Hons) Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering top-up degree course is ideal.

Study anywhere that suits you, over two or three years, while learning how to create and improve products that could change people's lives and transform the way businesses operate.

Boost your current career prospects, contribute more to your employer or launch into new areas of engineering and technology, such as 3D printing, robotics and defence.

The content of the course is broadly similar to IET accredited courses offered by the Department, although since the programme is equivalent to a one-year full-time programme, it is not accredited by the professional body. The proposed programme is compatible with similar courses offered in the department and other institutions within the UK.

**Course highlights**
- Enhance your existing knowledge of engineering science and design fundamentals

- Specialise in subjects such as computer-aided design (CAD), sustainable product development, conservation and quality management

**Careers and opportunities**
You could use this top up to secure a more senior role if you're planning to stay with your current employer after graduating.

You could also apply your skills to any number of roles in industries such as oil refinery, machinery manufacture and plastics. All engineering roles are listed in the UK Government’s 'skills shortage list' – which means engineers are currently in high demand.

Our graduates have worked in areas such as:

- product design

- manufacturing and installation

- project management

- research development

What jobs can you do with a mechanical and manufacturing degree?

Roles you could go onto include:

- product design engineer

- manufacturing engineer

- application engineer

After you leave the University, you can get help, advice and support for up to 5 years from our Careers and Employability service as you advance in your career.

Modules

Year 1

Core modules in this year includes:

- Manufacturing Systems – 20 credits
- Mechanics of Materials – 20 credits

Optional modules in this year currently include:

- Advanced Materials for Product Realisation – 20 credits
- Computer Aided Engineering – 20 credits

Year 2

Core modules in this year include:

- Design and Sustainable Development – 20 credits
- Individual Project – 20 credits
- Quality Management – 20 credits

There are no optional modules in this year.

We use the best and most current research and professional practice alongside feedback from our students to make sure course content is relevant to your future career or further studies.

Therefore, some course content may change over time to reflect changes in the discipline or industry and some optional modules may not run every year. If a module doesn’t run, we’ll let you know as soon as possible and help you choose an alternative module.

Assessment methods

You’ll be assessed through:

- written examinations
- coursework
- practical tests
- project work
- presentations

Ideally, you'll carry out your final project at your place of work with a mentor approved by the University. If this isn't possible, then you can carry out the project at the University or elsewhere with the guidance of a University-approved mentor.

You’ll be able to test your skills and knowledge informally before you do assessments that count towards your final mark.

You can get feedback on all practice and formal assessments so you can improve in the future.

Tuition fees

Select where you currently live to see what you'll pay:

Channel Islands
£3,080
per year
England
£3,080
per year
EU
£3,080
per year
International
£3,080
per year
Northern Ireland
£3,080
per year
Republic of Ireland
£3,080
per year
Scotland
£3,080
per year
Wales
£3,080
per year

The Uni


Course location:

University of Portsmouth

Department:

Faculty of Technology

Read full university profile

What students say


We've crunched the numbers to see if overall student satisfaction here is high, medium or low compared to students studying this subject(s) at other universities.

75%
Mechanical engineering
79%
Manufacturing engineering

How do students rate their degree experience?

The stats below relate to the general subject area/s at this university, not this specific course. We show this where there isn’t enough data about the course, or where this is the most detailed info available to us.

Mechanical engineering

Teaching and learning

67%
Staff make the subject interesting
84%
Staff are good at explaining things
75%
Ideas and concepts are explored in-depth
66%
Opportunities to apply what I've learned

Assessment and feedback

Feedback on work has been timely
Feedback on work has been helpful
Staff are contactable when needed
Good advice available when making study choices

Resources and organisation

75%
Library resources
83%
IT resources
77%
Course specific equipment and facilities
64%
Course is well organised and has run smoothly

Student voice

Staff value students' opinions
Feel part of a community on my course

Who studies this subject and how do they get on?

82%
UK students
18%
International students
89%
Male students
11%
Female students
58%
2:1 or above
10%
First year drop out rate

Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)

C
D
D

Production and manufacturing engineering

Teaching and learning

80%
Staff make the subject interesting
78%
Staff are good at explaining things
73%
Ideas and concepts are explored in-depth
78%
Opportunities to apply what I've learned

Assessment and feedback

Feedback on work has been timely
Feedback on work has been helpful
Staff are contactable when needed
Good advice available when making study choices

Resources and organisation

64%
Library resources
78%
IT resources
65%
Course specific equipment and facilities
63%
Course is well organised and has run smoothly

Student voice

Staff value students' opinions
Feel part of a community on my course

Who studies this subject and how do they get on?

95%
UK students
5%
International students
94%
Male students
6%
Female students
92%
2:1 or above
4%
First year drop out rate

Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)

D
E
B

After graduation


The stats in this section relate to the general subject area/s at this university – not this specific course. We show this where there isn't enough data about the course, or where this is the most detailed info available to us.

Mechanical engineering

What are graduates doing after six months?

This is what graduates told us they were doing (and earning), shortly after completing their course. We've crunched the numbers to show you if these immediate prospects are high, medium or low, compared to those studying this subject/s at other universities.

£25,000
med
Average annual salary
99%
high
Employed or in further education
89%
high
Employed in a role where degree was essential or beneficial

Top job areas of graduates

68%
Engineering professionals
5%
Business, research and administrative professionals
3%
Science, engineering and production technicians

We're short of engineers in a lot of areas and mechanical engineering is no exception. Mechanical engineers are in demand across multiple industries, with vehicle manufacturing most popular, with roles especially common in design and manufacturing. Other important sectors include aerospace, the oil and gas industry, consultancy and defence. Jobs are all around the country, with London, the Midlands, Scotland and the South East the most likely places for a new mechanical engineer to find work at the moment, and starting salaries are good. Although large employers are much the most likely place to get work, some of the most challenging, cutting edge jobs are with small niche engineering firms, so keep your eyes peeled if you want something a little different. Bear in mind that a lot of courses are four years long, and lead to an MEng qualification — this is necessary if you want to become a Chartered Engineer.

Production and manufacturing engineering

What are graduates doing after six months?

This is what graduates told us they were doing (and earning), shortly after completing their course. We've crunched the numbers to show you if these immediate prospects are high, medium or low, compared to those studying this subject/s at other universities.

£21,000
low
Average annual salary
97%
med
Employed or in further education
76%
med
Employed in a role where degree was essential or beneficial

Top job areas of graduates

22%
Engineering professionals
20%
Design occupations
12%
Draughtspersons and related architectural technicians

Graduates are in significant demand, so unemployment rates are well below the national graduate average and starting salaries are well above average. Much the most common industries for these graduates are now vehicle manufacture - there are not enough people with these degrees to go round and so the big employers tend to take the lion's share at the moment. But pretty much anywhere there is manufacturing, there are production engineers. Bear in mind that a lot of courses are four years long, and lead to an MEng qualification — this is necessary if you want to become a Chartered Engineer.

What about your long term prospects?

Looking further ahead, below is a rough guide for what graduates went on to earn.

Mechanical engineering

The graph shows median earnings of graduates who achieved a degree in this subject area one, three and five years after graduating from here.

£27k

£27k

£31k

£31k

£38k

£38k

Note: this data only looks at employees (and not those who are self-employed or also studying) and covers a broad sample of graduates and the various paths they've taken, which might not always be a direct result of their degree.

Production and manufacturing engineering

The graph shows median earnings of graduates who achieved a degree in this subject area one, three and five years after graduating from here.

£27k

£27k

£31k

£31k

£38k

£38k

Note: this data only looks at employees (and not those who are self-employed or also studying) and covers a broad sample of graduates and the various paths they've taken, which might not always be a direct result of their degree.

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This information comes from the National Student Survey, an annual student survey of final-year students. You can use this to see how satisfied students studying this subject area at this university, are (not the individual course).

This is the percentage of final-year students at this university who were "definitely" or "mostly" satisfied with their course. We've analysed this figure against other universities so you can see whether this is high, medium or low.

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This information is from the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA), for undergraduate students only.

You can use this to get an idea of who you might share a lecture with and how they progressed in this subject, here. It's also worth comparing typical A-level subjects and grades students achieved with the current course entry requirements; similarities or differences here could indicate how flexible (or not) a university might be.

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Post-six month graduation stats:

This is from the Destinations of Leavers from Higher Education Survey, based on responses from graduates who studied the same subject area here.

It offers a snapshot of what grads went on to do six months later, what they were earning on average, and whether they felt their degree helped them obtain a 'graduate role'. We calculate a mean rating to indicate if this is high, medium or low compared to other universities.

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Graduate field commentary:

The Higher Education Careers Services Unit have provided some further context for all graduates in this subject area, including details that numbers alone might not show

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The Longitudinal Educational Outcomes dataset combines HRMC earnings data with student records from the Higher Education Statistics Agency.

While there are lots of factors at play when it comes to your future earnings, use this as a rough timeline of what graduates in this subject area were earning on average one, three and five years later. Can you see a steady increase in salary, or did grads need some experience under their belt before seeing a nice bump up in their pay packet?

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