Mechanical Engineering
University of the West of Scotland
UCAS Code: H301 | Master of Engineering (with Honours) - MEng (Hon)
Entry requirements
A level
Including Maths and Physics plus GCSE English.
International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme
including Maths and Physics
Leaving Certificate - Higher Level (Ireland) (first awarded in 2017)
Including Maths and Physics
Scottish Higher
Including Maths and Physics, plus National 5 English at B.
T Level
UCAS Tariff
including Maths and Physics
About this course
**OVERVIEW**
The MEng (Hons) Mechanical Engineering is a five year, integrated master's degree that focuses on industry-relevant topics to reflect the needs of today’s employers, giving you the opportunity to build a career in the design, engineering and manufacturing sectors. Mechanical engineers combine a thorough knowledge of scientific and engineering principles with a flexible approach towards new ideas and developments.
Throughout the course, you will hone your practical skills by using our new state-of-the-art equipment and software modelling platforms, making you attractive to prospective employers and enabling you to work effectively as an engineering team member.
See also the entry for our related BEng (Hons) Mechnical Engineering (H300).
**PRACTICAL FOCUS**
There is the possibility of undertaking periods of paid industrial training as part of your studies. These placements are obtained competitively. If you are successful in completing this period of employment, for a total of 36 weeks, you will graduate with a 'Sandwich' degree which demonstrates to employers that you are ready to make an immediate contribution to their teams. This thin sandwich placement is undertaken out-with term time/on a part-time basis meaning it does not affect the duration of the degree. You are responsible for applying for engineering jobs/placements yourself. As these positions are competitive, they cannot be guaranteed.
Placements in this course would be possible at the end of your Year 2 studies but before your Year 3 studies commence and at the end of your Year 3 studies but before your Year 4 studies commence. In recent years students have undertaken placements with organisations such as Spirit AeroSystems, Doosan Babcock and Rolls Royce.
In addition, guest speakers from industry are also invited to talk to you during your studies and these help to further deepen your understanding of the specific engineering subjects.
**PROFESSIONAL RECOGNITION**
Professional accreditation is being sought for MEng (Hons) Mechanical Engineering from the Institution of Mechanical Engineering. See our website for full details.
**CAREER PROSPECTS**
Mechanical Engineering graduates are highly sought-after and find emnployment in a wide range of industries and in a variety of roles.
**Jobs**
Careers in the automotive, aerospace, offshore, energy, railways and shipbuilding sectors are possible for Mechanical Engineers in roles within stress, vibration, performance, service, design and development engineering and project management.
**Further Study**
Completing the MEng (Hons) will allow progression to a specialist taught master's degree or a research degree (MPhil/PhD). Some of our graduates have even progressed to undertake a one-year teaching qualification (PGDE/QTS).
Modules
You will commence your studies in Year one by establishing a solid engineering foundation and will cover subjects such as: mathematics, applied mechanics and engineering design and an introduction to the engineering industry. In subsequent years, you will study topics including: strength of materials, thermofluid mechanics, materials and manufacturing technology, engineering design process, computer-aided technology, engineering management, rapid prototyping and experimental testing techniques; intelligent systems and control technologies; and advanced computer-based analysis and simulation techniques, project management, advanced engineering materials, renewable energy systems and sustainability, computer-aided engineering design, and computational fluid dynamics. In the final, fifth year, the MEng (Hons) year builds on the first four years and you'll study advanced fluid mechanics and CFD and advanced heat transfer topics as well as applied finite element analysis and structural integrity modules. You will also undertake a major group project.
Assessment methods
A variety of assessment approaches are utilised throughout the programme such as examination, written coursework, portfolio and presentations.
Tuition fees
Select where you currently live to see what you'll pay:
Extra funding
Visit www.uws.ac.uk/scholarships
The Uni
Paisley Campus
Computing, Engineering and Physical Sciences
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.
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
Assessment and feedback
Resources and organisation
Student voice
Who studies this subject and how do they get on?
Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)
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.
Top job areas of graduates
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.
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.
£26k
£27k
£32k
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.
Explore these similar courses...
Higher entry requirements
Lower entry requirements
Nearby UniversitySame UniversityThis is what the university has told Ucas about the criteria they expect applicants to satisfy; some may be compulsory, others may be preferable.
Have a question about this info? Learn more here
This is the percentage of applicants to this course who received an offer last year, through Ucas.
Have a question about this info? Learn more here
This is what the university has told Ucas about the course. Use it to get a quick idea about what makes it unique compared to similar courses, elsewhere.
Have a question about this info? Learn more here
Course location and department:
This is what the university has told Ucas about the course. Use it to get a quick idea about what makes it unique compared to similar courses, elsewhere.
Have a question about this info? Learn more here
Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF):
We've received this information from the Department for Education, via Ucas. This is how the university as a whole has been rated for its quality of teaching: gold silver or bronze. Note, not all universities have taken part in the TEF.
Have a question about this info? Learn more here
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.
Have a question about this info? Learn more here
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.
Have a question about this info? Learn more here
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.
Have a question about this info? Learn more here
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
Have a question about this info? Learn more here
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?
Have a question about this info? Learn more here
