MSc

Mechanical Engineering

Prepare yourself for a career in Mechanical Engineering. Gain relevant expertise and get hands-on with state-of-the-art facilities at USW.

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Key Course Details

  • Start Date

    February

  • Location

    Pontypridd

  • Campus Code

    A

Fees

  • Start Date

    September

  • Location

    Pontypridd

  • Campus Code

    A

Fees

  • International students

    £16,900*

The MSc Mechanical Engineering at USW addresses the high demand for skilled postgraduate engineers. Designed to assist in achieving Chartered Engineer status, it enriches knowledge while fostering project management and people skills. Students utilise advanced software, learn environmental and safety considerations, and tackle real-world issues through dissertations informed by staff's active research and consultancy.

DESIGNED FOR

Mechanical engineers have an inquiring mind, wanting to understand how things work and how to apply knowledge to real-world problems. Sustainable solutions to important areas such as energy security, food and water supplies, sustainable transport are just some of the areas where Mechanical Engineers contribute their knowledge.

Accredited by

  • Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE), forming the educational base for Incorporated Engineer and, with further learning, Chartered 

Career Paths

  • Production Manager
  • Biomedical Engineer
  • Project Management
  • Automotive Engineer

Skills taught

  • Development of knowledge of cutting-edge technology
  • Teamworking, management and leadership.
  • Communication skills
  • Understanding of professional responsibilities such as sustainability and ethics

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Course Highlights

Professionally Recognised

Accredited by the Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE), forming the educational base for Incorporated Engineer and, with further learning, Chartered Engineer status

Industry Focused

We have strong links with industry and place considerable emphasis on student projects and practical, problem-based learning.

Expert Knowledge

Staff are experts in their fields, some through research activities and some through professional practice in industrial careers.

Module Overview

MSc Mechanical Engineering consists of modules totalling up to 180 credits, consisting of:

  • Advanced Materials and Manufacture - 10 credits
  • Fatigue and Fracture - 10 credits
  • Further Computational Fluid Dynamics - 10 credits
  • Further Finite Element Analysis - 10 credits
  • Robotics and Control - 10 credits
  • Research Methods for Engineers - 10 credits
  • Industrial Heating Systems - 20 credits
  • Professional Engineering Management - 20 credits
  • Safety Health and Environmental Engineering - 20 credits
  • Dissertation - 60 credits

Direct Entry students with no prior knowledge of Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) or Finite Element Analysis (FEA) will also be given the option to enrol in the following modules:

  • Engineering Computational Analysis - 20 credits

Course Highlights

How you’ll learn

The MSc Mechanical Engineering program offers two entry points annually (February and September) with an intensive yet adaptable study pattern. 

Modules are delivered via lectures, tutorials, and labs. Our ties with employers, locally and internationally, ensure the course remains industry-relevant, offering site visits and placements. Lecturers, seasoned experts with industry experience, actively research, publish, and present, enriching your education. Guest speakers from the engineering sector further amplify learning. 

Assessment involves continuous coursework or a blend of coursework and exams. The dissertation includes a thesis, poster presentation, and oral examination..

Teaching staff

The staff that deliver the modules have a breadth of expertise in their subject areas. 

Some have developed this expertise through high quality research. The research areas are international in their scope whilst also having a relevance locally, often working with international companies that operate locally. 

Others have developed their expertise through successful careers in industry and are now using that knowledge to teach and prepare the students for their own careers.

This blend of backgrounds represented in the academic staff give a breadth to the student experience and develops them technically and professionally.

Placements

N/A

Facilities

Our Mechanical Engineering facilities are excellent. They include:

  • Well-equipped computer rooms using state of the art (industry standard) design and analysis software. (SolidWorks, Ansys, FEA and CFD, LS-Dyna, SolidCAM, Simul8, etc.), with a cluster (Super Computer) for use on high end computational activities.
  • Dedicated project rooms for all cohorts, access to laser cutter and a four-axis CNC router.
  • Composite manufacturing facilities, including autoclaves.
  • Additive manufacturing facilities (3D printing), laser scanner, wind tunnel, extensive material testing facilities, as well as laboratories with equipment for supplementing teaching in all core subjects, mechanics, dynamics, materials, thermodynamics, fluid-dynamics and control.
  • Non-destructive testing (NDT) facilities.
  • Access to technical staff in our workshops which include CNC machining centre, lathes and milling machine, drills, etc, for use on all project work undertaken.
  • Large open access multi discipline built area for projects.
  • Well-equipped Formula Student (Opens in a new tab)build area.

Innovation Hub at USW

A student observes a robot arm with a claw on the end on a desk while sat at a computer at the Innovation Hub in an engineering workshop at the Treforest campus

Careers and Employability

Graduate careers

Our Mechanical Engineering degrees have a good reputation in industry, and our graduates have carved out successful careers in areas including research and development, design, manufacturing management, technical sales, and plant engineering.

Graduates can also progress to an Engineering PhD or research degree.

Possible career paths

You may have a clear career path that you are aiming for and we can help you get there. On the other hand, you may still be unsure about the direction you wish to take and that’s why our lecturers, industrial contacts and careers services will want to talk to about these opportunities. It’s an exciting time to be a Mechanical Engineer – the world is facing some major challenges and we are at the forefront of developing solutions to many of these.

Careers support

Our careers service offers a range of advice and guidance to students. We can link you up with industry, we can help you with interview skills and CVs and help you to focus on your own direction of travel.

ENTRY REQUIREMENTS

UCAS Points: 60 (or above)

Typical qualification requirements:

  • A minimum 2:2 Honours degree in mechanical engineering, although related engineering disciplines may be considered.

International applications welcomed:

We welcome international applications with equivalent qualifications of our entry requirements. For more details related to your country of residence, please view our dedicated country pages.

English language requirements

International applicants will need to have achieved an overall of IELTS 6.0 with a minimum of 5.5 in each component/TOEFL 72 overall and a minimum of 18 in reading, 17 in listening, 20 in speaking and 17 in writing or equivalent.

Equivalents can be located on our English Language pages.

If you have previously studied through the medium of English, IELTS might not be required, please visit our country specific page for further details. If your country is not featured, please contact us.

If you do not meet the English entry criteria, please visit our Pre-Sessional course pages.

Contextual offers

We may make you a lower offer based on a range of factors, including your background (where you live and the school or college that you attended, for example), your experiences and individual circumstances (as a care leaver, for example). This is referred to as a contextual offer, and we receive data from UCAS to support us in making these decisions.

USW prides itself on its student experience and we support our students to achieve their goals and become a successful graduate. This approach helps us to support students who have the potential to succeed and who may have faced barriers that make it more difficult to access university.

 

We're here to help

Whether you a have a question about your course, fees and funding, the application process or anything else, there are plenty of ways you can get in touch, and we'd love to talk to you. You can contact our friendly admissions team by phone, email or chat to us online.

 

Fees and Funding

International Full-time Fee

£16,900

per year*

Further Information

Studying at university is one of the most significant investments you'll ever make. Whilst you’re studying, you’ll have two main financial obligations – tuition fees and living costs. There’s lots of financial help available from the University of South Wales and external funding sources, that may provide loans (which have to be paid back) and grants, scholarships and bursaries (that don't).

*Full-time fees are per year. Part-time fees are per 20 credits. Once enrolled, the fee is anticipated to remain at the same rate throughout the duration of your study on this course except as described below.

Please be aware that we may increase the maximum fee for home students on full-time undergraduate courses only where the Welsh Government increases the permitted level of inflation of fees. Fees for all students (including part-time, postgraduate and international students) may be amended in accordance with our applicable Fees and Debt Management Policy.  We will ensure that students are given clear, intelligible, unambiguous and timely information about our courses and costs in good time, ahead of the next academic year.

 

Fees and Funding Scholarships and Busaries Alumni Discount

Additional Costs

As a student of USW, you’ll have access to lots of free resources to support your study and learning, such as textbooks, publications, online journals, laptops, and plenty of remote-access resources. Whilst in most cases these resources are more than sufficient in supporting you with completing your course, additional costs, both obligatory and optional, may be required or requested for the likes of travel, memberships, experience days, stationery, printing, or equipment.  

Investing in your future

We are investing in the future of STEM at USW with an exciting new Computing, Engineering and Technology building at our Pontypridd Campus.


University Quality Assurance

At USW, we regularly review our courses in response to changing patterns of employment and skills demand to ensure we offer learning designed to reflect today’s student needs and tomorrow’s employer demands.

If during a review process course content is significantly changed, we’ll write to inform you and talk you through the changes for the coming year. But whatever the outcome, we aim to equip our students with the skillset and the mindset to succeed whatever tomorrow may bring. Your future, future-proofed.

How to apply

There is an online application process for this course. Please choose the application form for your preferred start date and mode of study (i.e. full-time or part-time).

International admissions

Please see our international admissions advice for further information about how to apply as a prospective international student.