Overview of the BE(Hons) Degree in Mechanical Engineering
The BE(Hons) degree is a four year degree with three "professional" years of study following admission to the Mechanical Engineering Department. Information on the engineering intermediate year and admission to the Department is available from the College of Engineering website.
A new curriculum based on 15-point courses is being rolled out for the BE(Hons). Students who entered the First Professional Year in 2011 are the first cohort to experience the new programme. Students who entered before 2011 will progress under the old regulations. |
Entrance from 2011
The First and Second Professional years comprise compulsory courses in key disciplines. These include; mechanics of machines, mechanics of materials, fluid mechanics, thermodynamics, mathematics, dynamics, control engineering, electrical engineering, materials engineering, manufacturing technology and engineering design. In the Third Professional year, students complete compulsory courses in design and industrial management, a research project and four options from a wide range of elective subjects.
Third Professional year students are guided in their selection of elective modules and are recommended to choose combinations which form coherent professional streams. These streams provide a degree of specialization considered advantageous to students seeking employment in the engineering industry.
The current professional streams are based on
- Energy Engineering (including Building Services)
- Instrumentation and Control Engineering
- Manufacturing Systems Engineering
- Materials Engineering
- Mechanical Engineering Science
- Mechanical Systems Design
Students must also complete a period of practical work in industry during their degree course (normally during summer vacations). This gives students an opportunity to experience the wider world of engineering and to apply some of their theoretical knowledge. In addition, approved courses in workshop training and first-aid must be completed during the degree.
Entrance before 2011
The First Professional year comprises compulsory courses in key disciplines. The Second Professional year comprises eight compulsory courses and two electives chosen from four courses. In the Third Professional year, students complete compulsory courses in design and industrial management, a research project and six electives chosen from a wide range of subjects.