MSc Mechanical Engineering Design

Use the links below to view lists of courses in related subject areas.

• Mechanical Engineering

The standard academic entry requirement for this Master's course is an Upper Second Class UK Honours degree or international equivalent in a relevant science or engineering discipline.  Please note that we consider grades achieved in key relevant modules in your undergraduate degree as well as the overall degree result.    

All applicants to the University (from the UK and Overseas) are required to show evidence of English Language proficiency. The minimum English Language requirement for this course is:

• IELTS: overall score of 7.0 with no sub-test below 6.5.

• TOEFL iBT: at least 100 overall with no sub-test less than 22. We do not accept 'MyBestScore'. We do not accept TOEFL iBT Home Edition.

• Pearson PTE: at least 76 overall with no sub-test below 70.

• Pre-sessional English run by the University Centre for Academic English

• An acceptable equivalent English Language qualification.

Some English Language test results are only valid for two years. Your English Language test report must be valid on the start date of the course.

For entry in the academic year beginning September 2026, the tuition fees are as follows:

• MSc (full-time)
  UK students (per annum): £16,300
  International, including EU, students (per annum): £38,400

Further information for EU students can be found on our dedicated EU page.

All students should normally be able to complete their programme of study without incurring additional study costs over and above the tuition fee for that programme. Any unavoidable additional compulsory costs totalling more than 1% of the annual home undergraduate fee per annum, regardless of whether the programme in question is undergraduate or postgraduate taught, will be made clear to you at the point of application. Further information can be found in the University's Policy on additional costs incurred by students on undergraduate and postgraduate taught programmes (PDF document, 91KB).

We offer a number of postgraduate taught scholarships and awards to outstanding UK and international students each year.

The University of Manchester is committed to widening participation in master's study, and allocates £300,000 in funding each year. Our Manchester Master's Bursaries are aimed at widening access to master's courses by removing barriers to postgraduate education for students from underrepresented groups.

We also welcome the best and brightest international students each year and reward excellence with a number of merit-based scholarships. See our range of master’s scholarships for international students .

And, if you have completed an undergraduate degree at The University of Manchester, or are currently in your final year of an undergraduate degree with us, you may be eligible for a discount of 10% on tuition fees if you choose to study on a taught postgraduate course here. Find out if you're eligible and how to apply .

For more information on master's tuition fees and studying costs, visit the University of Manchester funding for master's courses website to help you plan your finances.

Applications to this course are considered through a staged admissions process with selection deadlines throughout the year. Due to the competition for places and high quality of applications that we receive, we give preference to students from high-ranking institutions and with grades above our minimum entry requirements.

Applications for 2026 entry:
Stage 1: Application received by 12 December 2025; Decision by 13 February 2026.
Stage 2: Application received by 27 February 2026; Decision by 24 April 2026.
Stage 3: Application received by 1 May 2026; Decision by 19 June 2026.

Applications received after 1 May 2026 will be considered depending on course availability.

Whilst we aim to give you a decision on your application by the deadline date, in some instances due to the competition for places and the volume of applications received, it may be necessary to roll your application forward to the next deadline date. If this is the case, we will let you know after the deadline date.

Please note: All places are subject to availability and if you apply at one of the later stages, some courses may already be reaching capacity or be closed to further applications. We, therefore, recommend that you apply early in the cycle to avoid disappointment.

If we make you an offer, you will be given a deadline by which to accept. This is typically 4-6 weeks but may be shorter. Offers that are not accepted by the deadline will be withdrawn.

Applicants who are made a conditional offer of a place must provide evidence that they have met all the conditions of their offer by 31 July 2026.

We consider your full academic history including which course units you have taken and the marks obtained. Even if you have met our minimum entry requirements, we will take into account your marks in relevant course units in our final decision making.

If you graduated more than three years ago, we will also consider the information contained on your CV and any relevant work experience you have to assess if you are still able to fulfil the entry criteria.

No interview is required for this course.

CAS Information

Self-funded international applicants for this course will be required to pay a deposit of £1,000 towards their tuition fees before a confirmation of acceptance for studies (CAS) is issued. This deposit will only be refunded if immigration permission is refused. We will notify you about how and when to make this payment.

Please upload a copy of your current valid passport with your application showing the photograph page with your application. For CAS purposes, this must show your full name, date of birth, nationality, passport number and the date the passport is valid until, which must be later than the date of your planned arrival in the UK, and the start date of your course.

If you have previously studied in the UK on a Student Route Visa as an undergraduate or postgraduate student, please send a copy of your previous CAS statement to us as it will assist with the issue of your new CAS statement. This includes study in the UK on study abroad programmes and any study that you did not complete.

You cannot use your CAS to apply for a visa more than three months before the start date of your course. The Admissions Team will contact you at the appropriate time.

Your CAS number is only valid for one Student Route Visa application.

ATAS Information

If you receive an offer from us you should apply for an ATAS clearance certificate if your course requires it, unless you're exempt because you're a national of the UK, EU, EEA, Switzerland, Australia, Canada, Japan, New Zealand, Singapore, South Korea or the USA.

Your Student Route Visa application, or extension of stay, will automatically be refused if you need an ATAS certificate and cannot provide one. For further guidance on obtaining an ATAS certificate, please see the information in our ATAS Guidance .

Do not apply for ATAS until contacted by your admissions team, as the information required is subject to change. Failure to obtain a correct ATAS certificate will prevent our ability to issue a CAS (Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies).

Applications for deferred entry are not accepted for this course. If you receive an offer and wish to be considered for the following year of entry, you will need to place a new application. Please be aware there is no guarantee of receiving another offer, and offer conditions are subject to change in line with entry requirements.

If you applied in the previous year and your application was not successful you may apply again. Your application will be considered against the standard course entry criteria for that year of entry. In your new application you should demonstrate how your application has improved. We may draw upon all information from your previous applications or any previous registrations at the University as a student when assessing your suitability for your chosen course.

If you are an international student applying for ATAS clearance, please use the ATAS application guidance and course unit lists sent directly to you. If you have not yet received this, please do email us to request it before making your ATAS application.

The course unit details given below are subject to change, and are the latest example of the curriculum available on this course of study.

Examples of our current research .

Practical support and advice for current students and applicants is available from the Disability Advisory and Support Service. Email: dass@manchester.ac.uk

This course is currently in the process of being re-accredited by the Institution of Mechanical Engineers under license from the UK regulator, the Engineering Council for the 2025 to 2030 intakes. The process of renewing accreditation takes place regularly, at intervals of no greater than 5 years, to assure continued compliance with the academic requirements of professional accreditation. This course has been consistently accredited since 2009, and the outcome of the current re-accreditation process for September 2025 entry is due to be confirmed in June after which we will be able to update you further.

Students completing an IMechE accredited degree are deemed to have met part or all of the academic requirements for registration as a Chartered or Incorporated Engineer and are in a strong position to move on to achieve professional engineering status after a period of initial professional development in industry.

The accredited MSc will meet, in part, the exemplifying academic benchmark requirements for registration as a Chartered Engineer. Accredited MSc graduates who also have a BEng (Hons) accredited for CEng will be able to show that they have satisfied the educational base for CEng registration.