MSc Mechanical Engineering Design / Course details

Year of entry: 2024

Course description

I came to Manchester almost 20 years ago to study on the MSc in Mechanical Engineering Design myself. I was attracted to the course as it was- and still is- quite unique to provide technical engineering design training.

Most design courses focus on aesthetics but our MSc focusses on technical engineering competency and its application to engineering design. The experience and knowledge from our engineering lecturers enables students to apply their knowledge to a wide variety of industrial and/or research focussed projects in a range of areas from Nuclear to Bioengineering products and problems.

Dr Glen Cooper / Course Director

The MSc in Mechanical Engineering Design equips students to both design complex systems and to evaluate their design's performance using technical engineering skills. Students will learn about the design process including specification development, concept design, detail design and prototype production.

This MSc is unique as it also teaches the technical evaluation skills based on theory, experimentation and computer modelling to determine the feasibility and performance of new products or to assess the performance of existing equipment. This is a technical engineering course based around solid mechanics principles  which integrates advanced engineering techniques with hands-on-learning to provide a complementary blend of skills desired by employers. The Department is a vibrant environment to study, we have 200 years of expertise in teaching engineering, high calibre facilities, strong links with industry and a vision to provide a modern world-class education. 

Manchester Engineering Campus Development (MECD), the University of Manchester's  new £400m purpose built home for engineering and material science , is nearing completion. The physical move to the new development is scheduled to take place between January 2022 and December 2022. Whilst it is anticipated that access to equipment, or work on projects for which such access is required may be limited during the period of the move, plans are underway to ensure that any disruption caused is minimised, a wide selection of dissertation projects will continue to be available, and excellent student experience remains pivotal. If you have any questions about how the move may affect you, please contact  pg-mace@manchester.ac.uk   

Teaching and learning

The Mechanical Engineering Design MSc  is a full time course which is studied over 12 months and there is one start date each year in September. You will develop advanced technical skills in Mechanical Engineering Design that will enable you to pursue a career in both general and specialised engineering industries or develop an in depth knowledge for a career in research in industry or academia.

Course unit details

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.

Course unit list

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

TitleCodeCredit ratingMandatory/optional
Experimental Methods (MSc Mechanical Engineering Design) AERO64021 15 Mandatory
Research Methods MECH60041 15 Mandatory
Finite Elements MECH60561 15 Mandatory
Mechanical Engineering Group Design MECH61060 30 Mandatory
Dissertation (Mechanical Engineering Design) MECH64000 60 Mandatory
Composites and Polymers MECH60102 15 Optional
Robotics, Metrology and Bioengineering MECH61032 15 Optional
Structural Integrity MECH63002 15 Optional
Examples of our current research .

Disability support

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