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Mechanical Engineering

Study level:
Undergraduate
Awarded by:
Engineering Council, The Institution of Mechanical Engineers

Course summary

Are you fascinated by technology and design? Primarily problem solvers, mechanical engineers design, create and use tools and methods in every industry from atomic physics to space exploration. They play a vital role in tackling problems that affect us all such as energy security; efficient manufacturing and smart cities. Our engineering students are taught by enthusiastic staff with strong industry links who use laboratory sessions and physical demonstrations to reinforce academic learning.

Our accredited MEng Mechanical Engineering is designed to start your journey to becoming a qualified professional mechanical engineer. Our engineering courses rely strongly on practical work and you will develop your design skills throughout the course. We offer the opportunity to undertake a paid placement year to help consolidate and develop your engineering knowledge and many students receive job offers as a result of their time in industry.

  • Optional 'with composites' pathway available - in year 4, you have the option to choose a specialist 'with composites' pathway, which allows you to study the design and manufacture of specialist materials. Should you wish to choose this route, ‘with composites’ will appear as a named specialism on your degree certificate to acknowledge your specialism in this area.

  • Take your studies a step further - this four year integrated masters programme takes your learning and expertise development all the way to masters level.

  • Make use of cutting-edge facilities Students in engineering, science and the arts have access to a range of specialist equipment and innovative laboratories in our new engineering and design facility.

  • Open the door to a successful future - with starting salaries from £23,000, our graduates have gone on to work for Hoare Lea, Babcock Marine, Becton Dickinson, e2v, Edwards, the Shaw Group and the Ministry of Defence.

  • Define yourself with a professionally aligned degree – The course has been designed to fully satisfy the educational base for Chartered Engineer (CEng).

  • Be flexible – our combined first year allows you to switch to marine technology or civil engineering in line with your career ambitions. A choice of modules in the final year allows you to specialise further.

  • Be unique – our courses are the only ones in the country to have a named 'with composites' pathway; choosing this will allow you to stand out in the job market.

  • Learn hands-on with the latest industry-standard software, laboratory sessions and practical classes.

  • Put learning into practice by taking a paid year in industry - many of our students receive job offers or sponsorship as a result of their placements.

  • Go on to thrive in sectors as diverse as aerospace, automotive, manufacturing and energy.

Modules

In the first year of your mechanical engineering course, you will study alongside other engineering students to learn about the fundamental principles underpinning the subjects studied throughout the course. You will develop your mathematical skills and study engineering materials, structural mechanics and fluid mechanics. You will learn about generic design processes and computer-aided design, and work in a team to undertake a real-world design challenge. Laboratory sessions will form an important part of your learning.

The second year introduces subjects like control systems engineering and quality management while further developing your thermodynamics, fluid mechanics, mathematics and design skills. These subjects are explored in lectures, in laboratory sessions and workshops. At this point, you can opt in to the 'with composites' pathway.The placements module will develop your professional and transferable skills for the workplace and support you in finding an appropriate placement.

By taking the opportunity to spend an optional year in paid employment whilst still a student engineer, you will obtain recordable professional experience, build a network of industry contacts and often obtain offers of summer work, sponsorship or employment on graduation. Our placements team will support you in finding a placement, and we have an extensive network of employers across all sectors.

The fourth year will deepen your understanding of computer aided engineering tools and control systems. You will also focus your specialism choosing to further your understanding of thermofluids and design methodology or choosing to study the theoretical and practical aspects of composites engineering on the 'with composites' pathway. Your dissertation project enables you to research the topics that interest you and will allow you to bring together all you have learnt so far.

The core subject of design, materials and computer-aided engineering tools are taken to an advanced level in the MEng year. You will have the opportunity to choose modules to complement your specialism, allowing you to tailor your studies to suit your interests and career plans.

The modules shown for this course or programme are those being studied by current students, or expected new modules. Modules are subject to change depending on year of entry and up to date information can be found on our website

Assessment method

43% of assessment is by exam, 56% by coursework and 1% practical assessment

For up to date details, please refer to our website or contact the institution directly.

Professional bodies

Professionally accredited courses provide industry-wide recognition of the quality of your qualification.

  • Engineering Council

Qualified teacher status (QTS)

To work as a teacher at a state school in England or Wales, you will need to achieve qualified teacher status (QTS). This is offered on this course for the following level:

  • Course does not award QTS

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How to apply

Apply by
31 January

This is the deadline for applications to be completed and sent for this course. If the university or college still has places available you can apply after this date, but your application is not guaranteed to be considered.

Application codes

Course code:
H304
Institution code:
P60
Campus name:
Main Site
Campus Code:
-

Points of entry

The following entry points are available for this course:

  • Year 1
  • Year 2
  • Year 4
  • Year 5

This course may be available at alternative locations, please check if other course options are available.

Course options

International applicants

The University of Plymouth has a dedicated International Student Advice (ISA) service who will support you from the day you accept an offer at the University, right through to graduation. They will offer help and advice so you can get the most out of your studies, and your time in the UK, visit www.plymouth.ac.uk/student-life/services/international-students/international-student-advice for more information. Once you have applied through UCAS, your conditional offer letters will also be sent to you by email, so be sure to enter your current email address on your application and to check this email regularly. You'll need your unconditional letter, and the Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS) that we'll send you, when applying for your student visa to the UK. A tuition fee deposit will be required before we'll send you the CAS. We're a licenced Sponsor under the Points Based System. To comply with our duties as a Sponsor, we're required to check other aspects of your application in addition to your academic achievements, for example any previous studies, financial status and your immigration history in the UK. For course entry requirements (inc. English requirements) please refer to the specific page for the course you are interested in (www.plymouth.ac.uk/study). A recognised English language qualification (e.g. IELTS) would be required or successful completion of one of the University's pre-sessional English Language courses. Check our country pages to find out more about application from your specific home country www.plymouth.ac.uk/international/study/international-students-country-guides. International fees, please visit our fees and funding pages www.plymouth.ac.uk/study/fees. If you have any questions please contact admissions@plymouth.ac.uk

Open days

Entry requirements

Qualification requirements

UCAS Tariff - 120 - 136 points

Including A Level Grade C in Mathematics and Grade C in a second relevant subject: Applied ICT / Applied Science / Applied Business / Biology / Business Studies / Chemistry / Computing / Computer Science / DT (Product Design Resistant Materials) / DT (Systems & Control Technology) / Product Design / Economics / Economics & Business / Electronics / Engineering / Environmental Science / Further Maths / Use of Maths / Pure Maths / ICT / Physics / Statistics. Excluding General Studies

A level

120 to 136 UCAS points, including A Level Grade C in Mathematics and Grade C in a second relevant subject: Applied ICT / Applied Science / Applied Business / Biology / Business Studies / Chemistry / Computing / Computer Science / DT (Product Design Resistant Materials) / DT (Systems & Control Technology) / Product Design / Economics / Economics & Business / Electronics / Engineering / Environmental Science / Further Maths / Use of Maths / Pure Maths / ICT / Physics / Statistics. Excluding General Studies

Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Extended Diploma (first teaching from September 2016) - Not accepted

Access to HE Diploma - Not accepted

Scottish Higher

Considered in combination with Advanced Highers. Maths and English accepted within as GCSE equivalent.

AS

Considered in combination.

Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Diploma (first teaching from September 2016) - Not accepted

Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Foundation Diploma (first teaching from September 2016) - Not accepted

Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Extended Certificate (first teaching from September 2016)

Considered in combination.

Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Certificate (first teaching from September 2016)

Considered in combination.

Scottish Advanced Higher

128 to 136 UCAS points, including Grade C in Mathematics and Grade C in a second relevant subject. Maths and English accepted within as GCSE equivalent.

International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme - 30 - 34 points

To include Grade 5 at Higher Level Mathematics and Grade 5 at Higher Level in a second relevant subject. Maths and English accepted within as GCSE equivalent.

Welsh Baccalaureate - Advanced Skills Challenge Certificate (last awarded Summer 2024)

Considered in combination.

Extended Project

Considered in combination.

Leaving Certificate - Higher Level (Ireland) (first awarded in 2017) - H1, H2, H2, H2, H2, H2

to include Mathematics and a second relevant subject. Maths and English accepted within as GCSE equivalent.

AQA Certificate in Mathematical Studies (Core Maths)

Considered in combination alongside A Level Mathematics and second relevant subject.

City & Guilds Certificate in Using and Applying Mathematics (Core Maths)

Considered in combination alongside A Level Mathematics and second relevant subject.

OCR Certificate in Quantitative Problem Solving (MEI) (Core Maths)

Considered in combination alongside A Level Mathematics and second relevant subject.

OCR Certificate in Quantitative Reasoning (MEI) (Core Maths)

Considered in combination alongside A Level Mathematics and second relevant subject.

Pearson Edexcel Certificate in Mathematics in Context (Core Maths)

Considered in combination alongside A Level Mathematics and second relevant subject.

T Level - Not accepted

Must have GCSE Maths and English at grade C/4 or above.

English language requirements

TestGradeAdditional details
IELTS (Academic)6With 5.5 in all elements.

Historical entry grades data

This section shows the range of grades students were previously accepted with - learn more. It is designed to support your research but does not guarantee whether you will or won't get a place. Admissions teams consider various factors, including interviews, subject requirements, and entrance tests. Check all course entry requirements for eligibility.

Data from:
This course and 1 other mechanical engineering course
Date range:
2022-2024

Grades held by accepted students

BBC Most common
  1. ABB
  2. Highest grades
  3. CDD
  4. Lowest grades

Offer rate for UK school & college leavers

99% Students aged 17/18 who applied to this course were offered a place.

How do you compare?

See how students with your grades have been accepted onto this course in the past.

Student Outcomes

Operated by the Office for Students

100 Employment after 15 months (Most common jobs)

100 Go onto work and study

The number of student respondents and response rates can be important in interpreting the data – it is important to note your experience may be different from theirs. This data will be based on the subject area rather than the specific course. Read more about this data on the Discover Uni website.

Fees and funding

Tuition fees

No fee information has been provided for this course

Tuition fee status depends on a number of criteria and varies according to where in the UK you will study. For further guidance on the criteria for home or overseas tuition fees, please refer to the UKCISA website.

Additional fee information

For all information about tuition fees, please visit our fees and funding pages at www.plymouth.ac.uk/study/fees

  • Fees are correct at the time of publication and may be subject to change.
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