While most engineering design courses focus on product design, this MSc in Mechanical Engineering Design stands out in that it teaches technical engineering design, focusing on the engineering analysis skills linked to solid mechanics and applying this to real-world design problems.
If you are interested in a career in engineering design, this course offers the ideal head start. You will not only become well-equipped to design complex systems but also evaluate their design performance using technical engineering skills.
During your study, you can expect to explore the entire design process in depth, including specification development, concept design, detail design, and prototype production.
As a unique entry point, this MSc teaches the technical evaluation skills based on theory, experimentation, and computer modelling - enabling you to both determine the feasibility and performance of new products and assess the performance of existing equipment.
This is a technical engineering course based around solid mechanics principles, carefully integrating advanced engineering techniques with hands-on learning to provide a complementary blend of skills desired by employers.
Course Duration 12 months (full-time)
Accreditation This course is accredited by the Institution of Mechanical Engineers
Total Self-study Time Approximately 150 hours of independent study in total for a 15-credit module
Teaching Time Approximately 12 hours per week, with an additional 1-2 hours of lab
IS THIS COURSE FOR ME?
This course is ideal for graduates with an engineering degree who are looking to specialise in engineering design and technical analysis skills.
Typically, our students would have completed a BEng or MEng in Mechanical, Aerospace, Manufacturing, or Industrial Engineering. Occasionally, we may take students with a Physics or Mathematics background, dependent on other experiences.
Students should have technical skills in mathematics, computer-aided design, programming, solid mechanics, and engineering design.
WHAT ROLES HAVE GRADUATES SECURED?
Typical career paths for graduates of the course are design engineering, stress analysis engineer, technical specialist in engineering, and engineering management in a variety of industries, such as automatic, aerospace, pharmaceuticals, healthcare technologies, energy generation, and more. Some of our graduates also go into academia and research.
Our recent graduates have gone to work for companies including:
- GE Aviation
- BMP Europe Ltd
- Formosa Prosonic
- Hitachi Home & Life Solutions Ltd
- Indra Limited
- Shell Petroleum Development
- Triton Valves Ltd
and have gone into roles such as:
- Drilling Engineer
- Design Engineer
- Quality Management Executive
- Senior Engineer
OUR STUDENTS' MSc PROJECTS
The MSc project is one of the most exciting parts of a master’s degree — you are paired with an expert supervisor and get a chance to dive deep into a topic you’re passionate about, solve real-world problems, and bring your ideas to life. It’s where everything you’ve learned comes together, showcasing your skills, creativity, and potential to stand out in your field. Here are some projects that our MSc graduates have worked on:
🔎 Nuclear and Energy Systems
- Thermal modelling of a nuclear micro-reactor
- Assessment of Generation IV nuclear reactor technologies
- Design of low emission wood burning stoves
- Modelling thermal performance of tungsten diamond composites for nuclear fusion applications
- Reactor physics modelling of a compact PWR core for marine applications
🔎 Composite and Advanced Materials
- Mechanical behaviour of hybrid composites
- Modelling the temperature effects on the cleavage fracture toughness in ferritic steels
- Phase transitions in steels subjected to shockwave loading
- Iterative hardness mapping incorporating defects
- Development of dynamic constitutive models based on machine learning and discrete data
🔎 Mechanical Design and Structural Integrity
- Topological optimisation for 3D printed bone tissue engineering scaffolds
- Design and manufacture of bionic circumferentially symmetric soft robot
- Proof of concepts of a soft gripper for handling foodstuff
- Simulation of the performance of a conical foil air bearing
- Structural integrity of thin-walled pressure vessels
🔎 Emerging Technologies and Smart Systems
- Redesigning air filtration and purification
- Building virtual fusion reactors in the metaverse using integrated design tools
- Optimum design of electro-mechanical renewable energy systems through scaled machine learning
- Simulations of nanoparticle formation caused by short pulse laser ablation of metals
- Design of a HEPA filter integrity test rig
Dr Glen Cooper Associate Professor / Reader in Medical Engineering and Design
ACADEMIC'S VOICE
The course is unique in being a technical engineering design programme. It will provide students with engineering analysis skills to assess the mechanical engineering feasibility or to design products or systems. Additionally, it will familiarise students with the design process from creating design specifications, developing concepts, detailing parts for manufacture design and prototyping. Successful graduates will be equipped to work across many different industries.
ALUMNI'S VOICE
The Master's program equipped me with strong fundamentals in engineering design, CAD, and DFMA, which directly translated into my first role as a Design Engineer.
Over the course of eight years, I have grown to lead new product development across India, the UK, and Australia, contributing to cutting-edge Medtech products like the QiVi AUM system, MRI head coils, and Vital Trace Foetal Monitoring.
Sheldon Pinto MSc Mechanical Engineering Design Graduate, Class of 2016
Current role: Design engineer in the Netherlands
The University of Manchester Oxford Rd Manchester M13 9PL UK