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Mechanical Engineering (Top-up) BEng(Hons)

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    Overview

    Mechanical Engineering impacts virtually all aspects of our daily lives and is vital to the functioning of many of the systems and products we rely upon. Following this course, therefore, you could choose from a wide range of rewarding and challenging careers, many of which will give you the chance to drive forward the increasingly important sustainability agenda.

    The top five job titles advertised in the UK for graduate roles associated with Mechanical Engineering courses are Mechanical Design Engineer, Mechanical Engineer, Service Engineer, Project Engineer and Mechanical Project Engineer.*

    *Lightcast data extracted from Graduate Career Explorer – job postings from Dec 2023 to Nov 2024 showing jobs advertised associated with a selection of relevant graduate roles.

    Why study Mechanical Engineering (Top-up) BEng(Hons) at Huddersfield?

    For those with good knowledge of engineering, this top-up course could help you build on your existing skills. A one-year course, you will be expected to have completed prior university or higher education study in a related subject.

    The course allows you to continue your studies in the principles of, for example, dynamics and design, and to have the choice of other key modules to best suit you. With an understanding of the key role of sustainability, we aim to prepare you for career opportunities in a wide range of industries.

    You will work on a selected individual research/design project with the support of your academic supervisor. It is possible to align this with one of the Master's team projects, which involve the design, build and friendly competitive testing of either a road, airborne or rail vehicle, for example, for example, Team HARE, Team Hawk or HudRail.

    Opportunities for the skillset of a graduate engineer can be varied, with our Mechanical Engineering graduates often finding themselves at the heart of technological developments within the industry.

    We aim to provide you with strong practical, theoretical and transferrable skills that may reward you with an interesting and challenging future as a professional engineer.

    Key Information

    Entry requirements

    Entry requirements for this course are considered on an individual basis and are normally one of the following:

    • Higher National Diploma at Merit in Mechanical Engineering
    • Foundation Degree in Engineering
    • International qualifications are accepted, with high technical engineering content

    Other relevant skills or experience will be considered.

    If your first language is not English, you will need to meet the minimum requirements of an English Language qualification. The minimum for IELTS is 6.0 overall with no element lower than 5.5, or equivalent. Read more about the University’s entry requirements for students outside of the UK on our International Entry Requirements page.

    Start dates

    21 September 2026

    Duration

    1 year full-time

    Course Detail

    Design Analysis

    In this module you will discover the principles behind Finite Element Analysis (FEA). This is increasingly becoming an integral part of the design process and has recently been linked to optimisation methods within many commercial computer packages. You will develop the understanding of the theoretical foundations and limitations of these methods for their effective application in practical contexts. In addition, you will gain an invaluable experience of using state-of-the-art commercial software of this type to equip you with the skills of carrying out accurate and cost effective finite element and optimisation analyses.

    Dynamic Analysis and Control

    This module will let you develop knowledge and understanding of dynamic systems related vibration and its analysis and control in machine systems. The module uses selected topics to give you an understanding of the analytical tools applied to vibration in mechanical systems and the ability to synthesise and analyse complex mechanisms. The module focuses on mathematical models of physical systems which are key elements in the design and analysis of control systems through theory and practical examples. Mathematical and analysis packages are used extensively throughout the module.

    Eco Design and IPR

    In this module you will have an opportunity to demonstrate a range of knowledge and understanding of sustainable design processes and the inherent value of design by undertaking a group design project. Through collaboration you will develop product design solutions that comply with the sustainable engineering agenda with the goals of a lower carbon economy at the forefront of your thinking. You will develop and use quantitative techniques that allow for the direct measurement of outcomes from a sustainability and commercial perspective. In addition you will demonstrate critical and creative thinking in the creation of industrially appropriate approaches to the handling and exploitation of intellectual property in regard to new and novel products.

    Final Year Project

    This module is designed to provide you with the opportunity to study and investigate a specific engineering topic in-depth. The aim of this module is give you the skills and experience to carry out an engineering project and introduce you to the process that would typically take place in a professional engineering environment. You will undertake and execute a project on a topic appropriate to your study pathway. You will be allocated a project supervisor(s) who will direct you through the process of project planning, undertaking background research and carrying out the technical aspects of the project to a satisfactory conclusion. Your project will be an in-depth study of an engineering problem and may be either academic or industry-based. You will have the opportunity to either select a project defined by a tutor, or to propose your own project idea. The project work will extend your knowledge and capabilities in the specific field associated with the project topic and allow you to demonstrate your initiative, commitment, and engineering capability to a professional standard.

    Project Quality and Production Management

    In this module you will be introduced to concepts, standards, techniques, software and systems for project management, quality management and production management, making reference to relevant ISO standards. You will cover case material relevant to manufacturing and service industries and gain experience of practical application. On completion you will be in a strong position to apply these key industry standard practices to projects in your role as a graduate engineer.

    Aerodynamics and Computational Fluid Dynamics

    This module will provide you with fundamental knowledge of fluid dynamics in general and aerodynamics in particular. You will gain knowledge in the fundamentals of aerodynamics ranging from bluff body aerodynamics to compressible flows. The practical elements of this module will equip you with an ability to work with experimental and numerical tools to establish aerodynamic characteristics of important industrial systems encountering fluid flows.

    Throughout your studies, you will have the opportunity to get continual feedback through weekly SAIL (Score as I Learn) assignments so you will feel confident in your studies and be able to access support when you need it.

    This course has modules making up 120 credits over the 1 * year, with each credit being 10 hours of study (1200 hours in total). An average approximately ** 13% (181 hours) of the study time on this course is spent with your tutors face to face or online in lectures, seminars, tutorials, practicals and workshops. The remainder of the time will be spent on independent study. Assessment is varied and includes assignments, exams and project work, with a focus on practical work. There are opportunities for group working, in addition to individual assessments.

    *Subject to mode of study.

    **Based on current core and compulsory modules.

    Calculated using data from the academic year 2024/25, as of November 2024.

    Teaching

    The teaching year for most courses normally starts in September with breaks at Christmas and Easter, finishing with a main examination/assessment period around May/June. Teaching on other courses including professional courses, postgraduate taught, research, distance learning and apprenticeship may have other start dates including January and May. All start dates can be found on each course page and term dates are also available. Students on a full-time course may have to attend every day of the week. Students who choose to study a full-time course on a part-time basis will generally attend modules at the same time as our full-time students. Timetables are normally available one month before registration.

    Our courses are taught at our University campus and you can expect that your lectures and seminars will be held face to face, except in cases of emergency or if specifically stated otherwise in the module description.

    Feedback

    Feedback (usually written) is normally provided on all coursework submissions within three term time weeks – unless the submission was made towards the end of the session in which case feedback would be available on request after the formal publication of results. Feedback on exam performance/final coursework is available on request after the publication of results.

    Progression

    You may progress to the next stage of your course or research degree, subject to meeting University assessment criteria and professional, statutory or regulatory body guidelines.

    1. The University of Huddersfield has been rated Gold in all three aspects of the Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF) 2023. We were the only university in Yorkshire and the Humber and the North West to achieve Gold ratings in all three aspects of the TEF among those announced in September 2023. In fact only 13 Universities, out of the 96 that were announced in September 2023, were Gold in all three ratings.

    2. Our teaching staff rank first in England for the proportion with higher degrees and teaching qualifications, as well as being top five for those holding doctorates (HESA 2025). So you’ll learn from some of the best, helping you to be the best.

    3. We are joint first in the country for National Teaching Fellowships, which mark the UK’s best lecturers in Higher Education, winning a total of 23 since 2008 (2024 data).

    4. We won the first Global Teaching Excellence Award, recognising the University’s commitment to world-class teaching and its success in developing students as independent learners and critical thinkers (Higher Education Academy, 2017).

    Read more about academic staff at the University of Huddersfield

    At Huddersfield, you'll study the Global Professional Award (GPA) alongside your degree* so that you gain valuable qualities and experiences that could help you to get the career you want, no matter what your field of study is. On completion of the Award, you'll receive a GPA certificate from the University of Huddersfield, alongside the specialist subject skills and knowledge you gain as part of your degree, which may help to set you apart from other graduates.

    Giving students access to the Global Professional Award is one of the reasons the University won ‘Best University Employability Strategy’ award at the National Graduate Recruitment Awards 2021. Find out more on the Global Professional Award webpage.

    *full-time, undergraduate first degrees with a minimum duration of three years. This does not include postgraduate, foundation, top-up, accelerated or apprenticeship degrees.

    Engineering

    A tour of our Department of Engineering facilities.

    Ever wondered how you will use our facilities as part of your course? Follow Connor on a tour who explains all.

    Students observing a robotic arm
    Student working on a car
    Group work in one of our engineering laboratories
    Female Student with circuit board
    Sparck Jones canal

    Discover more about the course

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    Inspiring Graduate

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    Further Study

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    Research Excellence

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    Student Support

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    Important information

    Although we always try and ensure we deliver our courses as described, sometimes we may have to make changes for the following reasons

    When you enrol as a student of the University, your study and time with us will be governed by our terms and conditions, Handbook of Regulations and associated policies. It is important that you familiarise yourself with these as you will be asked to agree to them when you join us as a student. You will find a guide to the key terms here, along with the Student Protection Plan.

    Although we always try and ensure we deliver our courses as described, sometimes we may have to make changes for the following reasons

    Changes to a course you have applied for but are not yet enrolled on

    If we propose to make a major change to a course that you are holding an offer for, then we will tell you as soon as possible so that you can decide whether to withdraw your application prior to enrolment. We may occasionally have to withdraw a course you have applied for or combine your programme with another programme if we consider this reasonably necessary to ensure a good student experience, for example if there are not enough applicants. Where this is the case we will notify you as soon as reasonably possible and we will discuss with you other suitable courses we can transfer your application to. If you do not wish to transfer to another course with us, you may cancel your application and we will refund you any deposits or fees you have paid to us.

    Changes to your course after you enrol as a student

    Changes to option modules:

    Where your course allows you to choose modules from a range of options, we will review these each year and change them to reflect the expertise of our staff, current trends in research and as a result of student feedback or demand for certain modules. We will always ensure that you have an equivalent range of options to that advertised for the course. We will let you know in good time the options available for you to choose for the following year.

    Major changes:

    We will only make major changes to non-optional modules on a course if it is necessary for us to do so and provided such changes are reasonable. A major change is a change that substantially changes the outcomes, or a significant part of your course, such as the nature of the award or a substantial change to module content, teaching days (part time provision), type of delivery or assessment of the core curriculum. For example, it may be necessary to make a major change to reflect changes in the law or the requirements of the University’s regulators or a commissioning or accrediting body. We may also make changes to improve the course in response to student, examiners’ or other course evaluators’ feedback or to ensure you are being taught current best practice. Major changes may also be necessary because of circumstances outside our reasonable control, such as a key member of staff leaving the University or being unable to teach, where they have a particular specialism that can’t be adequately covered by other members of staff; or due to damage or interruption to buildings, facilities or equipment, or pandemics.

    Major changes would usually be made with effect from the next academic year, but may happen sooner in an emergency. We will notify you as soon as possible should we need to make a major change and will carry out suitable consultation. If you reasonably believe that the proposed change will cause you detriment or hardship we will, if appropriate, work with you to try to reduce the adverse effect on you or find an appropriate solution. Where an appropriate solution cannot be found and you contact us in writing before the change takes effect you can cancel your registration and withdraw from the University without liability to the University for future tuition fees. We will provide reasonable support to assist you with transferring to another university if you wish to do so.

    In exceptional circumstances, we may, for reasons outside of our control, be forced to discontinue or suspend your course. Where this is the case, a formal exit strategy will be followed in accordance with the student protection plan.

    The Office for Students (OfS) is the principal regulator for the University.

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