Newcastle University

Mechanical and Low Carbon Transport Engineering MEng Honours
UCAS Code: H390 (4 Years)

• Course Overview
• Modules
• Entry Requirements
• Careers
• Finance

Mechanical engineers are responsible for the design and manufacture of the majority of products around us, from cars and televisions to chairs and hypodermic needles. Mechanical engineering also provides us with the tools, machines and new materials used to produce these products.

Today’s transport sector is faced with a number of challenges: increasing numbers of people using cars and public transport; a decline in fossil fuels; and the polluting effects of vehicles on the environment.

Our four-year Low Carbon Transport Engineering MEng Honours degree responds to these challenges by equipping you with a solid base in mechanical engineering, alongside specialist skills, all aimed at producing efficient transport systems.

The combination of a mechanical engineering background with automotive and rail specialisation ensures that you will have a range of career options in the automotive, railway and transport industries and beyond.

• In Stages 1 and 2, all students study core mechanical engineering topics, to provide a firm foundation in the subject. You will learn about mechanical, electrical and materials engineering sciences; engineering design and manufacturing; engineering mathematics; and management and professional skills
• In Stage 3, you take specialist modules including structural optimisation, energy sources and storage, and vehicle drives and dynamics
• In Stage 4, you take part in an industrially relevant team project designed to develop your skills as a professional engineer, including project management and application of design methodology to engineering problems

Professional accreditation

This degree is accredited by the Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE) and the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET). This provides industry-wide recognition of the quality of your qualification.

Quality and ranking

Newcastle is ranked in the top 10 UK universities for mechanical engineering in The Guardian University Guide 2014 and The Complete University Guide 2014.

Mechanical Engineering at Newcastle also ranks in the top 200 universities in the world in the QS World University Rankings by Subject.

Teaching and assessment

Most of our teaching staff divide their time between teaching and research. Their research helps shape the content of our degrees to make sure that you benefit straight away from their discoveries.

Our research expertise in railway and automotive design is recognised by industry throughout the UK. The research centres based within our School regularly provide consultancy services to industry as well as local and national government and the armed services:

• NewRail is a dedicated railway research centre with a vast range of expertise in diverse areas of the rail industry
• the Design Unit is the UK’s largest group specialising in gearing consultancy and research, covering gear design, performance testing, gear metrology and failure analysis

Engineering degrees are amongst the most demanding – both in terms of contact hours and content – but employers appreciate the range of skills and motivation that our graduates display.

Over the first two years you will have around 20 timetabled hours per week; typically half lectures, one quarter seminars and tutorials, and one quarter practical and hands-on classes. There are also industrial visits, interviews, business games, management, and a variety of projects. In Stages 3 and 4, your timetable will allow more time for your major project work. 

Assessment is by course work and examination. Teaching and assessment methods may vary from module to module; more information can be found in our individual module listings.

Flexible degree structure

All of our Mechanical Engineering students study the same broad programme for the first two years covering:

• mechanical, electrical and materials engineering sciences (50%)
• engineering design and manufacturing (20%)
• engineering mathematics (18%) management and professional skills, such as computing and enterprise (12%)

At the end of this shared period, you have the option to transfer between our degrees should you find your interests have changed, though transfer from a BEng degree to a MEng degree is subject to you achieving the appropriate academic standard.

In Stage 3 and Stage 4 (MEng only) you balance general engineering topics with specific advanced topics relevant to your particular degree as well as undertaking a number of design projects.

Industry links

We have particularly strong links with local and national companies, resulting in guest lecturers from industry and interview training.

A high percentage of our teaching staff have worked in industry and/or still have contacts within the mechanical engineering industry and can bring your teaching to life with examples of real-world engineering problems, which you will have the chance to work on.

Our contacts with industry often also lead to opportunities for vacation work placements or an industrial placement year.

During Stage 3, you work in small teams on projects in local industry, working with some of the North East’s leading engineering companies.

You will also undertake a project in your final year and a significant number of these projects are based on our industrial links.

Facilities

Our base in the Stephenson Building houses a wide range of state-of-the-art, specialist facilities to support your studies including:

• PC cluster with 124 3D workstations with large monitors: the workstations are specifically built for tasks such as computer-aided design, and finite element analysis and computational fluid dynamics
• 3D motion capture
• artificial joint testing
• nanomeasurement
• engine testing
• robotics
• micro-electromechanical systems
• railway systems
• composite materials fire test
• gear manufacture and testing
• X-ray diffraction

School of Mechanical and Systems Engineering

Study at Newcastle and you will join a vibrant community in the School of Mechanical and Systems Engineering.

Each year, a team of our students enters the Institution of Mechanical Engineers’ Formula Student competition. This annual event challenges university teams across the globe to develop a high performance single-seat racing car, which is then put to the test at the famous Silverstone Circuit.

Places in our Formula Student team, Newcastle Racing, are available each year on a competitive basis.

Find out more about the benefits of studying Mechanical Engineering at Newcastle on the School of Mechanical and Systems Engineering's website.