Mechanical Engineering - Higher National Diploma drafted

Program Overview

It combines theoretical knowledge with practical sessions and focuses on developing technical, communication, and management skills essential for professional engineers. Graduates will have specialized technical skills and knowledge, qualifying them for a range of engineering roles in various industries.

Program Outline

Degree Overview:

Taught at NTU in Mansfield, this course provides access to alternative routes in higher education. It is designed with the local job market in mind and is relevant, hands-on, and work-focused. This course is ideal for those already working in engineering and seeking career advancement, as well as those aspiring to enter the engineering sector. It offers a broad knowledge base through a range of engineering subjects, developing technical, communication, and management skills essential for today's technical engineers. As the level of automation in the Mansfield and Ashfield region grows, this course aligns with local industry demands to future-proof the workforce.

Outline:

The full-time course is completed over one year, while the part-time course spans 18 months (one day per week). The curriculum combines underpinning engineering theory with practical sessions in engineering facilities. Students apply their skills to real-world situations and problems, fostering a professional engineering mindset.

Modules:

• Professional Engineering Management: Develops employability skills needed for professional engineers, covering professional standards, services delivery planning, sustainability, Total Quality Management (TQM), engineering management tools, and managing people.
• Advanced Mechanical Principles: Enhances understanding of mechanical theories associated with engineering applications, including Poisson's Ratio, elastic constants, bending moment, slope and deflection in beams, Macaulay's method, stresses in thin-walled pressure vessels, thick-walled cylinders, and flat and v-section belt drive theory.
Students learn to perform computational fluid dynamics (CDF) simulations and identify faults in simulation techniques.
• Further Thermodynamics: Builds upon previous modules, exploring the role of thermodynamics in everyday life, from refrigerators to power stations.
Students explore manufacturing products that meet customer requirements, covering production engineering, plant and maintenance engineering, product design, logistics, production planning and control, forecast quality assurance, and accounting and purchasing.
• Lean Manufacturing: Introduces the principles and processes of lean manufacturing, exploring tools and techniques applied by organizations practicing lean.
Topics include scoping and defining lean manufacturing, benefits and challenges of adopting Lean, The Toyota Production System (TPS), and process improvement.
• Thermofluids: Utilizes a problem-solving approach to examine thermodynamic principles, steam and gas turbine systems, and viscosity in fluids.
Students solve realistic industry problems such as steam plant efficiency and fluid flow capacities.

Assessment:

The course is predominantly coursework-based, with some practical assessments and class tests. Students also engage in self-directed independent study, including preparing for seminars, researching, completing coursework, and directed reading to expand their knowledge.

Teaching:

The course is delivered full-time and part-time, allowing students to fit learning around their work and other commitments. Seminars and lab sessions provide opportunities to apply theory to real-world situations, fostering active learning and collaboration with tutors and classmates. Smaller class sizes enable individualized support to ensure students reach their learning potential.

Careers:

This course focuses on specialist technical skills and knowledge, providing a clear set of skills and goals for entering employment. Graduates can pursue a range of engineering roles, including CAD / CAM Designer, Engineering Technician (Design of Rail Rolling Stock), Technical Engineer (Metal Packaging Production), and Design Engineer (Aerospace Connectors). As a vocational course, part-time students typically already work in industry. The course is suitable for applicants planning to progress to the first level of supervisory responsibility in their career. Facilities and services include:

• University Centre
• Teaching and Learning Centre
• CAD suite
• Robotics, hydraulics and pneumatics test equipment
• Electronics equipment
• Library
• Dedicated study zones, including PC suites
• On-site café
• Social spaces
• Sports facilities
• Student Support Services
• Nottingham Trent Students Union (NTSU) drop-in events.

Full-time £7,550 Part-time (18 months) £5,035 (Year one) £2,515 (Year two)