Program Overview

Design and Systems Engineering MSc

Course Overview

This course integrates core principles of design, systems engineering, business, and leadership to equip you with the skills needed to address today's complex engineering challenges.

Why You Should Study This Course

• Combine product design and systems engineering to develop a multidisciplinary approach for increasingly complex and interconnected products.
• Blend creative design principles with systems thinking to solve engineering problems.
• Use our floor-to-ceiling high-definition screen with 3D immersive technology to interrogate your mechanical designs and advance your collaborative projects.
• A focus on practical, industry-relevant content, combined with advanced academic theory, ensures that you are technically proficient and ready to work in diverse engineering sectors.
• Be at the forefront of the latest industry trends and innovations with our research-informed teaching.

What You'll Study

Systems Engineering

• Complex challenges require systems thinking, so we’ll teach you to analyse, design and manage large-scale engineering systems.

Generative Design

• Delve into the theory and application of generative design, enabling you to reimagine the design process.

Innovation

• You’ll be encouraged to think creatively, experiment and take calculated risks.

Sustainability

• Engineering today must be synonymous with sustainability and this course prepares you to be a champion of sustainability in your career.

Manufacturing Systems

• Expect to develop the skills and knowledge to optimise manufacturing processes and stay at the forefront of industry trends.

Modules

• Design for Manufacturing - 30 credits
  • Explore the design cycle with emphasis on the interplay between materials, design and manufacturing.
  • Further develop your skills in selecting suitable materials and manufacturing methods based on design requirements.
• Systems Engineering - 30 credits
  • Collaborate in groups on complex projects related to industry or engineering research.
  • Tasks will include creating design specifications, evaluating requirements, staying updated on technologies, presenting business cases, planning project introductions, maintaining logbooks, conducting meetings, and producing detailed designs.
• Design for Sustainability - 30 credits
  • Investigate sustainable design opportunities across diverse and complex socio-environmental-technical contexts.
  • Apply complex and whole systems perspectives to understand present and future unsustainability issues, developing your competency in reflexively designing viable sustainable solutions across multiple scales and dimensions.
• Generative Design - 30 credits
  • Explore systems engineering methods to break down complex systems into subsystems and components, covering requirements, design, testing, and validation.
  • Learn how to manage engineering projects and collaborate in interdisciplinary teams.
• Master’s with Professional Placement
  • If you successfully secure a placement in industry within your first semester, this master’s with professional placement option allows you to extend your 12-month master’s course up to an additional year to complete the placement before starting your final 60-credit module.
• Individual Project - 60 credits
  • This is your opportunity to put into practice the prior and new learning you acquired from your taught modules to solve a significant engineering problem in a professional manner.

How You'll Learn

Teaching and learning methods may include:

• Lectures
• Seminars
• Tutorials
• Presentations
• Group projects
• Workshops
• Practical laboratory sessions

Teaching Contact Hours

As a full-time postgraduate student, you will study modules totalling 180 credits each academic year. A typical 30-credit module requires a total of 300 hours of study. Study hours are made up of teaching contact hours, and guided and independent study.

Assessment

This course will be assessed using a variety of methods which could vary depending on the module. Assessment methods may include:

• Reports
• Tests
• Essays
• Exams
• Practical coursework
• Assignments
• Viva
• Presentations

Entry Requirements

• UK: An honours degree 2:2 or above in mechanical, automotive, design or related engineering discipline, or international equivalent.
• International: An honours degree 2:2 or above in mechanical, automotive, design or related engineering discipline, or international equivalent.

English Language Requirements

• IELTS: 6.5 overall, with no component lower than 5.5.

Fees and Funding

• UK, Ireland, Channel Islands or Isle of Man: £11,200 per year
• EU: £11,200 per year with EU Support Bursary, £18,600 per year without EU Support Bursary
• International: £18,600 per year

Facilities

• Powerwall: a high-resolution visualisation tool that offers an immersive experience.
• 3D printing of metal and polymers: access 3D printing facilities capable of producing both metal and polymer components.
• Faro Arm 3D scanning: precision is key in modern engineering, and with the Faro Arm 3D scanning system, you can digitise real-world objects with high accuracy.
• Foam CNC machining: for projects requiring lightweight prototypes, the Foam CNC machine is ideal for creating large-scale models with exceptional precision.
• Multipliers forming: allows you to explore high-precision component shaping, particularly in the context of manufacturing complex geometries that are difficult to achieve through traditional methods.
• Laser measurement systems: these systems allow for incredibly precise distance and dimensional measurements, essential for projects that demand high accuracy and rigorous quality control.
• Material testing lab: this lab is equipped with advanced testing equipment such as tensile testers, hardness testers and fatigue analysis systems.

Careers and Opportunities

On successful completion of this course, you should be well-equipped to pursue career opportunities in varied engineering industries from blue chip companies to SMEs. Industries such as aerospace, automotive, energy, healthcare and electronics are known to seek out graduates with advanced technical knowledge in design and systems engineering.

Successful graduates could seek positions as:

• Design Engineer
• System Engineer
• Quality Systems Engineer
• R&D Engineer
• Product Design Engineer
• Integration Engineer
• Safety System Engineer
• Product Design Engineer.