Advanced Mechanical Engineering MSc - 2024/5

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The School of Mechanical Engineering Sciences is committed to developing graduates with strengths in Employability, Digital Capabilities, Global and Cultural Capabilities, Sustainability and Resourcefulness and Resilience. This module is designed to allow students to develop knowledge, skills and capabilities in the following areas:

Employability: This programme provides students with knowledge and high-level analytical skills required to address complex engineering problems and design. The programme develops the student¿s understanding and skills, through practical application, of the interrelationships between design decisions and constructing a sound argument. Students will work individually (within the taught modules and in their individual project) and in small groups (in group design) sharing and critiquing ideas and concepts ¿ to refine and test their fundamental understandings becoming familiar with open discussion methods and supportive collaborative environments. The small group tutorials for the taught modules improve students confidence in speaking about technical subjects. The tutorial questions provided within the modules include authentic problem tasks, requiring students to apply the theory taught within the lectures to a typical applied engineering problem. The skills they develop in the application of this knowledge is then transferrable to any problem set, which is particularly attractive to employers, both within the engineering industry and also the wider industry, due to the problem solving ability and analytical mindset developed in engineering students. These taught modules also provide ample opportunities for students to demonstrate their mastery of advanced calculations which is attractive to numerate based employers. The programme also supports students to accrue the kinds of transferrable skills required by employers through supervised group learning and written assessments. These skills include communication skills, teamwork and time management all fundamental skills required upon transitioning to an Industry setting.

Digital capabilities: Students will use digital platforms to evaluate, gain understanding and interrogate engineering hypotheses and choices in order to come to sound and robust engineering solutions. Students will develop their digital capabilities by learning to use engineering software such as Computer aided design within their group design module and potentially in their individual project. Finite element analysis and matlab may also be used within their group design and Individual projects. Students will also use MS Teams for collaborative working along with students being encouraged to use digital mind and concept mapping tools to develop the ability to make connections among concepts/processes/topics.

Global and Cultural Capabilities: An effective engineering design solution requires students to demonstrate an appreciation of the societal impacts. By its very nature this will require students to demonstrate global culture awareness due to the global nature of any engineered product. Engineering ethical considerations are taken into account in students individual projects. Within the design module students work in groups, actively encouraging cultural exchange in the classroom amongst Surrey students and enabling them to develop arguments which nurtures students appreciation for the world around them, beyond their immediate context. Students have multiple networking opportunities, during Industry led seminars and careers fairs targeted at Engineering students. Within the taught modules, the references to case studies and text will incorporate readings and diverse voices from different countries and minority ethnic groups.

Sustainability: Effective engineering design and solutions should fully embrace the sustainability of the product across the whole of the life cycle. In doing so the students need to address and compare the environmental, social and manufacturing capitals involved, linking to the UN sustainability goals, in order to both define the sustainability of a product and its manufacturing process and also suggest ways in which the product and processes could be made more sustainable. Sustainability is delivered within the taught modules, in particular within Materials and Manufacturing Sustainability, Environmental Aerodynamics and Wind Power and Advanced Manufacturing techniques.

Resourcefulness and resilience: Students will develop resourcefulness in responding to problem-based task requirements through sharing ideas and experiences both individually and collectively, appreciating potential barriers and challenges faced by others, providing support and showing empathy towards each other in working towards achieving successful outcomes.