Course details

Summary

Mechanical engineers design and develop everything that you think of as a machine - from airplanes to wind turbines to dishwashers, as well as everything from macroscopic (large) down to nanoscopic (very small). Mechanical engineers are systematic thinkers with a sense of social responsibility that leads them to constantly seek better ways of doing things.

Many mechanical engineers specialise in areas such as materials, dynamics and controls, product design, manufacturing, energy and thermodynamics, and mechanics. Others cross over into other disciplines, working on everything from artificial organs in bioengineering to enhancing the field of nanotechnology.

The mechanical engineer may design a component, a machine, a system or a process, and analyse their design using the principles of work, power, and energy to ensure the product functions safely, efficiently, reliably, and can be manufactured economically. Central to a mechanical engineer's role is the design and the use of information technology.

UC's Mechanical Engineering department is top in New Zealand for research (the latest Tertiary Education Commission 2012 PBRF Assessment). See the Engineering subject page for a host of other reasons why UC's College of Engineering is a world-class destination for engineering studies.

The Masters of Engineering Studies (MEngSt) in Fire Engineering qualification requires eight courses of which two will normally be a project and six a combination of 400 and 600 level fire engineering taught courses. The full-time programme can be completed in one year and the part-time programme takes three to four years.

The Master of Engineering Studies caters for professional engineers seeking advanced technical training and is a taught master's degree with no thesis requirement. The MEngSt comprises a combination of 400 and 600-level courses that enables candidates to study a broad range of topics in their general area of expertise.

The MEngSt is made up of 120 points:

• at least 75 points to be selected from courses from Schedule B of the Master of Engineering
• the remaining courses to be selected from Schedule C of the Master of Engineering.

Further study

UC offers the Doctor of Philosophy qualification in Construction Management.

Career opportunities

Mechanical Engineering graduates are well equipped to meet the challenges of a rapidly changing world by applying their creativity, scientific principles and engineering skills to find solutions to technical problems. Mechanical engineers may work in areas such as:

• product design - design and analysis of tools, toys, sporting equipment, domestic appliances, computer-aided design, finite element analysis, environmental lifecycle of products
• power generation - wind and water turbines, internal combustion engines, fuels, alternative energy sources
• transport vehicles - cars, ships, aircraft, trains, unmanned vehicles
• medical technology - medical devices for operating theatres, implants, insulin control
• building services - heating, ventilation, air conditioning, energy use analysis, water treatment plants
• manufacturing - design, robots, assembly plants, industrial engineering, production management, minimisation of waste, vibration and noise
• controls - automatic control of industrial plants, instrumentation, hydraulics, pneumatics
• materials - metallurgy, composites, polymers, structural failure, recycling.

The degree programme at UC has a strong focus on engineering design and professional relevance. The programme is internationally accredited, and our graduates have gone on to excel in leading technical innovation in many sub-fields.

Entry criteria

Candidates must normally have completed one of the following:

• Bachelor of Engineering with Honours with first or second class honours
• Postgraduate Certificate in Engineering with a GPA of 5 or more
• Bachelor of Science with Honours in appropriate subjects.

Relevance and standard of previous study is the main criteria for approval.

Students wishing to enrol in postgraduate study must have completed both the academic and non-academic requirements of the prerequisite degree. This includes practical work days, work reports, a workshop training course and a first aid certificate.

Other English language requirements: TOEFL PBT with a minimum score of 575 and TWE with a minimum score of 4.5; CCEL EAP Level 2 with a minimum B+ grade; CAE or CPE score of 176 with a minimum of 169 in reading, writing, listening and speaking; Pearson Test of English (Academic) - PTE with an overall score of 64 and no PTE communicative skills score below 58.