Course summary

There is strong industrial demand for skilled engineers able to span the mechanical and electrical engineering disciplines. This degree will give you the fundamental knowledge and tools to satisfy this demand in a unique way. You will study units from the mechanical and electrical disciplines along the following themes: design and integration of electro-mechanical systems; energy conversion and actuation systems; embedded systems and control; power electronics and electric drives; and energy management. Years one and two offer a grounding in mathematics, thermal management, dynamics and control, computing, electrical energy technologies, and analogue and digital electronics. Laboratory work and case studies will draw together these interdisciplinary foundations. In the third year, as well as the classroom-based subjects, you will engage in a significant individual research project that requires you to bring the various elements of subjects that you have learned in the programme together. In the fourth year, you will choose from a range of options, and engage in a significant group design project. Your choice of units in year four and preference for your individual and group projects means you can focus on anything from actuation and sensor systems for robotics and intelligent adaptable power systems to efficient, clean propulsion technologies. Mechanical and electrical engineering graduates will be able to innovate technologies in a range of areas. These might include:

• the power flow of renewable energy microgrids, from the wind, to the electric generator and the power network, to the user in the home;

• robotics used in healthcare and manufacturing, by exploring the integration of mechanical and electrical elements to deliver new capabilities;

• the complete power train of future electric vehicles, from the energy storage system, through to the electric motors, to the mechanical drivetrain and traction system;

• battery-free technology that harvests background energy, allowing sensors to operate in previously inaccessible and far-reaching locations.