MSc, 1 year full time/2 years part time
Subject overview
Sussex is ranked among the top 20 universities in the UK for mechanical engineering in The Sunday Times University Guide 2012 and among the top 30 in the UK in The Complete University Guide 2014.
Sussex is ranked among the top 20 universities in the UK for electrical and electronic engineering in The Times Good University Guide 2013 and The Sunday Times University Guide 2012, and in the top 25 in the UK in The Complete University Guide 2014.
Rated 14th in the UK for ‘General Engineering and Mineral and Mining Engineering’ research in the 2008 Research Assessment Exercise (RAE). 95 per cent of our research was rated as internationally recognised or higher, and 60 per cent rated as internationally excellent or higher.
The Department of Engineering and Design has strong links with industry, which are used to benefit both Masters-level and PhD research projects and enhance the employment opportunities for our graduates.
Our internationally renowned research groups offer MPhil/PhD research degree opportunities for well-qualified applicants and graduates of our MSc degrees.
The Department has well-equipped research laboratories and teaching laboratories dedicated to Masters-level degrees.
Our research students benefit from direct supervision by research-active staff, along with training and professional development opportunities provided by the School of Engineering and Informatics and the University’s Doctoral School.
We have a vibrant international community within the Department, with students and faculty from all over the world.
Programme outline
Mechanical engineering plays an essential role at every level in society. Application areas include aircraft, automobiles, high-speed trains, robots, water turbines, fuel cells, diesel and petrol reciprocating engines, jet engines, suspension systems, power generation equipment, and a host of gadgets and mechanisms. Mechanical engineering requires the use of design and generative and evaluative skills, as well as analysis.
This MSc aims to expand your skills set across a wide range of related disciplines. The combination of taught modules and project work provides an excellent platform to further your career in mechanical engineering.
We continue to develop and update our modules for 2013 entry to ensure you have the best student experience. In addition to the course structure below, you may find it helpful to refer to the 2012 modules tab.
The aims of our taught degrees are to develop academic and professional excellence both for newly qualified and practising engineers who wish to extend their professional expertise in specialist areas. Each degree comprises eight taught modules, typically four core modules and four options, plus an MSc project accounting for one third of the degree. The options allow you to choose a pathway that suits your personal interests. Taught modules are delivered in the autumn and spring terms, with examination periods in January and May. The MSc project is a substantial practical exercise undertaken over the spring term and the summer up to the end of August.
You study two core modules in advanced manufacturing technologies and mechanical dynamics, and choose a further six modules from a wide range of options in mechanical and automotive engineering.
In addition, you undertake a substantial MSc group project. This is conducted in groups of three or four students and gives you the opportunity to develop professional teamworking skills, as well as advanced research and project management skills. Projects are assigned in the spring term and begin with preliminary research and project planning. Following the summer examinations, you are expected to work on the project full time until the end of August, leading to submission of the group dissertation and project presentation.
Assessment
Modules are assessed by a range of methods, including laboratory reports, essays and unseen examinations. The MSc project is assessed by an interim report, a presentation and a substantial dissertation. The project is designed for you to excel in your personal and professional development and to consolidate the material covered in your modules. It will expose you to issues of project management, resourcing, planning, scheduling, documentation and communication, and will demand individual responsibility, critical awareness and creative thinking.
Some projects are undertaken in groups and replicate the type of professional teamwork expected in industry. Topics are generated from the academic research and industrial collaborations in the Department, and the project will be supervised by a member of faculty.
Current modules
Please note that these are the core modules and options (subject to availability) for students starting in the academic year 2012.
Core modules
Options
Advanced Manufacturing Technologies
15 credits
Autumn teaching, year 1
The module focuses on advanced manufacturing technology, and the module content will change to reflect current technological developments.
You will focus on the following topics: concurrent engineering and the software environment that supports this (CAD/CAM/CAE); Computer Integrated Manufacturing (CIM) and industrial informatics; rapid prototyping and time compression; stereolithography and selective layer sintering; laminated object manufacture, 3D printing, laser manufacturing technology, and laser micro-machining technology; micro stereolithography; CMOS fabrication process; Micro Electro­Mechanical Systems manufacture (MEMS); SUMMiT IV and SUMMiT V process; integrated MEMS; MOEMS; self assembly; and turbomachinery manufacturing technology.
Advanced Thermofluids
15 credits
Autumn teaching, year 1
This module will cover: flow governing equations; turbulence (Reynolds-Averaged Navier-Stokes equations, mixing length and k-e model); integral methods for boundary lay-ers; Combustion (including radiation in gases); unsteady flow; measurement techniques; lubrication (Reynolds equation; Regimes of lubrication); com-pressible flows.
Advanced Turbomachinery
15 credits
Spring teaching, year 1
Mean line design and analysis of turbomachinery blades including axial and radial compressor, axial and radial turbines, and hydraulic turbines. Three dimensional design tools to turbomachinery blades. Analysis and design of horizontal and vertical axis wind turbines. Application of the knowledge acquired in a turbomachinery design project.
Automotive Systems
15 credits
Autumn teaching, year 1
1. An overview of the automotive systems, operating principles, performance analysis and design process.
2. Introductions to IC engines, HEV technology, FCV technology and transmission.
3. Introduction to vehicle dynamics, adhesion, cornering behaviour, roll and roll movement distribution, stability control.
4. Introduction to chassis, suspension, steering, brake and tyre performance. Introduction to thermal management, body aerodynamics, NVH, electronics and control system including telematics, crashworthiness and crash testing.
5. Selection of appropriate subsystems, components to meet performance objectives.
6. Use of various new technologies to improve engine behaviour, downsizing, power output and emissions.
Computational Fluid Dynamics
15 credits
Spring teaching, year 1
Topics covered include: introduction to CFD modelling and mesh generation software; basic equations of fluid flow and commonly used approximations; turbulence modelling (one and two equation models, and higher order models); iterative solution methods and convergence criteria; practical analysis of turbulent pipe flow, mixing elbow and turbo-machinery blade problems.
Finite Element Analysis
15 credits
Spring teaching, year 1
Topics include: introduction to finite-element modelling methods and software; preparation of the graphical interface; setting up a model; mesh generation; stress analysis; nodal analysis and dynamic modelling; interfacing with other packages and the use of exchangeable formats; checking a solution; debugging; and validation of the modelling process.
Gas Turbine Cycles and Turbocharging
15 credits
Autumn teaching, year 1
Thermodynamic cycles for gas turbine engines for shaft power and jet propulsion. Analysis of cycle efficiency under design and off-design conditions. Thermodynamic principles of internal combustion engine turbochargers and superchargers. Matching turbochargers to Internal combustion engines.
Heat Transfer Applications
15 credits
Spring teaching, year 1
Topics covered include: heat exchanger theory, design, analysis and applications; applications of convective heat transfer to changes of phase (boiling and condensation); boundary layer theory, integral equations and scale analysis; applications of heat transfer instrumentation, temperature and heat flux, and associated errors.
MSc Group Project
60 credits
All year teaching, year 1
The MSc Group Project involves at least three and up to around six students working in a team to undertake an engineering project in the area of their degree course. Formation of the team, and the actual start of the project takes place at the start of teaching block 2. The Group Project experience is designed to develop a range of skills, including a good understanding of system design and implementation, and experience of team-working. The challenge is to meet stated specifications, targets, milestones, and delivery deadlines, all within a set budget. This is achieved through good project management by applying proven scientific, technological, and engineering principles to a real-world engineering problem. The project will exercise original thought and judgement, making best use of published literature and recent technological developments. It will be necessary for the team to variously specify, design, construct, manufacture, test, and commission a system, product, or process. Each member has a distinct role with responsibilities to others. An agreed Team Leader and Secretary are appointed (from the Group) early in the project, to take responsibility for day-to-day project co-ordination. The project is steered by an academic supervisor. At project steering meetings, formal minutes are taken and recorded (by the Group Secretary). The assessment for each student is based on both a group and an individual contribution. The team submits a group feasibility study, gives a formal group presentation and
Mechanical Dynamics
15 credits
Autumn teaching, year 1
Topics include: state space modelling of dynamic systems; self excited vibration and instability; various non-linear phenomena; applications of the Finite-Element Method in dynamics; the Rayleigh-Ritz method; linear model reduction techniques; MDOF models of linear damping; the effect of damping on natural frequencies and mode shapes; forced vibration of general linear MDOF systems: time and frequency domain analysis, solution via DFT; review of probability theory and the normal distribution; introduction to stochastic processes, correlation functions, and power spectral densities; random vibration analysis of linear dynamic systems; international standards on machine vibration levels.
Strategic Management - Engineering Course
15 credits
Spring teaching, year 1
This module explores various aspects of the strategic planning process, including environmental scanning, strategy formulation and implementation, and strategy evaluation and control. Through case study analysis, you will explore how leading firms use strategy to gain competitive advantage, and how they relate strategy with technological and engineering projects and operations.
Testing & Modelling for Automotive Power Systems
15 credits
Autumn teaching, year 1
The module concerns engine testing technology and test design, including energy flow calculations, the use of sensors including temperature, pressure, force, torque, velocity, displacement, mass flow, vibration, emissions and diagnostic techniques, calibration and metering technology, key instrumentations, ECU functions, interpretation of test data, engine control systems for fuel economy and emission level.
Modelling and simulation methods for power-trains of conventional IC engines, electric vehicles and hybrid power systems. Energy demand and efficiency in EU and US test cycles. Optimisation of gears.
Entry requirements
UK entrance requirements
A first- or second-class undergraduate honours degree in engineering, mathematics, physics or an applied science.
Overseas entrance requirements
Please refer to column B on the Overseas qualifications.
If you have any questions about your qualifications after consulting our overseas
qualifications table, contact the University.
E pg.enquiries@sussex.ac.uk
Visas and immigration
Find out more about Visas and immigration.
English language requirements
IELTS 6.5, with not less than 6.5 in Writing and 6.0 in the other sections. Internet TOEFL with 88 overall, with at least 20 in Listening, 20 in Reading, 22 in Speaking and 24 in Writing.
For more information, refer to English language requirements.
Additional admissions information
We must receive your application by 1 August if you are a non-EEA student because this degree requires clearance by the UK Government Academic Technology Approval Scheme (ATAS).
For more information about the admissions process at Sussex
For pre-application enquiries:
Student Recruitment Services
T +44 (0)1273 876787
E pg.enquiries@sussex.ac.uk
For post-application enquiries:
Postgraduate Admissions,
University of Sussex,
Sussex House, Falmer,
Brighton BN1 9RH, UK
T +44 (0)1273 877773
F +44 (0)1273 678545
E pg.applicants@sussex.ac.uk
Related programmes
Fees and funding
Fees
Home UK/EU students: £5,5001
Channel Island and Isle of Man students: £5,5002
Overseas students: £16,2003
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The fee shown is for the academic year 2013.
2
The fee shown is for the academic year 2013.
3
The fee shown is for the academic year 2013.
To find out about your fee status, living expenses and other costs, visit further financial information.
Funding
The funding sources listed below are for the subject area you are viewing and may not apply to all degrees listed within it. Please check the description of the individual funding source to make sure it is relevant to your chosen degree.
To find out more about funding and part-time work, visit further financial information.
Leverhulme Trade Charities Trust for Postgraduate Study (2013)
Region: UK
Level: PG (taught), PG (research)
Application deadline: 1 October 2013
The Leverhulme Trade Charities Trust are offering bursaries to Postgraduate students following any postgraduate degree courses in any subject.
Sussex Graduate Scholarship (2013)
Region: UK, Europe (Non UK), International (Non UK/EU)
Level: PG (taught)
Application deadline: 16 August 2013
Open to final year Sussex students who graduate with a 1st or 2:1 degree and who are offered a F/T place on an eligible Masters course in 2013.
Faculty interests
Research groups
Research is a core activity of the Department of Engineering and Design and is organised into four main groups. Our research often entails collaborations between the groups, as well as with other schools of studies at Sussex and external academic, institutional and commercial partners. For more detailed information, refer to the groups listed below and visit Department of Engineering: Research.
- Dynamics, Control and Vehicle Research Group
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This group is known internationally for its high-quality automotive research and fundamental work in dynamics and control. The group has a broad range of interests such as the convergence of control, non-linear dynamics, signal processing activities applied mainly to automotive engineering, and tribological research. It has attracted research grants from, and formed collaborations with, a variety of local, national and international public and industrial sources including EPSRC, Royal Society, Jaguar Landrover and SKF.
The primary focus is directed towards CO2 reduction in transport through energy conversion efficiency improvements in engines, and through ‘lightweighting’ and drag-reduction technologies. For dynamics and automotive engineering this means reducing vehicle CO2 emissions by improving powertrain and vehicle efficiencies particularly of internal combustion (IC) engines in conventional and hybrid electric vehicles, and by better understanding vehicle noise emissions to allow weight reduction.
This links directly to tribological research, which is at the forefront of the efforts to address the demands of the advances in material science, manufacturing, technology and the needs for better products, improved human life, and contributing to energy savings and a cleaner environment. The group researches areas including lubrication, dynamics of lubricated contacts, mechanical transmissions, contact mechanics and numerical modelling of lubricated contacts.
Facilities include two engine-test cells, an engine-test laboratory, a full range of emissions measurement equipment, calibration equipment for engine control, and laser-based vibration measurement hardware. Specifically for tribological research, facilities include a PCS instruments optical interferometry test rig of EHD film measurement, an optical interferometry rig with a high-speed imaging system for dynamic testing of liquid films, impedance/gain-phase analyser, and a range of viscometers.
Faculty research interests include:
Dr Julian Dunne Engineering dynamics. Nonlinear system modelling and analysis; optimal control; vehicle, engine and rotor dynamics; noise, vibration and harshness applications in automotive and aerospace engineering.
Dr Romeo Glovnea Tribology, fundamentals of lubrication, experimental techniques in thin-film lubrication, mechanical transmissions (CVTs).
Dr Yevgen Petrov Modelling, numerical methods, analysis and optimisation of forced and self-excited vibration of jointed structures with friction, gaps and other non-linear interactions at contact interfaces.
Dr William Wang Machine condition monitoring, digital signal processing techniques, vibrational analysis and structural dynamics, wavelets and neural networks, measurement fault diagnosis.
- Industrial Informatics and Signal Processing Research Group
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Research in this group is focused on digital image processing; computer vision; optical computing, holography and communication; optical metrology; network and control theory; devices and computational techniques for medical and biological imaging and image processing, with a particular focus on cancer diagnosis and treatment.
These activities find application in a wide range of strategically important areas including product security, biometrics, automated face recognition, event detection and traffic monitoring. As an example, mobile-phone hardware and software has been developed to allow the phone to scan and recognise human irises using novel algorithms that have been patented and commercialised.
The Group is also engaged in interdisciplinary collaborations with the School of Life Sciences, the Brighton and Sussex Medical School (BSMS), clinical practitioners and companies in the medical device and medical imaging sectors. The research provides imaging biomarkers in cancerous tissue by wavelet filtering in an apparently normal contrast-enhanced CT image of the liver. We are currently extending the technique to 3D-texture analysis of the whole liver and lung. This research is the subject of a patent and commercialisation of the software.
Faculty research interests include:
Professor Chris Chatwin Advanced manufacturing: manufacturing and enterprise simulation and modelling, integrated total quality management. Fibre-optic communications.
Security and surveillance systems: machine vision and image-processing, neural networks, mobile image acquisition, biometrics, image processing for medical diagnosis.
Dr Phil Birch Fibre-optic communications: photo-refractive holography, holographic optical memory, four-wave mixing, spatial light modulators, dynamic light-shaping elements, optical pattern recognition, optical filtering, electro-optic systems design.
Machine vision and image processing: Wiener filtering, foveating systems, mobile image acquisition, autonomous mobile robots, biometrics, image processing for medical diagnosis.
Dr David Li Finite-element analysis of waveguide devices; numerical modelling of optical communication devices; imaging and sensing systems; mixed-signal circuits, imaging processors, and firmware design.
Dr Tai Yang Networks and control systems for power generation control applications and in-vehicle control systems, control of hybrid and electrical vehicles, wind power generation and energy storage.
Dr Rupert Young Advanced manufacturing, fibre-optic communications, photo-refractive holography, holographic optical memory, four-wave mixing, spatial light modulators, dynamic light-shaping elements, optical pattern recognition, optical filtering, and electro-optic systems design.
Machine vision and image-processing: neural networks, Wiener filtering, foveating systems, mobile image acquisition, biometrics, image processing for medical diagnosis.
- Sensor Technology Research Centre (STRC)
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The STRC is a world-leading centre focusing on electric and magnetic sensor technologies and their applications. The focus is on the acquisition of weak electrical signals in challenging environments. The research attracts funding from EPSRC, TSB, the EU and a number of industrial collaborators.
The Centre has pioneered a new class of device with generic measurement capability, the Electric Potential Sensor (EPS). This has attracted considerable attention, winning a number of prestigious awards and gaining wide publicity in the technical press. The first generation of the EPS has been licensed to industrial partners and is now being marketed as an integrated circuit device.
Research activity includes the fundamentals of sensor operation, modelling of measurement scenarios and application specific projects. These applications are very broad and include electrophysiological monitoring, such as cardiac imaging and wireless linked electroencephalogram arrays, muscle and eye signal detection for human-machine interfacing and assistive technologies, security, forensics, geophysical measurements in collaboration with the British Geological Survey, materials characterisation for the semiconductor industry, and electric field detection of nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) signals.
The research also covers the area of mobile and wireless communications focused on improving capacity, power and spectrum efficiency, reliability, quality of service, and low complexity implementations. Work involves theoretical studies, simulations, and implementations using advanced software tools and digital hardware. The research impacts a number of important areas in the communications industry and practical systems in different sectors such as health, transport, energy, security and environment.
The Centre is well resourced with electro-magnetically shielded rooms, clean rooms, electron beam lithography fabrication, electronic systems spanning dc-to-microwave, and surface mount fabrication facilities.
Faculty research interests include:
Dr Falah Ali Mobile communications: digital communication techniques, multiple access, multiple antenna/MIMO, channel coding, co-operative communications, distributed video coding.
Wireless networks: adhoc networks, wireless sensor networks, vehicular communications, real-time and high-reliability communications.
Embedded digital systems: advanced communication algorithms on embedded digital hardware, DSP and FPGA. Development of testbed demonstrators with integrated networks.
Dr Ahmet Aydin Non-invasive sensors, electric field sensors for geophysical measurements, electric field detection of NMR signals.
Dr Helen Prance Electric field sensors for assisted living, human-machine interfaces, remote detection of life signs and nuclear resonance detection.
Professor Robert Prance Sensors for electric and magnetic field imaging, charge fingerprint imaging, non-destructive testing of materials, and low-noise instrumentation.
- Thermo-Fluid Mechanics Research Centre (TFMRC)
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The TFMRC is a dedicated research laboratory specialising in flow and heat transfer, and has substantial experimental and computational facilities. It has a proven track record in research, particularly in relation to gas turbine engines, and has attracted significant funding over previous years from industry, the European Commission and the EPSRC to conduct cutting-edge research on a wide range of engineering problems. It is now engaged in a major collaboration with GE Aviation.
The Centre has a significant experimental research infrastructure including a number of high-pressure air supplies such as the Rolls-Royce DART engine-driven compressor. It also hosts the DANTEC Centre of Excellence in Non-Invasive Instrumentation and has an array of state-of-the-art flow instrumentation including laser anemometry, particle imaging velocimetry (PIV), phase Doppler anemometry (PDA) and hot wire anemometry.
The Centre has expertise in temperature measurements including thermal imaging and liquid crystal measurements, as well as an in-house computational fluid dynamics code, SURF, which is an unstructured general-purpose compressible flow and aeroelasticity solver. Current experimental projects funded by GE Aviation are focused on internal air systems of gas turbine engines.
Faculty research interests include:
Dr Vasudevan Kanjirakkad Experimental aerodynamics/heat transfer, turbomachinery aerodynamics, rotating disc and swirling flows, turbulence and boundary layer transition, flowinstrumentation, sustainable energy.
Dr Christopher Long Experimental heat transfer and fluid-flow measurements, turbulence, application of optically based measurements, and sustainable and renewable energy.
Dr Hao Xia Computational fluid dynamics, computational aeroacoustics, large-eddy simulation, turbomachinery heat transfer, level set method.
Dr Zhiyin Yang Large-eddy simulation, flow stability and transition, turbulent combustion, two phase flow, gas turbine combustion system, heat transfer, and turbine machinery flow.
Careers and profiles
The continued demand for highly qualified engineers worldwide ensures that our graduates are able to choose professional careers in industry and academia.
Graduates of our degrees in mechanical and automotive engineering have the choice of careers in the transportation, manufacturing, energy-supply and sustainable-energy industries. Destinations of recent graduates include mechanical applications engineer with Siemens Industrial Turbomachinery, Rydon (construction), Ricardo and Jaguar Land Rover.
For more information, visit Careers and alumni.
School and contacts
Department of Engineering and Design
The Department of Engineering and Design has expertise in electronic and mechanical engineering, with significant emphasis on design. It offers high-quality teaching and world-leading research in an exciting and supportive learning environment.
Engineering and Design,
University of Sussex, Falmer,
Brighton BN1 9QT, UK
T +44 (0)1273 678048
F +44 (0)1273 678399
E msc@engineering.sussex.ac.uk
Department of Engineering and Design
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