Mechanical Engineering

Mechanical engineering is essential to addressing modern challenges that require advanced technical solutions and new, innovative ways of thinking. This MEng Mechanical Engineering degree is the extended version of the BEng Mechanical Engineering degree with one extra year of study.

Heriot-Watt University is proud to be ranked as one of the top universities for Mechanical Engineering in the UK, including: • Guardian University Guide 2020: 1st in Scotland and top 10 in the UK • Complete University Guide 2021: Top 10 in the UK • Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2021: Top 10 in the UK • Guardian University League Tables 2021: Top 10 in the UK

Programme structure In Year 1, students work alongside peers from other science and engineering disciplines and have access to mechanical labs, electrical engineering labs, chemical labs, and physics labs. This provides fundamental lab skills as well as multidisciplinary teamworking skills which will be crucial as the degree progresses and becomes increasingly specialised.

You’ll progress into practical workshop sessions in the lab in your second and third year. Here, you’ll learn about fluids, design and manufacturing, dynamics, and thermodynamics – all core principles of mechanical engineering.

Fourth and fifth year in your MEng Mechanical Engineering course will include staff-supported individual and group projects, which will help you step into a career as a mechanical engineer. You’ll follow your own path through a wide range of optional courses designed to develop knowledge and skills in specialist engineering subjects.

This five-year MEng Mechanical Engineering degree is the standard route towards a Chartered Engineering professional qualification, so you can progress towards that with this degree.

Industry links Our industrial connections are particularly strong. We work closely with an Industrial Advisory Board – a panel of engineers and business leaders – to ensure that our course content reflects the needs of industry and employers to provide graduates with the right blend of knowledge, practical skills, and soft skills. Through this board, we ensure our curriculum is up to date and relevant to emerging needs and technological requirements. A recent example is the inclusion of the optional biomedical engineering course offered in Years 4 and 5.

Student groups At Heriot-Watt University you will join a thriving student community in the engineering disciplines. Many Mechanical Engineering students join groups such as The Mechanical Engineering Society, HW Racing (Formula Student), and TEAM AERO-WATT.

Careers With our MEng Mechanical Engineering degree, you have so many exciting career prospects ahead where you’ll be working with innovative technologies and infrastructure. Recent Heriot-Watt graduates have progressed to working for organisations such as Mercedes, Babcock Marine, McLaren, Shell UK, Halliburton, and QinetiQ.

You’ll design, develop, optimise, and operate a range of mechanical parts in your career as a mechanical engineer. All industrial sectors value mechanical engineers, including manufacturing, oil and gas, aerospace, and automotive, as well as emerging areas such as energy and renewable energy, medical engineering, and nanotechnology.