Mechanical Engineering

Mechanical Engineering
Are you fascinated by how things work, and driven to make a difference? Our Mechanical Engineering course has been created to give you the experience and skills to design, build and optimise truly impactful innovations.

This fast-growing course is for the doers. The problem-solvers. The creators, and innovators. You’ll explore many fascinating elements of engineering, from manufacturing to robotics, advanced materials and AI, and test what you’ve learned through experiments and prototype-builds.

Everything we do is with your employment in mind. You’ll learn what you need to succeed in your career, from real-industry software to soft skills such as teamwork, critical thinking and problem-solving. You’ll be guided by experienced lecturers and guests from industry, as well as our dedicated employability team.

Kent has built strong links with leading employers in the region and beyond, with its expertise in fields such as renewable energy and advanced materials. These partners ensure our course is at the forefront of engineering innovation.

You can also apply to extend your learning with a Year in Industry option, giving you a chance to secure a paid role with an exciting employer.

Foundation Year

If you don’t have the right grades to enrol directly on to our BEng (Hons) Mechanical Engineering degree, you could opt to start your studies with our Foundation year. The extra year is intended to give you the best possible preparation for success on the degree pathway.

Year in Industry

The Year in Industry opportunity develops your technical skills, employability and soft skills as well as increasing your awareness of the future context for employment.

Your Year in Industry takes place between your second and final year. The School’s dedicated employability officer helps you to identify organisations offering placements. Companies also visit the School to present their industrial placement opportunities and to interview candidates.

As well as gaining invaluable workplace experience, you stand a good chance of being offered a job by that employer after graduation.

Accreditation

This accredited BEng (Hons) will meet, in part, the exemplifying academic benchmark requirements for registration as a Chartered Engineer and Students will need to complete an approved format of further learning pursuant to the requirements of UK-SPEC.

Your Future
You'll be set up for a great career after Kent, with graduates going on to work in areas including aerospace and automotive industries, the armed forces and the Ministry of Defence, construction and building services, energy utilities, government agencies and so many more.

Year 1

The following modules are what students typically study, but this may change year to year in response to new developments and innovations.

Year 1: You’ll gain a broad foundation in biomedical engineering. You’ll take on lab-based practical work to help you develop an in-depth understanding of electronics and biology.
Compulsory modules currently include the following:

• Mathematics for Engineering - Topics covered include complex numbers, calculus, linear algebra, statistics and probability. Throughout the module, you’ll tackle real-world engineering problems. These include the study of mechanical and electrical systems, the use of complex numbers and linear algebra for the analysis of electrical circuits and the use of statistics and probability in the analysis of experimental data.

• Electronics for Engineers - You’ll begin your engineering journey by learning fundamental circuit analysis and fabrication skills. This will enable you to begin engineering project work right from your first year.

• Fundamentals of Programming - You'll embark on your programming journey here, mastering fundamental coding concepts and development skills. This foundation will empower you to dive into programming projects right from your first year through lectures, workshops and programming challenges.

• Engineering Materials and Design - You'll learn how to develop an engineering drawing of a product using a Computer-Aided Design (CAD) system and choose the best materials from a wide range of available engineering materials for your designed components. Design and Manufacturing Project; Biomedical Engineering Skills.

• Design and Manufacturing Project - To bring your engineering education to life, you’ll do a project in each year of study. In the Stage 1 project, you’ll gain hands-on experience, allowing you to apply theoretical knowledge to real-world problems. This will enhance your understanding of engineering principles and concepts.

• Mechanics of Materials and Structure - Understanding the mechanics of materials and structures, including the relationship between stress and strain, is fundamental to engineering design. You will use this knowledge as a foundation for predicting and preventing failure mechanisms in materials and structures, ensuring the integrity and safety of engineered systems.

For more detailed information about these modules, please visit our website.

Year 2

The following modules are what students typically study, but this may change year to year in response to new developments and innovations.

Year 2 compulsory modules currently include the following:

• Mechatronics and Measurements - Engineers work in interdisciplinary teams to overcome the challenges of intelligent engineering systems. Smart engineering systems are not simple mechanical or electronic components, but the result of synergistic integration between mechanical engineering, electronics, computer science and control.

• Fluid Mechanics - A comprehensive understanding of fluid mechanics is essential to the discipline of engineering. In this module, you’ll be introduced to core concepts such as fluid properties, hydrostatics, mass, momentum and energy conservation principles, viscous flow behaviours, dimensional analysis, and drag/lift forces.

• Dynamics of Machines - You’ll gain essential knowledge of kinematics and kinetics of particles and rigid bodies that you’ll apply to models and evaluate the velocity, acceleration, forces, and moment of rigid components.

• Advanced Manufacturing Technologies - You’ll gain knowledge of state-of-the-art manufacturing technologies and modern techniques such as additive manufacturing. You’ll then acquire practical skills in using these technologies through several lab sessions and practices. This module also promotes the principles of sustainable design and green manufacturing, both of which reduce environmental impact and promote long-term viability and resilience.

• Vibrations and Control - In this module, you’ll learn the principles of vibration theory, which will enable you to carry out critical analysis and design appropriate damping mechanisms. Vibration analysis includes damped vibration, free and forced vibration, MDOF systems, modelling of a tuned vibration absorber and vibration testing techniques. Additionally, your study of control systems will include system modelling in general, stability analysis, and PID controllers, and will include both continuous and discrete time systems.

• Engineering Team Project - Teamwork lies at the heart of this module, seamlessly blending practical group projects with supporting lectures, emphasising the development of technical proficiency, transferable skills, sustainability, and security awareness. You will collaborate in teams to explore mechanical and electronic hardware, software development, entrepreneurship, and sustainable practices. Through hands-on project work, you will gain expertise in sensor data acquisition, programming, hardware design, understanding security protocols, and integrating sustainability principles. Additionally, you will address crucial topics such as innovation, financial management, intellectual property protection, and commercialisation strategies with a sustainable and security-oriented perspective. By merging technical knowledge with entrepreneurial insight, sustainability principles, and a focus on security, this module equips you with a comprehensive toolkit for navigating the complexities of modern innovation and enterprise securely and sustainably.

For more detailed information about these modules, please visit our website.

Year in Industry

Year in Industry

You have the option to add a year in industry to this course. We already know you have the confidence and commitment to thrive in the workplace and kick-start your career. This is your chance to prove it, to yourself and to employers.

Any questions? We have the answers.

When should I start looking? Companies will recruit at different times of the year based on their size. It's good to be application ready by the summer of your first year.

Where can I get help finding a placement? Book an appointment with a placement adviser via the careers service.

Will I get paid? Most of our placements are paid.

Do I have to pay tuition fees? Yes, you’ll pay a substantially reduced fee. Fees for the current year (subject to changes) can be found on our tuition fees website.

Where can I get visa advice if I’m an international student? Kent Students' Union can help with any visa queries.

Does the University keep in touch? You receive four-weekly check-in emails, a visit from the team every three months and you can reach out to us any time by email or phone.

Do I work for a full year? The minimum requirement for an industrial placement is 44 weeks.

Year 3

The following modules are what students typically study, but this may change year to year in response to new developments and innovations.

Year 3: You’ll develop a strong understanding in biomechanics, medical physics, product development and much more.
Compulsory modules currently include the following:

• Robotics and AI - You’ll comprehensively explore the key concepts in robotics and artificial intelligence and gain essential subject knowledge. You’ll learn theoretical tools to describe kinematics and dynamics for industrial robot systems with several degrees of freedom and use cutting-edge AI and machine learning (ML) algorithms in robots. You’ll also discover software/hardware integration in robot architectures for advanced tasks (e.g. obstacle avoidance learning), industrial applications and the adoption of AI in robotics.

• Research Project - This is an opportunity for independent study on a topic of your own choice. Working on the project is a major part of your final year of study, taking place in spring and summer terms. It’s a chance for you to conduct in-depth research on a subject that is relevant to your course, helping you to further develop essential skills.

• Finite Element Analysis - You’ll learn about the principles of finite element methods and how to formulate and solve a physical example through this numerical method by identifying the boundary conditions, element types, loading scenarios, etc. Through simulations of real-world industrial cases, FEA enables cost-effective and efficient design optimisation, reducing the necessity for extensive physical prototypes.

• Thermodynamics and Heat Transfer - Thermodynamics is the foundation for heat engines, power plants, refrigerators, and many more important inventions that the modern world relies on. In this module, you’ll develop a thorough understanding of the laws of thermodynamics, energy analyses, and the modes of heat transfer.

Optional modules may include the following:

• Biomaterials

• Renewable Energy Technology

For more detailed information about these modules, please visit our website.

Foundation Year

The following modules are what students typically study, but this may change year to year in response to new developments and innovations.

Foundation Year compulsory modules currently include the following:

• Foundation Skills for Engineering, Mathematics and Physics - Your preparation for an engineering, mathematics or physics degree starts here. You will develop critical thinking and problem solving skills required to underpin your studies as well as beginning to gain knowledge to enable you to start using measurement instruments, understand forces, and fundamental electric circuits. Your ability to work with results including measurement errors as well as report writing skills will also be developed to support you throughout the degree and your professional life.

• Foundation Algebra and Geometry - A solid grasp of algebra and geometry is a fundamental requirement for advanced study in any STEM subject. In this module, you will study foundational algebra and coordinate geometry required for Stage 1 entry into your chosen degree. You will see why they are so vital to your subject area. In addition you will learn how to reason with logarithms, exponentials and gain skills in solving equations.

• Foundation Statistics and Programming to Explore Your Subject - You’ll learn the basics of probability, statistics, and hypothesis testing necessary for advanced study. In particular, you’ll gain skills in using measures of central tendency such as the mean, median, and mode, and measures of dispersion such as the range, variance, and standard deviation. You’ll learn how to use quartiles and percentiles, and to interpret and create histograms, box plots, and other graphical representations of data. In probability theory you’ll gain an understanding of the core probability rules, see how to use conditional probability, and become familiar with the binomial and normal distributions, expectation, and variance. You’ll also learn how to use basic programming techniques to help solve problems in statistics.

• Foundation Mechanics and Materials - Learn about the interplay of the core concepts physicists and engineers use to describe the behaviour of objects in the world around us. Establish the relevant quantities, units and dimensions giving you the tools to understand mechanics and materials. Learn about characterising the motion of objects through distance, velocity and acceleration with time graphs. You will examine the behaviours of forces through Newtons' Laws and the relationship between those forces and work, power and energy. You will learn about gravity as a force field, as well as circular and rotational motion. Physical bodies are usually solids, but liquids and gases also obey the laws of mechanics. The property of temperature provides an explanation for the different phases of matter.

• Foundation Functions and Calculus - In this module, you will develop your knowledge of mathematical functions to give you a solid foundation with which to grasp calculus and other advanced topics. You will then move on to study differential calculus and its applications – allowing you to quantify and model rates of change mathematically and consistently and find the gradient of any curve – followed by integral calculus and differential equations – allowing you to find anti-derivatives and model real-life situations.

• Foundation Waves, Vibrations and Electromagnetics - To prepare you for future study in your chosen degree, you will learn to analyse physical waves, vibrations, alternating current and electromagnetic waves. You will also gain awareness of the principles of electrostatics and magnetism, as well as being introduced to atomic physics.

For more detailed information about these modules, please visit our website.