Engineering Project and Report (Industrial Placement) module (ME53001)

You will learn to plan, organise, and carry out a programme of practical project work.

The project will be divided into two projects.

Firstly you will take part in a group project, which takes place over 10 weeks. You will develop a business idea and set up a fictive commercial business.

Secondly, you will carry out a core 12-week individual project within an industrial placement. This will enable you to gain important work experience.

You will be trained and supported in going through the competitive application process. This will allow you to be best prepared to secure your placement.

What you will learn

In this module, you will:

• develop skills in research, problem-solving and critical thinking by investigative methods and design in an area of mechanical engineering
• gain a high level of competence, individual responsibility and initiative in a particular mechanical engineering topic
• understand the industrial requirements in commercialising a product. This will involve creating a fictive spinout company
• develop and improve skills in project planning, management, and implementation
• develop skills in team working through a group project. You will also learn to communicate with peers and experts through your industrial placement

By the end of this module, you will be able to:

• further develop skills in self-management, independent learning, critical thinking, problem-solving and communication, team working
• be competent in project management. This will involve planning, scheduling and resource identification
• be competent in delivering a presentation to a professional standard
• develop the ability to establish a testable project objective within an engineering context;
• deal with a complex and specialised area of knowledge and skills. This will include the ability to undertake a critical review of the published literature;
• be competent in conducting a research project. This will include designing and executing a significant piece of independent research work
• analyse, evaluate and appraise experimental results

Assignments / assessment

• technical report and presentation (5%)
• business framework programme (presentation, business plan, group work) (20%)
• dissertation and viva (75%)

Teaching methods / timetable

• seminars
• tutorials
• field trip
  • This is a trip to a national or international industrial fair. This normally takes place for 2-4 days depending on location
• industrial placement