Key information
- Level
- Postgraduate Taught
- Delivery type
- Full Time, Part Time
- Degree qualification
- MSc
- Mode of delivery
- On-Campus
- Duration
- 1 year
- Location
- Edinburgh
- Start date
- September, January
MSc Advanced Mechanical Engineering provides those of you with a bachelor-levels graduate in Mechanical Engineering to build upon your existing knowledge and skills in the area. For those of you from a different Engineering background, the programme offers you the opportunity to develop key Mechanical Engineering knowledge and skills required for your professional development. You’ll gain a deep understanding of the core engineering and science underpinning the Mechanical Engineering and Manufacturing sector. The industry-relevant degree will provide you with an accredited route to become a Chartered Engineer.
During the master’s programme, you’ll gain a broad knowledge of the core components in Mechanical Engineering Sciences and practices, whilst developing an extensive, detailed, and critical knowledge and understanding of at least one specialist area within the subject. The flexible degree structure allows you to focus in on your specific interests within Advanced Mechanical Engineering. You’ll have the opportunity to choose courses from an extensive list, including engineering design, fluids, dynamics, renewable energy technologies, heat exchangers and heat transfer, robotic mechanical systems, and advanced thermodynamic applications.
The career-focused master’s programme will develop your technical, scientific, and managerial abilities, and provide you with a specialist education to set you up to become a professional Mechanical Engineer. Upon completion, you’ll have the skills and knowledge to prepare you for a wide range of technical and managerial careers across the sector, including roles in process and plant design, construction, commissioning, operation, management to specialist consultancy, and advanced research and development.
Your student experience
Your learning will be informed by the expertise of our research-active mechanical engineers and academics.
96% of Heriot-Watt University’s engineering research was classed as world-leading in the REF 2021 review, which ranked us 1st in Scotland and 3rd in the UK for engineering research through a joint submission with the University of Edinburgh.
Our MSc Advanced Mechanical Engineering is directly informed by the world class research carried out by Heriot-Watt’s Mechanical, Process and Energy Engineering (IMPEE) research institute which focuses on promoting excellence across four main research themes:
- Biomedical Engineering
- Digital Engineering
- Energy Harvesting and Conversion
- Multiphase Flow
The research relevance of this postgraduate programme ensures your studies remain innovative and industry focused.
Go Global
With Go Global, Heriot-Watt's global student programme, you can carry your studies to new places and experience new cultures, expanding your horizons on the way. You'll discover what it means to be a true global citizen and emerge prepared for wherever your career journey will take you.
Inter-Campus Transfer: Malaysia
Course content
September Intake - Edinburgh
Mandatory September
- Computational Fluid Dynamics with Heat Transfer
- Professional and Industrial Studies
Optional September
- Incompressible Fluid Dynamics
- Advanced Mechanics of Materials 1
- Dynamics 1
- Renewable Energy Technologies
- Heat Exchangers and Heat Transfer
Mandatory January
- Failure and Accident Analysis
- Critical Analysis and Research Preparation
Optional January
- Robotic Mechanical Systems
- Compressible Fluid Dynamics
- Advanced Mechanics of Materials 2
- Specialist Engineering Technology 2
- Dynamics 2
- Advanced Thermodynamic Applications
Mandatory May
- Masters Dissertation
January Intake - Edinburgh
Mandatory January
- Critical Analysis and Research Preparation
- Failure and Accident Analysis
Optional January
- Advanced Thermodynamic Applications
- Dynamics 2
- Robotic Mechanical Systems
- Advanced Mechanics of Materials 2
- Compressible Fluid Dynamics
Mandatory September
- Computational Fluid Dynamics with Heat Transfer
- Professional and Industrial Studies
Optional September
- Advanced Mechanics of Materials 1
- Heat Exchangers and Heat Transfer
- Renewable Energy Technologies
- Incompressible Fluid Dynamics
- Specialist Engineering Technology 2
- Dynamics 1
Mandatory Second January
- Masters Dissertation
Programme Video
The Heriot-Watt experience
Fees and funding
| Status | Full Time | Part Time |
|---|---|---|
| UK | £12,344 | £6,172 |
| International | £28,056 | £14,028 |
- Status: Your residency status is usually defined as the country where you have been ordinarily resident for the three years before the start of your course.
- International: 'International' includes applicants from European Union countries who do not hold Pre-Settled or Settled status in UK. (This does not include students from the Republic of Ireland - see above).
Additional information
Note: the fees indicated above will apply if you begin your studies in September. If you choose to join us in January instead, the fees below will apply.
January 2025 intake tuition fees
| Status | Full Time | Part Time |
|---|---|---|
| UK | £10,736 | £5,368 |
| International | £26,976 | £13,488 |
- Status: Your residency status is usually defined as the country where you have been ordinarily resident for the three years before the start of your course.
- International: 'International' includes applicants from European Union countries who do not hold Pre-Settled or Settled status in UK. (This does not include students from the Republic of Ireland).
Scholarships and bursaries
Postgraduate scholarships and bursaries
We aim to encourage well-qualified, ambitious students to study with us and we offer a wide variety of scholarships and bursaries to achieve this. Over £6 million worth of opportunities are available in fee and stipend scholarships, and more than 400 students benefit from this support.
Entry requirements
We have standard entry requirements for all of our courses that you will have to meet.
A minimum of honours degree at 2:1 or non-UK equivalent in a relevant subject. Degree must contain a minimum of both 3 mathematics modules and 3 physics or engineering modules at 50% or above. Relevant degrees can include Mechanical Engineering, Aeronautical Engineering, Materials Engineering, Biomedical Engineering, Automotive Engineering and Physics.
Modules that we hope to see in an undergraduate degree would include materials, fluid dynamics, thermodynamics, dynamics and structures, whereas unsuitable degrees for entry would have substantial focus on manufacturing.
Work experience in conjunction with a relevant lower Second Class Honours Degree will be considered.
Why Heriot-Watt
We're the top university in Scotland for graduate outcomes which means that more of our graduates are employed or in postgraduate education than any other institution in the country and we ranked 5th in the UK.
We're also rated number one in the UK for CEO or MD roles, meaning more of our graduates go on to become CEOs or MDs than any other university in the whole of the UK. On top of that, we have beautiful campuses, across the globe, so you'll get a truly international education. Our Edinburgh Campus is home to Oriam, Scotland's National Sports Performance Centre combined with plenty of wellbeing resources, prioritising fitness and mental health for all students. Our Global Research Institutes look at solving real world issues such as climate change and saving our oceans as well as working on the next medical technological breakthrough and the future of AI and robots.
Student life
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