BEng (Hons) Mechanical Engineering

Overview

The BEng (Hons) Mechanical Engineering encourages you to think creatively to solve the world's biggest challenges. From energy efficiency to tools for microsurgery, there is a need for mechanical engineers across a huge range of industries.  

Heriot-Watt has been ranked 1st in Scotland for General Engineering (The Times and The Sunday Times Good University Guide, 2023). 

The programme focuses on the core principles of Mechanical Engineering including:

• Fluids,
• Design and manufacturing,
• Dynamics,
• And thermodynamics.

Sustainability is at the heart of everything we do. You'll learn how to engineer solutions that are environmentally, financially, and socially sustainable. Some examples include:

• Designing turbines to generate electricity from geothermal or nuclear sources,
• Creating heat pumps to replace gas boilers for a more efficient alternative,
• Increasing the efficiency and performance of aircraft and transport,
• And improving medical engineering and nanotechnology.

Throughout the degree, you’ll have access to our high-spec labs across all our engineering disciplines. You'll develop fundamental lab skills as well as the ability to work across multidisciplinary teams. This will be crucial as the degree progresses and becomes increasingly specialised.

You'll work with students across our engineering programmes including in group project work. There is also an opportunity to choose from a range of optional courses in specialist engineering topics that interest you.

As well as providing you with fundamental knowledge of mechanical engineering, we'll prepare you for a successful career in industry by helping develop transferable skills. For example, team working, professional presentation skills, and technical writing. The programme also will help you gain skills in business and develop a solid understanding of global issues such as product life-cycle sustainability and financial viability.

We have engaged student societies such as the Mechanical Engineering Society and Team Aero-Watt. The HW Racing (Formula Student) Society design, build, seek sponsorship and race a single-seat, rear-engine racing car. This is part of the global iMechE Formula Student competition which takes place at Silverstone each year.

Many of our students progress to our MEng Mechanical Engineering programme (an additional one year of study). This is the standard route toward a Chartered Engineering professional qualification.

Our links with Industry

Our Industrial Advisory Board is a panel of engineers and business leaders. We work with them closely to ensure that our course content reflects the needs of industry and employers. This means you'll gain the right blend of knowledge, practical skills, and soft skills.

It ensures our curriculum is up-to-date and relevant to emerging needs and technological requirements.

As part of your practical project in Year 4, you'll solve an engineering problem affecting a real business. You'll present your design project to the industrial panel. They’ll assess the work as clients would, providing professional feedback and advice.

Our facilities

We offer hands-on experience in our flexible laboratories and workshops. With access to the latest technologies and industry-standard equipment, you'll have an opportunity to learn basic skills in manufacturing. 

Some examples of our equipment include:

• 3D printers,
• Air conditioning units used to demonstrate manipulation of air,
• High-speed wind tunnel rig to simulate the flow found in rocket nozzles or in the oil and gas industry,
• Torque testing for mechanics of materials.

Our research

The Institute of Mechanical, Process and Energy Engineering promotes excellence across its main research themes: Biomedical Engineering, Energy Harvesting and Conversion, Multiphase Flow and Digital Engineering.

We are a leader in promoting energy activities through our Energy Academy - a virtual centre connecting all energy-related research across the University.

Global College foundation pathway for Mechanical Engineering

If you do not meet the entry requirements for BEng (Hons) Mechanical Engineering, you might consider foundation entry with Heriot-Watt Global College, where you can follow our Engineering with an Accelerator Programme pathway which will get you onto the second year of this programme.

This collaboration allows the curriculum to be regularly updated to include emerging technological needs. A recent example is the inclusion of the optional biomedical engineering course offered in Years 4 and 5.

The Industrial Advisory Board also plays a direct role in Year 4 when they challenge our students to come up with a practical engineering solution for a problem impacting their organisation. Students present their design projects to the industrial panel who asses the work as clients would, providing professional feedback and advice.  

Employability

Our graduates are in high demand and have excellent prospects. They work internationally for organisations such as:

• Mercedes,
• Babcock Marine,
• McLaren,
• Shell UK,
• Halliburton,
• QinetiQ. 

Mechanical engineers work across many sectors including manufacturing, oil and gas, aerospace, and automotive engineering.  There is also significant demand in emerging industries such as energy and renewable energy, medical engineering, and nanotechnology.

Work and study

After graduating from this course, 90% of our BEng (Hons) Mechanical Engineering degree students are usually working, studying or working and studying just 15 months after graduating (Graduate Outcomes Survey 2019/20).

Accreditation

This programme is accredited by IMechE.

Students completing an IMechE accredited degree are deemed to have met part or all of the academic requirements for registration as a Chartered or Incorporated Engineer and are in a strong position to move on to achieve professional engineering status after a period of initial professional development in industry.