Engineering Management (with Placement) MSc

The Fundamentals of Management module focuses on the fundamentals of why organisations exist and what organisations ‘do’. You'll cover core aspects of the management of a company such as strategic decision making, marketing, accounting and finance, operations and human resource management. The modules provides an opportunity to develop a high-level overview of the landscape of organisations and learn about the skills required by managers in modern organisations.

To achieve advancements in the contemporary performance imperatives of quality, speed and price, enterprises need to constantly update their product portfolios. This module provides an overview and consolidation of the skills required to implement and manage the New Product Development (NPD) process within the context of a commercial enterprise. Emphasis is placed upon the evolution, development and exploitation of NPD strategies; together with consideration of innovation policies, models, culture and practice. Appropriate management methodologies are then introduced to assess new product ideas, determine feasibility, and define those products to achieve commercial gain. Module delivery is provided through formal lectures and extensive practical sessions, prior to the delivery of equally weighted group and individual project assessments.

This module aims to develop your understanding of the strategic aspects of programme and project management and its role in adding competitive advantage to an organisation. The module enables you to gain a firm grounding in the principles, processes, tools and techniques that underpin programme and project management. It also aids you to develop a systematic understanding of the purposes and uses of financial information, together with the ability to use quantitative skills to improve performance management and decision making within an organisation. Emphasis is placed upon the need for competence in project planning and control. Team-working, communication and risk management skills are developed by means of group activity. Extensive use is made of project management and simulation software.

This is an innovative module which delegates will find not only challenging but also very rewarding as it will extend the way they think about management excellence and research application. Through interactive module content, based upon the UK Standard for Professional Engineering Competence, you will be guided through the theory and practice of professional development and research. Through the use of a number of diagnostic instruments and application tools, you will be able to benchmark your leadership, teamwork and interpersonal skills, thereby providing a firm foundation for reflective career planning through portfolio development. On completion, you will be equipped to manage your career through to professional registration and have the ability to lead complex research projects. This activity will be supported by seminars led by experts in the field of research and development from academia and industry, prior to the delivery of equally weighted group and individual project assessments.

The project provides the opportunity to undertake a major programme of advanced independent work. Where possible the project is carried out in collaboration with an industrial company and takes place at the company. A project supervisor is then allocated at the University who would check and confirm if the project is suitable for a Master's level course.

This module has been designed to build on your skills in modelling, designing, processing and simulating a range of analogue and digital systems. To support you in this the module reviews the hardware and software aspects of virtual instrumentation (VI). You’ll have the opportunity to use graphical and C/C++ programming languages using PC’s and interface cards as the hardware platform. Industry standard software tools (such as LabVIEW) will also be explored to help design and simulate real systems.

Many existing and future computer-based applications impose exceptional demands on performance that traditional predominantly single-processor systems cannot offer. Large-scale computational simulations for scientific and engineering applications now routinely require highly parallel computers. In this module you will learn about Parallel Computer Architectures, Legacy and Current Parallel Computers, trends in Supercomputers and Software Issues in Parallel Computing; you will be introduced to Computer Cluster, Cloud and Grid technologies and applications. You will study the fundamental components of Cluster environments, such as Commodity Components for Clusters, Network Services/Communication software, Cluster Middleware, Resource management, and Programming Environments. The module is assessed by examination (60%) and practical assignment based on laboratory work (40%).

You will study the principal types of process plant and the associated measurement and control equipment used in the process industries. You will develop models of process plant systems for optimising control system performance and you will study both analogue and digital control systems. You will study instrumentation systems used for the measurement of key process parameters such as temperature, pressure, level and composition. Emphasis is placed on the measurement of single phase and multiphase flows relevant to the oil & gas industries, in which the University of Huddersfield has specific research expertise. Real-time imaging systems for monitoring multiphase flows in pipes (e.g. oil-water or solids-water flows) are studied. During the practical work undertaken in the module you will design, build and test an electronic instrument e.g. an instrument for measuring the level of liquid in a tank. The module is assessed by examination (75%) and practical work (25%).

The module introduces you to the principles and applications of computer aided design within industry. It considers an advanced 3D design package to allow mechanical and visual design to be carried out. The module also looks at modern approaches to automation of the design process and topology optimisation for parts manufactured using additive manufacturing. The module provides you with hands-on experience of a high-level 3D CAD system, from part design to assembly, drawings and design automation. It also provides you with an understanding of the role, concepts and application of 3D CAD systems in industry.

The module is concerned with the principles of modern communication systems and their application in wireless communication networks, in particular the Internet of Things. It begins with a basic overview of communications techniques as used in wireless applications. It then reviews existing wireless sensor, and related, technologies such as Bluetooth, ZigBee, WirelessHart and LoRaWAN comparing their performance metrics and application areas. The role of wireless communication technologies in the Internet of Things and similar application areas will be discussed.

Cyber-Physical Systems (CPS) are collections of physical and software components that communicate and interact with users via networks. CPS extend the traditional capabilities of embedded systems by incorporating sensor networks and data services to enable previously disparate systems to become more integrated through ‘smart’ capabilities. Examples of CPS include the Internet of Things (IoT), smart cities and digital manufacturing. This module will enable learners to explore contemporary issues in relation to emerging technologies that can be used to realise cyber-physical systems.

The module aims to equip you with the qualities and transferable skills necessary to design, model and simulate electromechanical systems and their control via power electronic converters, for example, servo motion control applications in machine tools, robotics and automated production equipment. Mechanical loads, types, modelling and interaction with an electromagnetic machines will be discussed along with thermal design and management. Measurement, data acquisition and system control / management platforms and protocols. Energy efficiency and the move to “more electrified” systems across the industrial, automotive, aerospace and marine sectors will be studied.

Fluid dynamic forces acting on a fluid handling system affect the performance effectiveness of the system. This module considers an advanced study of fluid flows relevant to industrial fluid handling systems such as vehicles, turbomachines and pipeline systems. Modern vehicles will be studied to highlight the subtle design features being employed to reduce drag, provide deliberate vortices, or create a predictable down-force on the vehicles. The design features related to turbomachines and the pipelines are also discussed in detail. Additionally, the module considers an optimised design for various systems considered including engine cooling systems, in-car air conditioning, turbo-machines and piping systems. We will introduce you to an appropriate commercial computational fluid dynamics (CFD) software package and its use for design of an optimised system.