Master of Engineering (Hons) in Mechanical Engineering

at Heriot-Watt University - Edinburgh Campus United Kingdom

The world relies on digital technology more than ever before. As a result, today the prevention of cyberattacks, data breaches and identity theft are a priority for individuals, businesses and governments alike.

In order to target this growing requirement within industry and society, Heriot-Watt has designed a brand new programme for 2020: BSc Computer Science (Cyber Security). This undergraduate programme will provide students with a sound foundation and applied skills in computer science with focus on cyber security, in addition to other professional skills, enabling them to succeed in meeting the cyber security challenges facing modern organisations today.

In this programme you will learn about the foundations of networks and computer systems, thereby allowing you to understand how communications can be probed and altered, and systems can be forensically analysed. You’ll also learn about techniques for secure programming and how real-world networks and systems are protected with fundamental techniques such as access control, encryption and intrusion detection.

In each of the first three years of the programme, students take eight mandatory courses, and in Year 4 they take five mandatory courses and three optional ones.

If you too are interested in a career in games design, our brand new Master of Design (MDes) programme in Games Design and Development allows you to explore your own creativity, develop game ideas, and launch your own games

Design your own games
The School of Mathematical and Computer Sciences is delighted to introduce a new Master of Design (MDes) programme in Games Design and Development, available for 2019 entry. This innovative programme provides students with a unique opportunity to design and develop their own computer game to the highest industry standards while gaining hands-on experience with the product lifecycle, gathering technical and professional skills, and further practical entrepreneurship knowledge. It is the perfect stepping stone to enable students to smoothly transition to design and programming roles in the games industry.

Our new Games Studio
The introduction of this Masters degree coincides with the launch of the new purpose-built Games Studio inside our new £19m innovation and entrepreneurship GRID building.  As there are only a handful of universities worldwide capable of offering such design-led programmes, this studio will provide students with a unique mixture of practical supervised studio learning experience, technical know-how, and an interdisciplinary entrepreneurship approach to Games production.

Chemistry is a dynamic and exciting subject which makes many important contributions to the world. It is a major contributor to the Scottish and UK economies and as such is a secure career pathway. Chemistry plays a crucial role in developing new medicines, materials and energy sources using greener methods for a better future.

At Heriot-Watt University, we make sure the theory we teach is linked to these practical applications so that when our students graduate they are ready to address the biggest of global challenges.

The courses within our five-year MChem Chemistry include extensive laboratory work throughout. They provide students with hands-on experience and opportunities to link theoretical knowledge from lectures to the real world. As a result, our students develop practical lab experience as well as much needed teamwork, problem solving and communication skills.

This degree covers the main disciplines of structures, geotechnics, plus both water and transportation engineering. The degree is designed to give you the knowledge and skills you need to become a Chartered Civil Engineer. The core curriculum concentrates on analysis and materials behaviour, covering the main disciplines. The later years specialise more on design and management. Throughout, there’s an emphasis on your personal development within a professional environment.

Our Civil and Structural Engineering degrees are supported by an industry advisory committee involving representatives from major multi-national employers. The panel supports our degrees ensuring our curriculum delivers exactly what the industry needs and that our graduates are work ready.

Heriot-Watt Mechanical Engineering degrees are ranked 1st in Scotland and top 10 in the UK by the Guardian University Guide 2020. An industrial panel are involved to ensure the course content reflects the changing needs of industry and that our graduates have the knowledge and practical skills required to successfully gain employment.

Student teaching benefits from our strong industrial links, in particular the involvement of the industrial panel in the assessment of 4th year design projects, providing a realistic client scenario.

Programme Structure:
The first two years of the degree provide a grounding in the core disciplines of mechanical engineering, which allows students to make an informed choice of the options in the following years. An individual project forms part of Year 4. Students can graduate at the end of year 4 with a BEng Mechanical Engineering, or progress to the MEng programme, if academic grades are suitable. The 5-year MEng degree is the standard route towards Chartered Engineering professional qualification.

Our four year BSc Computer Science (Artificial Intelligence) Honours degree is oriented to constructing robust and useable systems. We aim to teach people not just how to deploy cutting edge tools and techniques, but how to build the next generation of software tools that other system constructors will use. This course aims to give a well integrated balance of theoretical underpinnings and practical experience, strongly informed by the research expertise of our academic staff.

All Year 3 students take part in a year-long group project, where they co-operate in tackling a large, realistic problem. Year 4 students conduct a major, year-long, individual dissertation project.

The Artificial Intelligence specialism is gained through taking prescribed courses from the final year options (two of the following: Biologically Inspired Computation, Data Mining and Machine Learning, Intelligent Robotics) and having an approved AI topic for the final year project.

At Heriot Watt, we are delivering a new MSc programme in Subsurface Energy Systems (SES) that will edcate you about unlocking energy resources with a low carbon footprint. This will be a stepping stone for your career in industry, government, non-government organisations (NGOs) or academia.

The programme addresses key concepts in subsurface energy and CO2 storage, geothermal energy or transitional gas while integrating geoscience, engineering, political and societal aspects. It will appeal to geoscientists, reservoir engineers, governmental stakeholders and all those interested in the management of subsurface reservoirs used to switch from a fossil fuel-driven economy to a decarbonised one, using natural gas as a transitional energy resource. Its production from unconventional reservoirs comes with environmental risks that we have to assess and control. This degree is delivered jointly by The Lyell Centre and the Institute of GeoEnergy Engineering.

The recent report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change predicts serious consequences from further emitting CO2 into the atmosphere, thereby accelerating man-made climate change. This requires a drastic decarbonisation of our economies by switching from fossil fuels to renewable energies like wind, solar, hydro, or geothermal or by implementing carbon capture and storage (CCS) at scale. Renewable energies can readily be used in the form of electrical power. When electricity production exceeds the demand, electricity can be stored in grids or batteries at limited capacity. At larger scale, electricity can be stored in the subsurface after conversion to, for example, hydrogen, thermal energy, or compressed air until needed, allowing for back-production within short and longer time scales of hours to years.

In comparison to temporary energy storage, CCS aims at safe and permanent storage. The UK and especially offshore storage sites in Scotland are attractive targets for CCS and considered to extend the lifetime of oil and gas reservoirs significantly, thereby strengthening the related industrial sectors. The combined technologies of geothermal energy production, subsurface energy storage or CCS refer to the geoengineering aspects of subsurface energy systems (SES). In this context, SES rather refers to the integration of geoenergy applications with energy production at the surface as well as economic, societal and policy aspects.

There is a significant demand globally for research and training in these technologies, given that many small and large integrated oil and gas companies are decarbonising their assets, which at the same time, needs to be monitored and regulated by governmental bodies. Councils across the UK and Europe are increasingly looking at the subsurface for storing or producing energy.

Our Structural Engineering course is aimed at graduates and practising engineers. It’s designed to help improve your knowledge of structural and foundation engineering. The degree’s been developed together with a wide range of employers in the sector. So there’s a strong relationship between the course and the engineering industry. The course also builds directly on staff research activities, which include experimental, numerical and theoretical work. You’ll have access to excellent practical and advanced computer and networking facilities too.

If you want to start your career with a year's work experience in hand, then you should consider this course. It combines the rigorous studies of the BSc (Hons) in Mathematical, Statistical and Actuarial Sciences with a year-long work placement in level 4. The work placement gives you experience of working in an organisation in the financial sector. The Diploma in Industrial Training is gained through successful completion of this work placement. The work placement helps you to develop specific work-related skills, giving you the opportunity to apply and build upon the theory you learn in your studies. It allows you to take on real responsibilities, enhance your interpersonal skills through teamwork and communication and experience workplace culture.

The Diploma is available to all students, including those from overseas, as it does not require a work visa. If you are planning to come to the UK using a student visa you should check the Tier 4 Student Visa Policy Guidance to confirm you are permitted to undertake a work placement as part of your studies. It is your responsibility to find a suitable work placement; acceptance onto the course does not guarantee you a placement. If you are registered on the course and are unable to find a suitable work placement before the end of level 3 then you can transfer to the standard BSc (Hons) in Mathematical, Statistical and Actuarial Sciences degree.

Heriot-Watt University's Interpreting and Translating MSc degree is a twin-focus programme of study which will prepare you for an exciting, international career as a professional translator and interpreter in one or two of the following languages combined with English:

• Chinese
• French
• German
• Spanish

This specialist programme has been tailored to meet the needs of industry and will allow you to develop the ideal balance of theoretical knowledge and practical skills.

Studying MSc Interpreting and Translation at Heriot-Watt University will give you access to our excellent translation and interpreting facilities which include our recently refurbished interpreting labs.

Your learning will focus on developing a professional standard of expertise in specific areas of interpreting and translation such as:

• Technical and scientific translation
• Subtitling and audio-visual translation
• Use of Computer Aided Translation tools
• Sight translation
• Simultaneous interpreting
• Consecutive interpreting and note taking
• Sight translation

You will develop these skills to the highest standard and learn about the different approaches and skillsets required from interpreters when working in distinct professional contexts such as healthcare, court and legal, educational and conference interpreting.