Mechanical Engineering (Advanced)

MSc

  • Entry year 2025
  • Duration Full time 1 year, Part time 2 years

Overview

MSc Advanced Mechanical Engineering

Mechanical engineering combines scientific principles, mathematics, and realisation to design, develop and implement innovative solutions to contemporary problems. This programme will enhance your skills and provide you with advanced subject knowledge to accelerate your engineering career.

From designing replacement hip joints and hospital MRI scanners, to developing autonomous vehicles and monitoring the structural health of offshore windfarms, mechanical engineering contributes greatly to contemporary life and is central to the innovation carried out in many industries.

Accredited by the Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE), our MSc Advanced Mechanical Engineering programme comprises of advanced topics in mechanical engineering and industry linked project work. You will benefit from the teaching of some of the world’s experts in their fields, a state-of-the-art working environment, and networking opportunities to enhance your career prospects.

Over the course of the year, you will study six taught modules and undertake a major individual project. These will provide you with advanced knowledge while allowing you to develop your specialist skills, which will enable you to take advantage of the many senior engineering and technology employment opportunities available at home and abroad. You will become familiar with stress analysis, finite element analyses and modelling; renewables including wind, tidal and hydro-power; mechanisms and mechanical design; control and self-learning systems; systems analysis, advanced materials and manufacturing, application of artificial intelligence in engineering, among other topics. At the same time, you will develop capabilities that are highly valued by employers more generally, such as problem-solving, analytical skills and team-working abilities.

A major element of the programme is a dissertation project during which you will undertake independent research and receive one-to-one supervision from an academic specialist, and possibly be working with one of our industry partners. During this project, you will bring together everything that you have learnt and apply it to an advanced individual project. This will allow you to practise your skills and demonstrate your professional competences, thereby improving your employability. These projects have led to employment for many graduates and recent examples include:

  • Control design for a mobile robot used for nuclear decommissioning tasks
  • Fire resistance of FRP-concrete columns
  • Wave powered eddy current heat generator for seawater desalination technologies
  • Improved solar thermal systems

Additional to the dissertation project, you will also complete an industry linked project. This exciting project will both challenge you and allow you to apply your abilities to real-world problems. You will gain experience of working in real professional environments, while gaining and developing highly employable skills, such as communications, team-working and project management.

Assessment

Engineering is more than just theory and, as a result, you will experience labs/practical sessions, workshops and group tutorials, alongside lectures. This contact is with academic staff that are internationally recognised and work alongside global companies.

In addition, our technicians and admin support team are very approachable and have many years of experience in helping students achieve success.

Assessment varies between modules, allowing students to demonstrate their capabilities in a range of ways. Typically you can expect assignments such as coursework, presentations and formal examinations.

Community

As a department, we prioritise delivering high-quality, rigorous programmes that prepare and equip our graduates for a rewarding career. The Department provides an interdisciplinary approach that reflects the dynamic nature of professional engineering.

Our Department is an internationally recognised leader in research and innovation and, as such, you will join a thriving and supportive academic community. Staff and students alike will welcome and support you both academically and socially.

You will be encouraged throughout your programme in a friendly, vibrant environment that is conducive to excellent research and learning.

Career

Our MSc in Advanced Mechanical Engineering is designed to support your career ambitions and progression. By enabling you to develop your technical and professional skills to an advanced level, and allowing you to apply what you have previously learnt to real-world problems, this programme equips you with the knowledge and experience for a range of engineering careers, and will put you ahead of the competition.

There is a wide range of sectors where mechanical engineering is relevant, and starting salaries are highly competitive. Roles include:

  • Mechanical Engineer
  • Production Engineer
  • Aerospace Engineer
  • Automotive Engineer
  • Manufacturing Engineer
  • Technical Team Leader, Manager or Director
  • Engineering Consultant

Alternatively, our programme will provide you with the skills, knowledge, and experience to take up further study at PhD level and begin a career in research, exploring innovative, cutting-edge areas of the engineering discipline.

Course accreditation

Institution of Mechanical Engineers logo Engineering Council logo

Entry requirements

Academic Requirements

2:1 Hons degree (UK or equivalent) in Mechanical Engineering or related disciplines, or in Physics.

We may also consider non-standard applicants at a 2:2 degree level when accompanied by significant experience in a relevant field. For UK applicants, a HND or equivalent together with appropriate industrial experience may be considered. Please contact us for further information.

If you have studied outside of the UK, we would advise you to check our list of international qualifications before submitting your application.

Additional Requirements

Some experience in industry in a technical position requiring engineering skills is desirable but not required.

English Language Requirements

We may ask you to provide a recognised English language qualification, dependent upon your nationality and where you have studied previously.

We normally require an IELTS (Academic) Test with an overall score of at least 6.5, and a minimum of 6.0 in each element of the test. We also consider other English language qualifications.

If your score is below our requirements, you may be eligible for one of our pre-sessional English language programmes.

Contact: Admissions Team +44 (0) 1524 592032 or email pgadmissions@lancaster.ac.uk

Pre-master’s programmes

Delivered in partnership with INTO Lancaster University, our one-year tailored pre-master’s pathways are designed to improve your subject knowledge and English language skills to the level required by a range of Lancaster University master’s degrees. Visit the INTO Lancaster University website for more details and a list of eligible degrees you can progress onto.

Course structure

You will study a range of modules as part of your course, some examples of which are listed below.

Information contained on the website with respect to modules is correct at the time of publication, but changes may be necessary, for example as a result of student feedback, Professional Statutory and Regulatory Bodies' (PSRB) requirements, staff changes, and new research. Not all optional modules are available every year.

Core

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Optional

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Fees and funding

Location Full Time (per year) Part Time (per year)
Home £14,140 £7,070
International £30,310 £15,155

General fees and funding information

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Scholarships and bursaries

You may be eligible for the following funding opportunities, depending on your fee status and course. You will be automatically considered for our main scholarships and bursaries when you apply, so there's nothing extra that you need to do.

Unfortunately no scholarships and bursaries match your selection, but there are more listed on scholarships and bursaries page.

If you're considering postgraduate research you should look at our funded PhD opportunities.

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We also have other, more specialised scholarships and bursaries - such as those for students from specific countries.

Browse Lancaster University's scholarships and bursaries.

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Important Information

The information on this site relates primarily to 2025/2026 entry to the University and every effort has been taken to ensure the information is correct at the time of publication.

The University will use all reasonable effort to deliver the courses as described, but the University reserves the right to make changes to advertised courses. In exceptional circumstances that are beyond the University’s reasonable control (Force Majeure Events), we may need to amend the programmes and provision advertised. In this event, the University will take reasonable steps to minimise the disruption to your studies. If a course is withdrawn or if there are any fundamental changes to your course, we will give you reasonable notice and you will be entitled to request that you are considered for an alternative course or withdraw your application. You are advised to revisit our website for up-to-date course information before you submit your application.

More information on limits to the University’s liability can be found in our legal information.

Our Students’ Charter

We believe in the importance of a strong and productive partnership between our students and staff. In order to ensure your time at Lancaster is a positive experience we have worked with the Students’ Union to articulate this relationship and the standards to which the University and its students aspire. View our Charter and other policies.