Mechanical Enginerring

Mechanical engineering is the discipline at the heart of almost everything in the physical world that generates power, converts energy, or involves moving parts. Engines, turbines, pumps, compressors, robots, heating and cooling systems, and the vast range of manufactured products that modern life depends on are all the work of mechanical engineers. The discipline draws on thermodynamics, fluid mechanics, solid mechanics, materials science, manufacturing engineering, and dynamics and control, combining deep theoretical knowledge with practical design and problem-solving to produce systems that are safe, efficient, and economical.

At Nottingham Trent University, this five-year full-time programme includes a year abroad, giving you the opportunity to study mechanical engineering in another country, which broadens your perspective on how the discipline is taught and practised in different industrial and educational contexts. The extended programme structure gives you additional time to develop your engineering knowledge and skills across the full range of the discipline before the more specialist work of the later years. You will study thermodynamics, fluid dynamics, stress analysis and structural mechanics, manufacturing processes, engineering design, dynamics and vibration, materials and their selection, and the use of computer-aided design and simulation tools that are essential in modern engineering practice.

Mechanical engineering graduates are employed across a very broad range of sectors, including aerospace and defence, automotive and transport, energy and the power sector, manufacturing, oil and gas, and the medical devices and healthcare technology industries. The year abroad enhances your international profile and is valued by employers who operate globally. Roles include design engineer, manufacturing engineer, development engineer, project engineer, and increasingly roles in simulation and digital engineering.

Many graduates pursue chartered engineer status through the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, and postgraduate study in a specialist area is a natural path for those seeking advanced technical roles or research careers.