MSc in Advanced Mechanical Engineering
This Program is accredited by the MFHEA
Degree Overview for MSc in Advanced Mechanical Engineering
The MSc program in Advanced Mechanical Engineering builds on the knowledge, understanding and skills acquired at the BSc level, and aims to expand the horizons of the students and enable them to become leading engineers capable of meeting the demands of modern day industry or potential researchers.
The programme also includes a directed research and/or design component in the form of two connected modules (MSc Thesis I and MSc Thesis II) that expose students to the modern trends and developments in the field and are intended to conslidate and strengthen their research and innovation capacities and other related skills. Although those two modules are concerned with a single project problem, they are structured to extend over two semesters to ease their management and oversight.
Additionally, it must be also highlighteded that the programme is designed to impart students with many communication and judgement skills. This will be evident in the modules that involve project or research components. Many modules require students to communicate through different modalities such as writing reports and papers, giving presentations, working in a team, answering questions and take part in debates. Through components that involve teamwork, students will develop leadership skills and will have to exercise crtical thinking and judgement.
Entry Requirements for this Program
As per AUM Admissions Criteria: https://aum.edu.mt/admissions/entry-requirements/#GD
Applicants with a background in a technological field and a bachelor’s degree in a STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) field. Applicants with a bachelor degree other than Mechanical Engineering may be required to take some remedial courses depending on their respective backgrounds.
Admissions standards follow the MFHEA Guidelines for Accreditation of MQF Level 7 Courses minimum entry requirements.
Applicants for this program need to submit the following:
- Official AUM application: to be submitted online.
- Scanned copies of qualifications and transcripts in the original language, as well as certified English translations.
If admitted to AUM, all original documents must be presented to the Admissions Office in order to be permitted to officially enrol.
- Students with an average GPA of 2.5 and above will accepted unconditionally. Students with an average of 2.2-2.49 will be granted conditional acceptance subject to them achieving a 2.5 GPA in their first semester of study without failing any module.
- Proof of English Proficiency.
The English language proficiency requirement may be waived if students are a native speaker of English and they have completed their secondary education in an English medium institution in a country where English is the official language.
AUM reserves the right to request English test results from any applicant.
Examining Boards recognized by AUM and minimum scores required:
| IELTS | TOEFL | PTE | iTEP Academic Plus | iTEP – EAP Institutional |
| 6.5 | 79 | 55 | 4.0 | 4.9 |
*Note that all score reports will only be valid if issued within 2 years from the date of matriculation at AUM.
Conditional admission is offered to all applicants who are still waiting for their degree results. These results must be submitted by the student to the Admissions Office within 1-2 weeks of receipt.
For STEM students whose first degree is not in Mechanical Engineering (e.g. Elec. Eng., Chem. Eng., Civ Eng., Maths, etc.), these will be required to take and pass 30 to 60 ECTS worth of undergraduate remedial courses based on their respective backgrounds. This will be done on a case by case basis, examining their individual academic history and achioevement. For example, a chemical engineer may require 30 ECTS to build their capacity in Mechanics and Design, whereas a mathematician may require 60 ECTS to cover Mechanics, Thermal Sciences as well as Design. It is believed that in doing so, non-mechanical engineers will be neatly brought up to speed over a period of six to twelve months.
PROGRAM DETAILS
Program length:
18 Months. Full-time ( face-to-face, blended)
36 Months. Part-time
GPA needed to earn the degree:
2.0 or higher
Credits needed to earn the degree:
45 US credists / 90 ECTS
Degree level:
MQF Level 7
Pass Rate:
73%
OVERALL COURSE OBJECTIVES
This MSc programme is directed at applicants who possess a first degree in Mechanical engineering or another related field, who want to advance their careers into new specialised areas of Engineering and Technology. It targets those who want to gain advanced knowledge and skills in design, innovation and critical thinking. Social, economic and environmental influencers are considered in order to gain insight into novel engineering approaches that incorporate sustainability, safety and quality rationales. Furthermore, this MSc programme forms a good entry point for candidates who want to venture into research and development whether in academia or industry. Additionally, the programme may be attractive to students who want to join new emerging fields that require a solid technical background, strong analytical skills, numeracy and joined-up thinking attributes such as the financial sector, forecasting, project assessment, consultancy, etc.
PROGRAM LEARNING OUTCOMES
Upon successful completion of the MSc programme, the learner will be able to:
- Design complex thermal and mechanical systems or components.
- Design, build, instrument and run experiments and analyse their results.
- Apply research methodologies and conduct research to advance and develop Mechanical Engineering know-how.
- Use technical and theoretical know-how to pursue a successful career in Engineering.
- Solve advanced engineering problems and analyze and resolve complicated situations.
- Use advanced computational technologies to solve mechanical engineering problems.
- Practice professional mechanical engineering and deal its professional challenges and requirements.
- Apply the notions of life-long-learning.
Learning Outcomes for Competence
Upon successful completion of the MSc programme, the learner will be able to:
- Manage complex thermal and mechanical installations.
- Lead teams, manage people to accomplish engineering tasks.
- Advise on the selection of equipment and systems.
- Optimise system performance and ensure safe and sustainable operation.
- Think outside the box and come up with solutions to complex problems, whether technical or resource related.
- Communicate ideas and concepts using different media and modalities
- Comply with necessary standards, whether legal, environmental or health and safety related.
General Pedagogical Methods
The proposed MSc programme in Advanced Mechanical Engineering will use a balanced mix of teaching and learning modalities to ensure that its learning outcomes are optimally realised. These include:
- Formal lectures
- Invited lectures by industrial personalities
- Tutorials
- Supervised lab experiments
- Computer simulation applications
- Supervised hands-on workshop exercises
- Practical projects and independent research
- Industrial site visits
- Video demonstrations within formal face-to-face lectures, etc.
Appropriate delivery tools will be employed to suit each modality.
URL for online mode of delivery:
In the online programme, teaching will occur via online meeting/lecture software to deliver real time lectures.
A VLE will be used to deliver asynchronous learning which enables students to reach learning content (e.g. PDFs, eBooks, videos etc..) when it is the most convenient time for them.
Faculty will deliver online video lectures that are identical in content as face-to-face classes. Educational videos will be liked from academic resources licensed through the AUM Library (e.g. Business Source Complete, and other databases). If appropriate, faculty can also utilize selected VOD such as Netflix, or Apple TV to incorporate in lectures.
For the academic support, the VLE and SIS system will be the main channels of the communication for student-tutor engagement. Technical support -ticketing system- will be available 24/7 in both platforms.
Our pedagogical approach aims to provide with a holistic understanding of management, engineering operations and technology that will help graduates to become a technology leader, either in management or in engineering position. While the program offers a variety of courses, all courses follow a similar teaching and learning philosophy. It is based on the latest online, face-to-face and blended learning technologies, combining digital techniques and tools for self-paced learning with live virtual sessions to provide the best learning experience.
Teaching methods include:
- Individualized teaching: Due to high degree of flexibility and digital orientation, the program can be adapted to individual talents, academic and professional background of learners, which can also give them an opportunity to ideally combine work and studies.
- Hands-On Experience teaching: In most courses you will have the opportunity to work on real managerial or technological challenges, allowing you to apply the knowledge gained in the courses and gain hands-on experience.
- Learner-centred teaching: All courses are based on a learner-centred approach with an emphasis on motivating learning. This is guaranteed by lively interaction between lecturers and participants using professional lecture videos, regular online sessions and discussion forums. Case discussions, group presentations, debates or virtual laboratory sessions take place.
- Interdisciplinary Teaching: Most courses focus on the intersections between management, technology, operations helping to approach real-world challenges from different perspectives and developing a truly interdisciplinary mindset.
- Intercultural Teams Work: Most courses offer team work in group projects in which learners can solve managerial and technological challenges in culturally diverse teams.
GENERAL ASSESSMENT POLICY AND PROCEDURES
Students will demonstrate their mastery of subject matter and attainment of program objectives through a combination of assessment schemes which include:
- a) tests, quizzes, and final exams
- b) laboratory and training reports
- c) term papers
- d) academic projects
- e) practical projects
- f) case studies and directed research
- g) Presentations
Assessments are specified based on constraints with wide flexibility given to faculty to use appropriate modes, types and methods of assessments. The constraints on assessments are as follows:
– No single assessment may contribute more than 40% of the total score. This means there must be at least 3 assessments.
– Every question or part of every assessment must be related to one or more Module Learning Outcome. If a question or part of an assessment must be related to more than one Module Learning Outcome then the relative contribution to each contributing Module Learning Outcome, expressed as percentage or as relative weights, must be identified.
– Attendance may not contribute more than 10% of the total score. The contribution of attendance to each Module Learning Outcome must be identified as a percentage or relative weight.
– Every Module Learning Outcome must contribute to at least 10% of the total score. This means that a module may not have more than 10 Module Learning Outcomes.
– The difficulty and length of assessments is identified by the instructor based on her or his experience. However, all solutions with grade distributions or expectations of performance on assessments will be provided by instructors and will be subject to internal review. The internal review is done every time a module has been offered and completed.
For the face to face, blended and online program, assessment pertaining presentations and assignments will be real time in live classes via online meeting/lecture software. Results will be uploaded on VLE and communicated during the class time (via video conference).
VLE and SIS system will be the main channels of the communication for student-tutor engagement. Technical support -ticketing system- will be available 24/7 in both platforms.
Pass mark 2.0/73%
GRADUATION REQUIREMENTS
In order to graduate with an MSc in Advanced Mechanical Engineering a student must have completed all modules listed below, with a cumulative GPA of 3.0/4. Students who complete the programme with a cumulative GPA of 3.5/4 or above, will graduate “with distinction”.
| GRADE | GPA POINT | GRADUATE PERCENTAGE SCORES |
| A | 4.0 | 90-100 |
| B+ | 3.7 | 85-89.99 |
| B | 3.5 | 80-84.99 |
| C+ | 3.0 | 75-79.99 |
| C | 2.0 | 70-74.99 |
| F | 0 | 0-69.99 |
COURSE STRUCTURE SAMPLE
Module/Unit Title | Compulsory (C) or Elective (E) | ECTS (Figures must be whole integers and with a value of at least 1 ECTS) | MQF Level of each module | Mode of Teaching (Lectures, workshop, placement, asynchronous, forums, VLE, etc.) | Mode of Assessment (Examination, assignment, project, blog, etc |
| ENR511: Research Methodology | C | 6 | 7 | Lectures, Tutorials | Projects |
| ENR511: Research Methodology | C | 6 | 7 | Lectures, Tutorials | Examination, Assessment |
| MEE512: Advanced Mechanics of Materials | C | 6 | 7 | Lectures, Tutorials | Examination, Assessment |
| MEE513: Contemporary Topics in Thermo-Fluids | C | 6 | 7 | Lectures, Tutorials | Examination, Assessment |
| MEE514: Rotating Machinery | C | 6 | 7 | Lectures, Tutorials | Examination, Assessment |
| ENR521: MSc Thesis I | C | 6 | 7 | Lectures, Independent Research | Presentation Report |
| ENR522: Engineering Seminars | C | 3 | 7 | Lectures, Independent Research | Report |
| MEE521: Computational Fluid Dynamics | C | 6 | 7 | Lectures, Tutorials, Computer Simulations | Simulation Reports |
| MEE522: Finite Element Analysis | C | 6 | 7 | Lectures, Tutorials, Computer Simulations | Simulation Reports |
| MEE523: Modern Engine Technologies | C | 6 | 7 | Lectures, Tutorials | Exam |
| MEE524: Experimental Techniques in Mechanical Engineering | C | 3 | 7 | Lectures, Lab Experiments | Exam, Lab Reports |
| ENR531: MSc Thesis II | C | 6 | 7 | Lectures, Independent Research | Presentation Thesis |
| ENR532: Operational Safety in Engineering | C | 6 | 7 | Lectures, Site Visits | Exam Assignment |
| ENR533: Sustainability & Engineering | C | 6 | 7 | Lectures, Tutorials, Independent Research | Exam Assignment |
| MEE531: HVAC | C | 6 | 7 | Lectures, Projects | Exam, Project |
| MEE532: Robotics & Automation | E | 6 | 7 | Lectures, Tutorials | Exam |
| MEE533: Mechanics of Composite Materials | E | 6 | 7 | Lectures, Tutorials | Exam |
Total ECTS | 90 ECTS |
FULL TIME MODE OF ATTENDANCE
OTHER QUALIFICATIONS
The post-graduate diploma is granted upon the completion of the first two semesters (60 ECTS). The components of the award are illustrated hereunder:
Post-Graduate Diploma in Mechanical Engineering
Credits: 60 ECTS
Level: MQF 7
ENR511: Research Methodology 6
MEE511: Advanced Fluid Mechanics 6
MEE512: Advanced Mechanics of Materials 6
MEE513: Contemporary Topics in Thermo-Fluids 6
MEE514: Rotating Machinery 6
ENR521: MSc Thesis I 6
ENR522: Engineering Seminars 3
MEE521: Computational Fluid Dynamics 6
MEE522: Finite Element Analysis 6
MEE523: Modern Engine Technologies 6
MEE524: Experimental Techniques in Mechanical Engineering 3