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Why Engineering at Lancaster?
Discover what studying Engineering at Lancaster is like from our students and academics.
Practical hands-on courses including lab-based sessions and project work
Brand new state-of-the-art facilities
Get real-world experience with our placement years
This multidisciplinary, professionally accredited programme will allow you to benefit from hands-on experience and gain specialist knowledge in product design and integrated systems.
Mechatronic engineering is the study of systems that require a combination of mechanical, electronic and computer engineering, such as robotics, digitally controlled engines and self-driving cars. Our programme was the first of its kind in 1984 and continues to be so well regarded that many of our graduates go on to coordinate teams of engineers or move upwards into engineering management.
Your degree will begin with a common first year, where you will be taught a series of modules that are taken by all first-year engineering students. We will introduce you to many of the key features of engineering, equipping you with a well-rounded understanding and skill set and an appreciation for the interdisciplinary nature of the subject.
Following the first year, the Mechatronics programme never loses the interdisciplinary focus that modern engineering has become. You will continue with specialist modules in the areas of mechanical and electronic engineering, as well as subjects such as control. You will also have the freedom to pick modules most appropriate to your areas of interest.
During year two, you will gain experience in project management and complete a team project to design, build and test a small mobile robot, aimed at following a guided pathway while completing a set task. Previous examples have included transporting hazardous liquid waste, and dribbling a ball and scoring a goal.
On this programme, you may decide to spend a year in industry, gaining valuable experience and enhancing your employability. We have extensive links built through our leadership in research and have students undergoing placements with multinational corporate companies through to smaller specialist SMEs. We would recommend the most appropriate time to do this would be at the end of year two, once you have gained a reasonable amount of engineering knowledge.
As you progress into third year, the programme will begin to focus on more advanced technical material. Taught modules provide insight and understanding from some of the leading research we undertake, while the dissertation project will refine your analytical and technical skills. This will also provide you with an opportunity to practise programming and design, and gain valuable hands-on experience of the discipline. You will also benefit from our Engineering Management module, which will examine the role of management and its relevance to engineers today. This experience will be essential in preparing you for a graduate career.
The BEng course is accredited by the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET) on behalf of the Engineering Council for the purposes of fully meeting the academic requirement for registration as an Incorporated Engineer and partly meeting the academic requirement for registration as a Chartered Engineer. The degree is also professionally accredited by the Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE). Teaching is delivered by world-class academics and shaped by their outstanding research output. You will gain hands-on experience with access to cutting-edge facilities and an array of high-quality equipment in our state-of-the-art Engineering Building.
MEng Mechatronics
We also offer a MEng Mechatronics programme, which is accredited as meeting complete fulfilment of the educational requirements to become a Chartered Engineer. This programme provides further skills, knowledge and experience, with a focus on leadership and management. Students wanting to transfer to this programme must achieve a minimum threshold at the end of year two.
Full or partial CEng eligibility
Mechatronic engineers are experts in bringing together elements from mechanical and electronic engineering, control and automation, and as such, you are at the forefront of innovation in engineering. Your multidisciplinary skill set allows you to see the bigger picture of design and build projects, and your knowledge of engineering combined with technology makes you a highly desirable employee across many sectors. Our graduates have found careers in a range of industries, from automotive and aerospace, to robotics and energy – and some have even gone on to lead in their specialist field as academics. The ability to think creatively to solve problems, alongside experience gained managing projects and applying your practical and technical knowledge will make you a desirable employee for careers even beyond the scope of engineering. Graduates from our Engineering degrees are well-paid too, with a median starting salary of £29,000 (HESA Graduate Outcomes Survey 2023).
Here are just some of the roles that our BEng and MEng Mechatronic Engineering students have progressed into upon graduating:
Lancaster University is dedicated to ensuring you not only gain a highly reputable degree, you also graduate with the relevant life and work based skills. We are unique in that every student is eligible to participate in The Lancaster Award which offers you the opportunity to complete key activities such as work experience, employability/career development, campus community and social development. Visit our Employability section for full details.
A Level ABB
Required Subjects A level Mathematics and a Physical Science, for example, Physics, Chemistry, Electronics, Computer Science, Design & Technology or Further Mathematics.
GCSE Minimum of four GCSEs at grade B or 5 to include Mathematics at grade B or 6, and GCSE English Language at grade C or 4.
IELTS 6.5 overall with at least 5.5 in each component. For other English language qualifications we accept, please see our English language requirements webpages.
International Baccalaureate 32 points overall with 16 points from the best 3 Higher Level subjects including either:
Acceptable physical science subjects include Physics, Chemistry, Computer Science, and Design Technology
BTEC (Pre-2016 specifications): Distinction, Distinction, Merit in an Engineering related subject to include Distinctions in Mathematics for Engineering Technicians and Further Mathematics for Engineering Technicians units.
BTEC (2016 specifications): Distinction, Distinction, Merit in an Engineering related subject to include Distinctions in the following units – Unit 1 Engineering Principles, Unit 7 Calculus to Solve Engineering Problems. Unit 8 Further Engineering Mathematics is highly recommended.
We welcome applications from students with a range of alternative UK and international qualifications, including combinations of qualifications. Further guidance on admission to the University, including other qualifications that we accept, frequently asked questions and information on applying, can be found on our general admissions webpages.
Contact Admissions Team + 44 (0) 1524 592028 or via ugadmissions@lancaster.ac.uk
Lancaster University offers a range of programmes, some of which follow a structured study programme, and some which offer the chance for you to devise a more flexible programme to complement your main specialism.
Information contained on the website with respect to modules is correct at the time of publication, and the University will make every reasonable effort to offer modules as advertised. In some cases changes may be necessary and may result in some combinations being unavailable, for example as a result of student feedback, timetabling, Professional Statutory and Regulatory Bodies' (PSRB) requirements, staff changes and new research. Not all optional modules are available every year.
This module encourages students to analyse real-world problems, and to use a logical design path and tools and techniques such as 2D and 3D CAD, Failure Mode and Effect Analysis (FMEA), and Form over Function to arrive at a design that meets the initial requirements. Often working in teams, students will learn about the full product lifecycle, from customer requirements to design process and to product recycling/disposal. As well as the practical aspects of design and innovation, the module covers other skills such as marketing, packaging, completing a statement of requirements, and the human brain.
The module is based on exploration and discovery and evaluated through coursework alone. It also incorporates the ‘IMechE Design Challenge’, a ‘design-make-test’ competition held annually between North West universities.
The module starts with the fundaments of Ohm’s law and introduces the main laws and theorems necessary to understand direct and alternating current flow in a circuit, including Kirchoff’s laws and different simplification theorems. Every student will be able to reduce a circuit to its simplest form and carry out basic voltage and current split calculations.
The module provides students with an understanding of the role and main functions of the key component blocks in many state of the art electronic systems. The theory will be supported with case study applications, where students will look at systems such as the electric guitar, computer mouse, electronic fuel injection and the telephone. Students will gain a basic understanding of the limitations and headline specifications of these items including sensors, signal conditioning, analogue-digital conversion, processors and actuators, and following the flow of information through a typical system.
Students will learn how to perform the basic calculations that underpin the subject, and confidently analyse and solve engineering problems and design solutions.
Applying mathematics to real world problems is a key skill for engineers. This module introduces students to a range of mathematic techniques that can be directly applied to engineering problems. Amongst the topics covered, students will learn about indices and logarithms, as well as complex numbers to enable them to precisely describe an electrical current or signal. They will also learn to manipulate square matrices to find inverses and determinants, and will manipulate vectors to find scalar and vector products.
The mathematical methods used here are put to use in engineering practicals and projects. For example, topics related to matrices are used in the second year robotics project for transforming coordinate systems.
Calculus is a flexible technique that can appear almost anywhere in engineering, from the smallest integrated circuit to the largest nuclear power plant, and this is reflected across the range of modules that calculus features in.
This module provides a broader understanding of functions, limits and series, and knowledge of the basic techniques of differentiation and integration. Students will come to understand the meaning of a derivative, both algebraically and graphically. They will also appreciate the meaning of an integral, and be able to integrate expressions directly by parts and by substitution. From this, students will apply integration to calculate physical quantities, including the arc length of a curve, the area and centroid of a plane region and the surface area, volume and centre of mass of a volume of revolution.
This module introduces students to a further range of mathematic techniques that can be directly applied to engineering problems including the application of matrices, for solving simultaneous linear equations. Students will learn about the application of the Laplace transform, a powerful technique used in electronics, control and vibration analysis which transforms differential equations to a linear function. They will also discover iterative methods that provide extra opportunities to find solutions to equations.
On successful completion of this module, students will be able to use a range of mathematical techniques which will be of use in future engineering and mathematics courses. Techniques include Fourier series, simultaneous linear equations, eigenvalues, Laplace transforms and partial derivatives.
Many of the fundamental equations of engineering are written in the form of differential equations and so, this module teaches students the skills necessary to work with these. Students will learn both analytical and numerical techniques, which are of particular relevance to future engineering modules that analyse fluid and heat flow and temperature distribution.
Students will learn to verify that a given function is a solution of a specified first-order or second-order differential equation. They will also, when given an initial-value problem featuring different types of differential equations, find their particular solutions. The equations that will be examined include separable first-order differential equations, linear first-order differential equations, and homogeneous and non-homogenous linear second-order differential equations with constant coefficients.
Introducing a range of key aspects of chemistry that is relevant to engineers, this module addresses atomic and molecular structure. It focuses on chemical reactions and bonding, as well as thermodynamics, acid, based and redox reactions, the kinetics of reactions, and nuclear chemistry. Lectures featured in this module are supported by weekly, small group tutorials that are designed to illustrate the practical applications of the concepts learnt in the lectures.
Students taking this module will develop an appreciation for the importance of electrons in a variety of chemical reactions, such as corrosion and polymerisation. Additionally, the module will enhance students’ ability to balance such chemical reactions, predict the results of key reactions and perform a variety of calculations relating to the determination of reaction rates.
A key feature of today’s cutting-edge electronic technology is the storage of information and its processing. This module uncovers the basic engineering principles behind these critical requirements such as Boolean algebra, truth tables, Karnaugh maps, logic gates and memory circuits. Students will gain both the knowledge and the vocabulary with which to understand digital electronic systems together with the background necessary to appreciate what is likely to be possible in the future.
The module also looks at how analogue electronic components can be combined to perform simple logic functions and how these logic blocks can be combined to perform memory tasks. Students will develop this concept towards the principle of a processor and will learn about simple programmable devices and how these relate to the range of programmable solutions that are currently available.
Sensing and extracting signals from the real-world is a fundamental requirement of virtually all electronic systems. This module provides students with the background knowledge and understanding of the ways in which signals are captured from sensors, then amplified, and then fed into a data acquisition system. It includes work on circuits and networks and introduces the op-amp, which is a fundamental building block of many analogue circuits. Students will also gain an understanding of basic sensor characteristics and of signals, including how they can be represented in the time and frequency domains and how they can be manipulated with filters.
Students have an opportunity to build and test the operation of op-amp and sensor circuits in a dedicated electronics lab during the module.
The global energy sector is continually evolving, particularly around the development of sustainable and renewable energy sources, and this module provides an understanding of this field along with conventional power generation and utilisation. Primarily, students will learn about the fundamental aspects of fluid mechanics, thermodynamics, and chemical and nuclear reactions which are essential for those who wish to specialise in these fields.
Students will gain an understanding of the ways in which energy is captured from renewable sources and produced from fossil fuel reserves, as well as a detailed understanding of wind turbine design. The module covers how hydroelectric schemes, tidal barrages and wave energy works and teaches students to make numerate comparisons of the energy available from these sources compared with thermal and nuclear power stations.
Manufacturing is at the foundation of global prosperity and is a continually developing field. This module covers a wide range of manufacturing processes used in engineering from the well-established practices such as casting and moulding to modern, growing methods such as additive manufacturing. By the end of the module, students will have gained knowledge of a range of materials and ways of producing them as manufactured or part-manufactured components whilst estimating the cost of doing so.
The lectures are accompanied by hands on experience of machining, welding and material testing techniques in dedicated workshops. There will also be at least one industrial visit to see manufacturing processes in action (most recently Jaguar Land Rover).
The human skeleton, a suspension bridge and a car chassis are examples of structures that are designed to transmit forces from one place to another. To do this safely and efficiently it is important to adopt the right arrangement of load-bearing components and to use materials with appropriate strength and stiffness. In this module, students will learn about structural forms and beam theory and will develop their ability to analyse engineering problems by calculating internal stress of components in tension, compression and bending, and by applying the Euler buckling theory. As a result, students will gain an appreciation of designing simple engineering structures to achieve the required strength and stiffness for a wide range of manufactured products.
Practical sessions will be delivered in our labs and students will work in groups to design, build and test efficient steel box beams to withstand a set load. The exercise comprises application of the analysis techniques learnt in lectures, an element of creative design, sheet metal fabrication and testing, and a final written project report including analysis of the failed beam.
Focusing on the fundamental aspects of process engineering, this module aims to equip students with an understanding of basic processing terminology such as batch, semi-batch, continuous, purge and recycling. There will be a review of processes, along with flow diagrams, process variables and units, and students will become familiar with the mass balance of non-reactive systems, including general material balance of a single-unit operation and multiple-unit operations.
This module will allow students to assign process variables, units and economics; students will develop knowledge of industrial processes along with a working understanding of phase equilibrium thermodynamics to chemical processes. A range of vapour-liquid equilibria, covering the level rule, ideal solutions, Raoult’s Law, Henry’s Law, volatility and relative vitality, will be approached in detail on the module.
Control is about making engineering devices work efficiently and safely. This module gives students the ability to programme to a level where they are able to solve everyday engineering problems, such as controlling the movement of a robot arm. They will gain the ability to use functions, arrays and pointers, and will be able to manipulate strings, format the input/output and carry out basic mathematical calculations.
The fundamentals of structuring and writing a computer programme are included and students will gain experience at interfacing with practical engineering systems such as a motor. The module will be particularly relevant to students with an interest in robotics, computing and control.
This module considers a range of material in the wider business development area. Students are encouraged to think with creativity, entrepreneurial flair and innovation. Practical sessions allow students to demonstrate their progress on a weekly basis through idea generation, peer presentations, elevator pitches and formal presentations. The module is accompanied by a number of external industrial speakers who have been successful in their own business endeavours and are keen to pass on that knowledge.
Students will become familiar with a rich mixture of experiential learning opportunities, that develop a wide range of transferable skills in the context of engineering entrepreneurship. The module will focus on the development and use of business plans and marketing strategies. Students will prepare a business plan, discuss team dynamics and the requirements for entrepreneurial activity. Additionally, the appropriate terminology to use when developing business projects will be explored. Students will discuss relevant aspects of company finance, uncertainty in business ventures and techniques for analysing markets. They will also examine frameworks for marketing and structuring a business plan and will develop the ability to analyse potential markets and sources of funding.
Whilst alternating topic focus, this module explores RF engineering and electromagnetic processes in general. Students will gain knowledge of RF engineering, the decibel scale, and will explore complex number review. Additionally, the module will cover AC circuit analysis, and will provide complex representation of waves and transmission lines, along with seminars in RF transmission of data and basic RF receiver architectures.
The electromagnetic portion of the module will cover Electrostatics, including electric charge, electric field, electric flux density and electrostatic potential. Students will develop knowledge of inverse square law of force, dielectric polarisation and permittivity, as well as capacitance, energy storage, parasitic capacitance and electric screening.
Students will develop the level of understanding necessary to describe the concepts of potential, charge, field and capacitance, and will learn to apply Ampere, Faraday and Coulomb law. Students will also gain an understanding of ferromagnetic materials, and will develop the necessary skillset to calculate the magnitude and direction of the electric field strength, as well as discussing Gauss theorem and the relationship of electric flux to electric charge. Finally, students will be able to carry out noise calculations for RF systems, calculate component values and transmission line dimensions to match impedances, and will gain knowledge in the application of Smith charts to analyse an RF circuit.
This module introduces students to numerate aspects of engineering. It is designed to provide students with a broad and flexible array of mathematical methods for the analysis of data and signals. It also intends to illustrate the essential role of computing in the application of these skills. Students will use calculus for the analysis of trigonometric, non-linear, polynomial and exponential functions, and will sketch multivariable functions with a relation to engineering on three-dimensional Cartesian axes.
Additionally, students will evaluate the significance of differential equations in the description of an engineering system and will apply methods such as Laplace, integration and substitution to find the solution of these equations. They will also develop the ability to analyse systems in both the time and frequency domain using Fourier and Laplace transformations. Students will learn to apply the spectrum of approximate methods that exist for finding the roots of equations, definite integrals and linear approximations.
The matrix representation of coefficients and their correspondence will be applied to arrays in software, including the use of manipulations such as the inverse matrix. Students will use the concept of least squares analysis in order to assess the consistency of data. Finally, they will develop the ability to use a software package such as Excel for multivariable analysis of a given function and to produce appropriate graphical outcomes.
This module introduces the subject of structural and stress analysis, and also covers mechanical vibrations. Students will develop an understanding of the physical behaviour of structural components and their design with reference to stress and deformations. They will also engage with mathematical and physical models for the analysis and design of statically indeterminate structures. In addition, the module encourages students to quantitatively analyse the behaviour of oscillatory systems with one or more degrees of freedom.
Students will learn to discuss the meaning and significance of the terms natural frequency, resonance and damping in relation to vibrating systems. They will also find the natural frequencies and, when there is more than one degree of freedom, the corresponding mode shapes for such systems. Students will gain a working knowledge of the essentials of mounting a machine so that only small force amplitude is transmitted into the foundation. An awareness of how an accelerometer works will be developed, including its advantages and disadvantages, and how to use it to measure vibration. Additionally, students will gain the ability to carry out two dimensional stress and strain transformation calculations, and will be able to calculate maximum shear stresses in shafts and beams subject to shear loads.
Students will be introduced to a range of key concepts in engineering project management and will put some of these into practice by means of an interdisciplinary group project. This module aims to motivate students to produce and test a functional electro mechanical machine to meet a given specification for example, the development of a mobile robot which follows a line. Students will develop a range of skills including, the ability to describe a mechanical/electrical system at the block diagram level, identifying its power and signal flows and writing an overall performance or functional specification. They will also acquire the knowledge necessary to integrate the functional requirements with other needs such as maintainability, safety, manufacturability, environmental impact and regulatory compliance. The requirements for interface management including spatial, mass, environment, control, failure modes, and energy, will also be discussed.
Additionally, students will develop the skill set required to prepare an interface management plan for a complete project and interface specifications for the subsystems/components. They will discuss the project lifecycle including specification, design, manufacture, commissioning, maintenance, modification and disposal. Finally, students will apply the principles of validating the design of a complex system using analysis, sample testing, type testing, commissioning, system tests and acceptance.
This module is designed to enhance students’ understanding of system dynamics and feedback at the block diagram level, by providing tools for the analysis of linear single degree freedom systems. Students will gain the ability to use appropriate instrumentation for feedback and data-logging purposes. The module will enable students to interface devices such as memory, digital IO and analogue IO to a microprocessor or microcontroller. They will also discover how to access such devices from within a program using C and/or Assembler.
On successful completion of this module, students will be able to develop single degree freedom models for simple mechanical, electric and electromechanical systems. They will also be able to discuss the assumptions necessary to develop such linear models and have an awareness of nonlinear and chaotic systems. Additionally, students will develop the ability to analyse 1st and 2nd order models in both the time and frequency domain, including vibrations and asymptotic stability. They will write down the transfer function of a system from its differential equation and understand the significance of the poles/zeros.
Further skills available on the module include the ability to manipulate block diagrams of open and closed-loop systems and the design of proportional, integral, derivative, velocity and multi-term controllers. Finally, students will construct and use Bode diagrams, and will develop the knowledge required to analyse the function and physical operation of a range of common types of transducer, e.g. for the measurement of strain, force, temperature and acceleration.
This module will enhance students’ knowledge of heat transfer calculations and aims to outline where these are essential to engineering design. Students will develop an understanding of electric power systems, including the characteristics of the main types of electric machine. In addition, they will gain the ability to estimate steady-state heat transfer rates and will be able to size simple parallel and contra flow heat exchangers. They will also develop the level of understanding required to estimate temperature distributions within 1-D or rotationally symmetric systems in which there is steady heat flow, as well as correctly sizing cooling fins.
Students will set up appropriate boundary conditions for 3-D heat conduction problems that are to be solved numerically using a software package and will estimate the time it takes for a thermal system to reach a steady state. Finally, they will be able to perform calculations to predict the performance of a single-phase induction motor and will be able to analyse the starting, speed and torque control methods used on induction motors.
This module will introduce digital logic design targeting programmable logic devices, in particular FPGAs: Field-Programmable Gate Arrays. Student will look at major steps involved in modern digital logic design development such as simulation, time and hardware resources optimisation, and floorplanning. The preferred programming language will be VHDL while target FPGA devices will belong to the Xilinx family. Students will gain practical experience of a widely employed vendor specific software development environment, such as Xilinx ISE 10.1 or Mentor Graphics ModelSim.
Additionally, the module introduces fundamental skills in digital logic design programming, development implementation and debugging, and students are given the opportunity to understand and use the concept of parallelism, along with developing instincts as to what design approach should be adopted, depending on the targeted application. Students will also acquire experience in using FPGA devices which are fundamental in ASICs development and verification.
On successful completion of the module, students will develop the ability to design digital logic circuits for a range of applications. They will apply state-of-the-art digital logic design development and verification methods, and will learn to use the most prevalent programming language in digital design for Programmable Logic Devices (PLDs), i.e. VHDL. Students will also gain the knowledge necessary to discuss PLDs in general and FPGAs in particular, including the major steps involved in digital circuit design development and implementation. Finally, students will gain the level of understanding required to use practical skills gained from hands-on experience of FPGAs containing development boards.
Introducing the fundamentals of materials engineering, this module addresses a range of topics including atomic bonding, the origins of the elastic models and elastic and plastic deformation mechanisms in crystalline materials. In addition, the module explores defects and crystalline imperfections, strengthening mechanisms in crystalline materials, Fe-C system and non-equilibrium phase transformations.
It will also address the effects of wear such as the nature of surfaces, describing and measuring surface form, static and kinetic friction, adhesive and abrasive wear regimes, and mechanical design. This section of the module will look at combined loadings, thin walled theory, yield criteria and failure mechanisms. Students will gain an understanding of the manufacturing processes and surface finish, tolerances, limits and fits, and will work with standard components such as rolling bearings, plain bearings and seals.
Students will develop the ability to classify the fundamental types of solid materials according to bond type, energy and physical properties. They will also learn to describe the unit cell types adopted by industrially significant metals, and will gain familiarity with the use of direction and Miller indices as a method of describing planar symmetry, and the crystallographic basis of anisotropy. Additionally, the module will enhance students’ ability to describe fundamental materials concepts of solid solutions, point defects, dislocations and atomic diffusion. Finally, students will develop an understanding of how finite element analysis is able to supplement the engineering design process, and will be aware of the need to validate the results of a finite element analysis.
Students will learn how to process signals using techniques such as Fourier transforms, sampling, discrete time and space domains, and digital filtering, putting their knowledge into practice in MATLAB software which equips students with comprehensive knowledge of digital code used in engineering environments.
This module develops students’ ability to analyse engineering problems by creating and designing solutions to meet real-world industry needs through a combination of critical thinking and hands-on practical skills.
Students will be equipped with a wide range of skills to determine the most appropriate sampling and filtering methods for processing signals whilst also developing their ability to write computer programmes for data analysis, creating recommendations and designing solutions.
This module examines the role of management and its relevance to engineering today. In this context, specific knowledge about manufacturing systems and project financial appraisal will be introduced, together with relevant aspects of law and human resource management, industrial organisation and project costing. Students will receive an outline of company finance and reporting, along with an overview of environmental reporting, quality and safety management.
The module will reinforce students’ understanding of the role of management in industry, as well as how modern manufacturing operations are organised financially. Students will financially evaluate both large and small projects as the basis for major decisions, and will develop knowledge of what quality is and its importance to all organisations. Additionally, students will apply suitable tools for the improvement of quality, and will come to understand the importance of environmental reporting. The module will also enable students to carry out a basic level of safety management.
The aim of this module is to give students experience in managing a research project and help them develop an in depth knowledge of a specific, specialist area of their subject. Students will have the opportunity to learn professional software, research, design or experimental skills consistent with their subject. They will be assigned a project title and a project supervisor who will guide and advise them throughout the project. The project involves the production of a literature review, project plan, an oral presentation, a final report and a poster.
The module will offer different outcomes depending on which topic students choose to work on. For example, they can gain knowledge of the scientific principles and methodology necessary to underpin their education in the engineering discipline.
Students can also acquire the ability to apply and integrate their understanding of other engineering disciplines, to support the study of their own engineering discipline. Alternatively, students are offered the opportunity to gain an understanding of engineering principles and the ability to apply them to analyse key engineering processes.
There will be an opportunity for students to apply quantitative methods and computer software, relevant to their engineering discipline, to solve engineering problems. On the other hand, students may decide to strengthen their understanding of customer and user needs and the importance of considerations such as aesthetics. They could also take the opportunity to reinforce their workshop and laboratory skills.
Students will develop skills in analysing some commonly occurring machine elements during this module. Discovering how these devices work to support and transmit force and load, leads to better decision making in their selection and use as a machine component, either individually or as part of a more complex assembly.
Over the course of the module, students will develop the level of skill required to establish the geometry of contacts between bodies, including relative radii of curvature. They will be able to estimate stresses and loads between bodies at such contacts, and will understand how to carry out calculations on involute gear geometry. Additionally, students will learn to carry out calculations involving gear trains including efficiency and inertia considerations, and will gain the knowledge necessary to estimate the load capacity of plain (hydrodynamic) bearings. They will also develop their understanding of how loads are carried by bolted joints.
This module aims to provide all students with a firm understanding of mechatronic and robotic systems. The robotics elements of this course encompass a wide range of robotics fundamentals, as well as an introduction to advanced topics including artificial neural networks, fuzzy systems and future challenges in vision systems. A real-time programming challenge is set to enable Bradley, a bipedal robot to walk. Students will be encouraged to consider the practicalities of selecting drive systems with respect to key engineering principles relating to pneumatic and hydraulic systems, exploring the benefits and disadvantages of fluid power systems and application of these to advanced robotics and automation.
This module aims to equip students with comprehensive knowledge and understanding of power electronics and applications by learning methods of converting and inverting voltage signals and how to use them to drive electric motors. As electric vehicles and renewable sources of power are becoming increasingly important, the module will also cover applications in electric power utilities and renewable power, including wind and solar.
Students will develop an understanding of scientific principles and methodology of power semiconductor devices, power electronic converters, dc/ac motor drives and the applications and needs for high power electronic switches/converters in the electric power utility industry.
On completion of this module, students will be equipped with industry knowledge to apply their skills to meet real world engineering needs with confidence and professional and ethical responsibility.
This module provides fundamental understanding of the principals involved in the design and analysis of complex mechanical systems. The aim of this module is to develop students’ skills and abilities in mechanics, particularly in relation to mechanisms and linkages, balancing of rotating and reciprocating machinery and inertia forces in mechanisms. Students will gain experience in kinematics and kinetics of mechanisms, including velocity diagrams and instantaneous centres. Additionally, the module will introduce rigid body dynamics and motion described in various co-ordinate systems, along with balancing rotating and reciprocating equipment.
This module will enable students to use principles of forces and moments equilibrium (with inertia forces) to estimate the forces acting on rigid bodies that are accelerating in two dimensions. They will also use kinematic principles to relate displacements and velocities of points on linkages of rigid bodies. Additionally, the module will enhance the ability of the students to find the location of instantaneous centres in a linkage. They will then learn to apply the instantaneous centre method to investigate the velocities of points on a linkage.
Students will learn how to find the velocity of any point of selected planar mechanisms using velocity diagrams and the velocity image theorem. They will also develop the necessary knowledge to find the acceleration of any point of selected planar mechanisms using acceleration diagrams and the acceleration image theorem. Finally, students will apply the idea of energy conservation to ideal systems.
Our annual tuition fee is set for a 12-month session, starting in the October of your year of study.
Our Undergraduate Tuition Fees for 2024/25 are:
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£9,250 | £28,675 |
It will be necessary for students to purchase clothing for use in laboratories which is approximately £30. The University pays for student membership of the Institute of Engineering and Technology where appropriate plus contributes to specialist software and workshop materials.
There may be extra costs related to your course for items such as books, stationery, printing, photocopying, binding and general subsistence on trips and visits. Following graduation, you may need to pay a subscription to a professional body for some chosen careers.
Specific additional costs for studying at Lancaster are listed below.
Lancaster is proud to be one of only a handful of UK universities to have a collegiate system. Every student belongs to a college, and all students pay a small college membership fee which supports the running of college events and activities. Students on some distance-learning courses are not liable to pay a college fee.
For students starting in 2023 and 2024, the fee is £40 for undergraduates and research students and £15 for students on one-year courses. Fees for students starting in 2025 have not yet been set.
To support your studies, you will also require access to a computer, along with reliable internet access. You will be able to access a range of software and services from a Windows, Mac, Chromebook or Linux device. For certain degree programmes, you may need a specific device, or we may provide you with a laptop and appropriate software - details of which will be available on relevant programme pages. A dedicated IT support helpdesk is available in the event of any problems.
The University provides limited financial support to assist students who do not have the required IT equipment or broadband support in place.
In addition to travel and accommodation costs, while you are studying abroad, you will need to have a passport and, depending on the country, there may be other costs such as travel documents (e.g. VISA or work permit) and any tests and vaccines that are required at the time of travel. Some countries may require proof of funds.
In addition to possible commuting costs during your placement, you may need to buy clothing that is suitable for your workplace and you may have accommodation costs. Depending on the employer and your job, you may have other costs such as copies of personal documents required by your employer for example.
The fee that you pay will depend on whether you are considered to be a home or international student. Read more about how we assign your fee status.
Fees are set by the UK Government annually, and subsequent years' fees may be subject to increases. Read more about fees in subsequent years.
You will be automatically considered for our main scholarships and bursaries when you apply, so there's nothing extra that you need to do.
You may be eligible for the following funding opportunities, depending on your fee status:
Unfortunately no scholarships and bursaries match your selection, but there are more listed on scholarships and bursaries page.
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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.
The information on this site relates primarily to 2024/2025 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.
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.
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