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Undergraduate Programme Specification

MEng Aerospace Engineering

Academic Year 2021/22

A programme specification is required for any programme on which a student may be registered. All programmes of the University are subject to the University's Quality Assurance processes. All degrees are awarded by Queen's University Belfast.

Programme Title MEng Aerospace Engineering Final Award
(exit route if applicable for Postgraduate Taught Programmes)
Master of Engineering
Programme Code AES-MENG UCAS Code H402 HECoS Code 100115 - Aerospace engineering - 100
ATAS Clearance Required No
Mode of Study Full Time
Type of Programme Undergraduate Master Length of Programme Full Time - 4 Academic Year(s) Total Credits for Programme 480
Exit Awards available

Institute Information

Teaching Institution

Queen's University Belfast

School/Department

Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering

Quality Code
https://www.qaa.ac.uk/quality-code

Higher Education Credit Framework for England
https://www.qaa.ac.uk/quality-code/higher-education-credit-framework-for-england

Level 7

Subject Benchmark Statements
https://www.qaa.ac.uk/quality-code/subject-benchmark-statements

The Frameworks for Higher Education Qualifications of UK Degree-Awarding Bodies
https://www.qaa.ac.uk/docs/qaa/quality-code/qualifications-frameworks.pdf

Engineering (2015)

Accreditations (PSRB)

Royal Aeronautical Society

Date of most recent Accreditation Visit 03-04-19

Regulation Information

Does the Programme have any approved exemptions from the University General Regulations
(Please see General Regulations)

None

Programme Specific Regulations

Progression

To progress from one stage to the next, students are normally expected to have passed 120 credits at the current stage.


Module Attempts

Each opportunity a student has to complete an assessment is counted as an attempt. So, for example, a May exam and an August resit during the same academic year would be counted as two attempts. Students that elect to miss an opportunity will be recorded as Absent and will still have it counted as an attempt. If the Board of Examiners grants an application for consideration of exceptional circumstances, submitted for a missed or failed assessment, this will not be counted as an attempt.

The number of times a student can attempt a module is subject to the following limits:

Stage 1, 2, 3 & 4 modules: 2 attempts

To progress to stage 3 it is necessary to pass the mandatory zero-credit Laboratory Programme 1 module (MEE1011), unless exceptional circumstances have been granted.

Transfer to the sandwich programme

Students may transfer to the corresponding sandwich programme if they have secured an appropriate one-year placement by 31st August.


Transfer to a BEng programme (Required)

MEng students must normally pass all modules after two attempts and maintain an overall weighted average of at least 55% at the end of stages 2 and 3.

Average marks will be rounded to the nearest integer and students who pass at resit will have these marks capped at 40% for the calculation of averages.

Students who fail to meet these requirements will be considered by the Board of Examiners and may be required to transfer to the corresponding BEng plan at any stage of their programme.


Transfer to a BEng programme (Requested)

MEng students may request a transfer to the corresponding BEng programme by contacting their Advisor of Studies. Transfer from MEng to BEng is available during stages 1 and 2. However, transfer to BEng during Stage 3 may not be possible because of project module incompatibility. Students wishing to transfer after commencing Stage 3 should contact their Advisor of Studies at the earliest opportunity.


Graduating with an MEng honours degree

Students must normally have passed all modules and achieved an overall weighted average of at least 50% to be awarded an MEng degree.

The classification of an MEng honours degree is based on a weighted average mark which is calculated as follows for students entering at Stage 1:
mark = 0.05*(Stage 1) + 0.15*(Stage 2) + 0.3*(Stage 3) + 0.5*(Stage 4)
For students entering at Stage 2, the weighted average mark is calculated as follows:
mark = 3/19*(Stage 2) + 6/19*(Stage 3) + 10/19*(Stage 4)

In order to be eligible for the award of MEng (Hons) Aerospace Engineering, students must additionally complete the Cranfield Flight Laboratory module AER2099.

Students with protected characteristics

N/A

Are students subject to Fitness to Practise Regulations

(Please see General Regulations)

No

Educational Aims Of Programme

To produce graduates who will:

• be pragmatic, taking a systematic approach and the logical and practical steps necessary for, often complex, concepts to become reality;

• seek to achieve sustainable solutions to problems and have strategies for being creative, innovative and overcoming difficulties by employing their skills, knowledge and understanding in a flexible manner;

• be skilled at solving problems by applying their numerical, computational, analytical and technical skills, using appropriate tools;

• be risk, cost and value-conscious, and aware of their social, cultural, environmental, health and safety, and wider professional responsibilities;

• be familiar with the nature of business and enterprise in the creation of economic and social value;

• appreciate the global dimensions of engineering, commerce and communication;

• be able to formulate and operate within appropriate codes of conduct, when faced with an ethical issue;

• be professional in their outlook, capable of team working, effective communicators, and able to exercise responsibility and sound management approaches.

Learning Outcomes

Learning Outcomes: Cognitive Skills

On the completion of this course successful students will be able to:

Select and apply appropriate mathematical, experimental and computational techniques for modelling and analysis of engineering problems.

Teaching/Learning Methods and Strategies

The ability to select and apply appropriate mathematical, experimental and computational techniques for modelling analysis of engineering problems is developed and nurtured throughout the course through a range of abstract and applied engineering analysis problems.

Methods of Assessment

Written Examination, Practical, Continuous Assessment, Project Work.

Use scientific principles in the development of engineering solutions to practical problems.

Teaching/Learning Methods and Strategies

At each level (Stage 1 – 4) students are given examples in all engineering courses on the application of appropriate tools to engineering problems. Problem solving pervades the degree with each individual discipline emphasising particular aspects.

Methods of Assessment

Written Examination, Practical, Continuous Assessment, Project Work.

Use scientific principles in the modelling and analysis of engineering systems, processes and products.

Teaching/Learning Methods and Strategies

Engineering problems commonly encountered in Aerospace will emphasise modelling and solution of problems using closed form and numerical methods.

Methods of Assessment

Written Examination, Practical, Continuous Assessment, Project Work.

Select and apply appropriate computer based methods for modelling and analysing engineering problems.

Teaching/Learning Methods and Strategies

Students are introduced through formal taught modules to a variety of computational methods for the solution of engineering problems, including Finite Element Analysis, Computational Fluid Dynamics and Computer Aided Design methods.

Methods of Assessment

Practical, Continuous Assessment, Project Work.

Analyse systems, processes and components requiring engineering solutions.

Teaching/Learning Methods and Strategies

Students are introduced to common Aerospace systems and components through formal lectures in Propulsion, Aircraft Systems Engineering, Aircraft Structures, Flight Mechanics, Aerodynamics and Design, with supporting methods of for analysis of increasing fidelity introduced and examined at each stage of the course.

Methods of Assessment

Written Examination, Practical, Continuous Assessment, Project Work.

Create new processes or products through synthesis of ideas from a wide range of sources.

Teaching/Learning Methods and Strategies

Students are introduced to the concepts requirements analysis and trade studies through both formal lectures and through aligned case studies and project work.

Methods of Assessment

Practical, Continuous Assessment, Project Work.

Evaluate commercial risk

Teaching/Learning Methods and Strategies

The concepts of risk and risk mitigation are developed in theory through Aircraft Design and Professional Studies modules, and applied within the context of practical engineering design activities in Aircraft Design and Projects.

Methods of Assessment

Written Examination, Practical, Continuous Assessment, Project Work.

Produce solutions to problems through the application of engineering knowledge and understanding.

Teaching/Learning Methods and Strategies

Through engineering problem solving, students are required to demonstrate multidisciplinary problem solving skills, including technical, commercial, legal and environmental impact of design. All MEng students participate in the Group Design project Aircraft Design 3, which requires all of these elements to be included in the final design specification.

Methods of Assessment

Practical, Continuous Assessment, Project Work.

Learning Outcomes: Knowledge & Understanding

On the completion of this course successful students will be able to:

Demonstrate competence in the application of numerical, experimental and computational methods

Teaching/Learning Methods and Strategies

Acquisition is through a combination of lectures, tutorials, practical exercises and course work in Stages 1 and 4.

Methods of Assessment

Written Examination, Practical, Continuous Assessment, Project Work.

Understand the underpinning sciences of aeronautics; basic and applied

Teaching/Learning Methods and Strategies

Acquisition is through a combination of lectures, tutorials, practical exercises, laboratory, flight test and project work in Stages 1 – 4.

Methods of Assessment

Written Examination, Practical, Continuous Assessment, Project Work

Understand and apply principles of ITC relevant to Aerospace Engineering

Teaching/Learning Methods and Strategies

Acquisition of ITC is achieved throughout the course through exercises and projects for relevant disciplines.

Methods of Assessment

Practical, Continuous Assessment, Project Work

Apply general principles of design to both Aerospace and general engineering project work

Teaching/Learning Methods and Strategies

General principles of design form an integral part of the course in all stages, through both taught modules to understand design principles and applied design project work (both individual and group).

Methods of Assessment

Practical, Continuous Assessment, Project Work

Understand the characteristics of engineering materials and components used in Aerospace

Teaching/Learning Methods and Strategies

Characteristics of engineering materials are introduced in Stage 1 through lectures, tutorials and laboratory work, with this theme followed through to Aircraft Structures 2 and 3 and Composite Structures in Stage 4.

Methods of Assessment

Written Examination, Practical, Continuous Assessment, Project Work

Understand management and business practices (including finance, law, marketing, personnel and quality)

Teaching/Learning Methods and Strategies

The acquisition of knowledge and understanding in management and business practices and related subjects (is achieved through lectures and project work at Stages 2 and 3, underpinned through Professional Studies 2 and 3.

Methods of Assessment

Written Examination, Practical, Continuous Assessment, Project Work

Demonstrate understanding of the professional and ethical responsibilities including the global and social context of engineering

Teaching/Learning Methods and Strategies

Students undertake formal taught modules in Professional Studies to gain appreciation of the professional and ethical responsibility of the professional engineer, and are required to demonstrate these principles through project work. Throughout the course students are encouraged to undertake independent reading both to supplement and consolidate what is being taught and learnt and to broaden their knowledge and understanding of the subject.

Methods of Assessment

Written Examination, Project Work

Understand manufacturing and/or operational practice

Teaching/Learning Methods and Strategies

Manufacturing and operational practice are introduced to students through lectures in Manufacturing Technology, Aircraft Design 2 and Manufacturing 3, and project work throughout the course.

Methods of Assessment

Written Examination, Practical, Continuous Assessment, Project Work

Understand and apply codes of practice and the regulatory framework

Teaching/Learning Methods and Strategies

Acquisition is achieved through design projects at stages 2 and 3, where specifications for student design are required to be based on FAR/JAR Regulations. Regulations pertaining to Health and Safety, Employment are introduced through Professional Studies modules in Stages 2 and 3.

Methods of Assessment

Written Examination, Practical, Continuous Assessment, Project Work

Understand and implement requirements of safe operation

Teaching/Learning Methods and Strategies

Practical skills form a core part of the degree programme, in keeping with the CDIO approach to engineering education, with a wide range of laboratory and practical design exercises embedded through the programme from Level 1 to Level 4 in order to understand and demonstrate principles of safe operation.

Methods of Assessment

Practical, Continuous Assessment, Project Work

Demonstrate competence in the application of numerical, experimental and computational methods

Teaching/Learning Methods and Strategies

Acquisition is through a combination of lectures, tutorials, practical exercises and course work in Stages 1 and 4.

Methods of Assessment

Written Examination, Practical, Continuous Assessment, Project Work.

Learning Outcomes: Subject Specific

On the completion of this course successful students will be able to:

Demonstrate skill in the use of appropriate mathematical methods for modelling and analysing discipline-specific engineering problems.

Teaching/Learning Methods and Strategies

Skills in are developed in individual disciplines where lectures, examples and laboratory work reinforce basic principles.

Methods of Assessment

Written Examination, Practical, Continuous Assessment, Project Work

Use relevant test and measurement equipment.

Teaching/Learning Methods and Strategies

Laboratories are used to reinforce learning at each stage, covering core competencies through the Laboratory programme in Stage 1, and further reinforced by subject specific laboratory work at Stages 2 and 3.

Methods of Assessment

Practical, Continuous Assessment, Project Work

Use of engineering IT tools (including programming languages where appropriate)

Teaching/Learning Methods and Strategies

Students are formally introduced to the principles and use of a range of IT tools, including Microsoft products, VBA, Matlab, CFD, FEA and CAD, as well as other specialist software as required.

Methods of Assessment

Practical, Continuous Assessment, Project Work

Design a system, component or process.

Teaching/Learning Methods and Strategies

Students undertake a number of design exercises at each stage of the course in order to develop and refine design skills through practical group case studies.

Methods of Assessment

Practical, Continuous Assessment

Test design ideas in laboratory or through simulation, with technical analysis and critical evaluation of results

Teaching/Learning Methods and Strategies

Aircraft design projects provide opportunities to test concepts first through analysis and simulation, and extended to physical test through Design-Build-Fly activities.

Methods of Assessment

Practical, Continuous Assessment

Research for information to develop ideas further.

Teaching/Learning Methods and Strategies

Students are introduced to the concepts of literature survey and research methods formally through Project 4.

Methods of Assessment

Practical, Continuous Assessment, Project Work

Demonstrate a range of project management skills.

Teaching/Learning Methods and Strategies

Students are expected to demonstrate project management skills through all project and group work throughout the course, including development of Gantt charts, work allocation models, work package planning, risk assessment, cost analysis and reporting.

Methods of Assessment

Project Work

Learning Outcomes: Transferable Skills

On the completion of this course successful students will be able to:

Manipulate and sort data

Teaching/Learning Methods and Strategies

Manipulation and sorting of data and presentation of data is illustrated and practiced through laboratory work, worked examples and tutorial problems, through all levels in the course.

Methods of Assessment

Practical, Continuous Assessment, Project Work.

Present data in a variety of ways

Teaching/Learning Methods and Strategies

Presentation of data is required at all levels of the course, both through written laboratory reports and technical documents through to oral presentations and interviews.

Methods of Assessment

Practical, Continuous Assessment, Project Work.

Use scientific evidence based methods in the solution of problems

Teaching/Learning Methods and Strategies

Use of scientific based methods is integrated at all levels and all courses. This is achieved through worked examples, lectures, tutorials and laboratory work.

Methods of Assessment

Written Examination, Practical, Continuous Assessment, Project Work.

Use general IT tools

Teaching/Learning Methods and Strategies

Competence in the use of IT tools is achieved initially through lectures and practical work in Stage 1 and 2 and is developed through small focused projects in other subjects. This is extended in Stages 3 and 4 to include the submission of significant group and individual technical reports and research work.

Methods of Assessment

Practical, Continuous Assessment, Project Work.

Use creativity and innovation in problem solving

Teaching/Learning Methods and Strategies

Creativity and problem resolution with contradictory information is attained predominantly through the design courses embedded in Stages 1 to 3 and through final year project work in Stage 4. At Stage 1 this relates to a smaller focused design problem but is developed through the stages via design projects for complete aircraft with broad specifications or in fields about which little is currently known.

Methods of Assessment

Practical, Continuous Assessment, Project Work.

Work with limited or contradictory information

Teaching/Learning Methods and Strategies

Worked examples are used to illustrate the engineering approach to the solution of problems and students are encouraged in this way throughout the course.

Methods of Assessment

Written Examination, Practical, Continuous Assessment, Project Work.

Communicate effectively

Teaching/Learning Methods and Strategies

Students are required to demonstrate their competence in communicating their ideas to a range of different audiences through their degree, ranging from written through to verbal communication, and to be able to understand what is most appropriate for the task in question.

Methods of Assessment

Practical, Continuous Assessment, Project Work.

Demonstrate key lifelong learning skills

Teaching/Learning Methods and Strategies

Through project and group work embedded at all stages of the programme, students develop skills in time management, project management, teamwork and leadership which are readily transferrable to all sectors. Challenging problems which require multidisciplinary approaches also engender the need for lifelong learning.

Methods of Assessment

Practical, Continuous Assessment, Project Work.

Module Information

Stages and Modules

Module Title Module Code Level/ stage Credits

Availability

Duration Pre-requisite

Assessment

S1 S2 Core Option Coursework % Practical % Examination %
Introduction to Aerospace Engineering 1 MEE1035 1 20 YES YES 24 weeks N YES 100% 0% 0%
Mathematics 1 MEE1001 1 20 YES YES 24 weeks N YES 40% 0% 60%
Mechanics of Materials 1 MEE1004 1 20 YES YES 24 weeks N YES 40% 0% 60%
Thermodynamics and Fluid Mechanics 1 MEE1018 1 20 YES YES 24 weeks N YES 40% 0% 60%
Dynamic Systems 1 MEE1008 1 20 YES YES 24 weeks N YES 40% 0% 60%
Engineering Design 1 MEE1027 1 20 YES YES 24 weeks N YES 100% 0% 0%
Professional Studies 2 MEE2005 2 10 YES 12 weeks N YES 100% 0% 0%
Aircraft Structures 2 AER2009 2 20 YES YES 24 weeks N YES 20% 0% 80%
Mathematics and Computing 2 MEE2029 2 20 YES YES 24 weeks N YES 100% 0% 0%
Manufacturing Technology 2 MEE2034 2 10 YES YES 24 weeks N YES 100% 0% 0%
Employability 2 MEE2098 2 0 YES 12 weeks N YES 100% 0% 0%
Laboratory Programme 1 MEE1011 2 0 YES YES 2 weeks N YES 50% 50% 0%
Aircraft Design 2 AER2013 2 20 YES YES 24 weeks N YES 100% 0% 0%
Aircraft Aerodynamics and Performance 2 AER2007 2 20 YES YES 24 weeks N YES 50% 0% 50%
Compressible Flow and Propulsion 2 AER2008 2 20 YES YES 24 weeks N YES 50% 0% 50%
Aerospace Flight Laboratory AER2099 2 0 YES 1 weeks N YES 100% 0% 0%
Avionic Systems 3 ELE3030 3 10 YES 12 weeks N YES 19% 0% 81%
Professional Studies 3 MEE3002 3 10 YES 12 weeks N YES 100% 0% 0%
Aircraft Design 3M AER3011 3 40 YES YES 24 weeks N YES 75% 25% 0%
Aeronautical Engineering 3 AER3008 3 20 YES YES 24 weeks N YES 60% 0% 40%
Computer-Aided Engineering 3 MEE3013 3 20 YES YES 24 weeks N YES 100% 0% 0%
Manufacturing 3 MEE3014 3 20 YES YES 24 weeks N YES 50% 0% 50%
Project 4 AER4002 4 40 YES YES 24 weeks N YES 100% 0% 0%
Mechanics of Aerospace Materials 4 AER4016 4 20 YES YES 24 weeks N YES 35% 5% 60%
Professional Studies 4 MEE4039 4 20 YES YES 24 weeks N YES 100% 0% 0%
Computer-Aided Engineering 4 MEE4023 4 20 YES YES 24 weeks N YES 100% 0% 0%
Manufacturing Automation & Simulation 4 MEE4019 4 20 YES YES 24 weeks N YES 50% 10% 40%
Aerodynamics 4 AER4018 4 20 YES YES 24 weeks N YES 50% 0% 50%

Notes