Undergraduate study
     

Engineering

MEng (Hons) Instrumentation and Control Engineering

  • Length: 4 years full-time study or 5 years with work placement
  • Typical offer: 280-300 tariff points
  • Also available part-time
 

You would be hard pressed to go an entire day without encountering something which involves a sensor, instrument, computer or control system for automation designed and created by an engineer.

From everyday items such as traffic lights or automatic doors, to more complex systems like satellites, space shuttles and nuclear power plants, the uses for instrumentation and control technology are virtually endless.

Learn the intricacies of digital electronics and microprocessors, networks and linear control, to create dynamic engineering systems which have a range of applications.

According to information provided by www.prospects.ac.uk (2011) the range of typical starting graduate salaries for electronics/electrical graduates are £18,000-£29,000, with chartered electronics/electrical engineers earning typically between £35,000 and £50,000, with highly experienced engineers earning £65,000 plus. Salaries vary considerably according to location, the size of the employing organisation and the nature of its business.

Years 1, 2 and 3 include many of the same core modules as the BEng (Hons) Instrumentation and Control Engineering. In the final year of the MEng you study highly specialist modules at master’s level, with options such as smart sensors, engineering management, mechatronics and project management.

The MEng degrees from Teesside University are in the process of being accredited by the Institution of Engineering and Technology, and the Institute of Measurement and Control, meaning that you are closer to chartered status upon graduation.

What you study

Year 1 provides a broad foundation to the subject area. Year 2 builds on Year 1 and introduces more discipline-related subjects. Year 3 allows further specialisation and introduces the broadening and professional skills required for Chartered Engineer status. Your final year provides advanced study and consolidates the skills required by a professional engineer.

How you learn

You are expected to attend a range of lectures, small-group tutorials and hands-on laboratory sessions. Part of your course also involves a substantial research-based project.

The course has been designed to provide a number of contact teaching and assessment hours (such as lectures, tutorials, laboratory work, projects, examinations), but you are also expected to spend time on your own, called ‘self-study’ time, to review lecture notes, prepare coursework assignments, work on projects and revise for assessments. Each year of full-time study consists of modules totalling 120 credits and each unit of credit corresponds to ten hours of learning and assessment (contact hours plus self-study hours). So, during one year of full-time study you can expect to have 1,200 hours of learning and assessment.

How you are assessed

Your course involves a range of types of assessment including coursework assignments, laboratory work, presentations and tests.

Professional placements

If you decide to spend your third year on an industrial placement you will have the opportunity to gain relevant professional experience to enhance your technical knowledge which can improve employment prospects. In some cases graduates have gained employment with their placement company.

Professional accreditation

This programme was first launched in 2010 and in accordance with the rules of the professional bodies an application will be made to the Institution of Engineering and Technology for Chartered Engineer (CEng) level accreditation to cover students entering the programme from 2010 onwards.

Career opportunities

Instrumentation and Control graduates can be involved in activities such as:

  • the design and maintenance of multimillion-pound chemical plants and manufacturing plants
  • the development of advanced measurement and control systems
  • environmental analysis and monitoring.

They contribute to almost every area of modern manufacturing, service and financial industries. Graduates from this course have found employment worldwide in a range of industrial and contracting companies including ABB, BASF, BNFL, Honeywell, Tioxide, Kavaerner, Sabic and Huntsman.

Entry requirements

To enter Year 1, you're expected to have GCSE English (grade C or above) and good grades in maths and physics or a related subject at Level 3 (for example A level, BTEC ND, ACCESS, IB). We consider advanced entry directly into Year 2 if you have good grades in a Level 4 or 5 qualification (for example HNC, HND) in a related subject.

You're normally invited for an interview, when you can also see our excellent facilities and meet staff and students. You then receive an individual offer. If you can't come for an interview, a typical offer might be 300 tariff points including at least grade C or merit in Level 3 mathematics and a physics-related subject.

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Modules

Instrumentation and Control Engineering

Year 1 core modules

Year 2 core modules

Year 3 core modules

and the equivalent of one optional module

and one optional module

Final-year core modules

and two optional modules

and one optional module

Non-credit bearing optional modules

  • A foreign language: German, French, Spanish, Chinese (Mandarin)
  • In-sessional Academic English (for international students)
  • Professional Mentoring

You may select one or more of these modules.

+ Half modules

Modules offered may vary.