Compulsory modules

This module aims to develop the study, employability and research skills to meet the complex learning and professional requirements of postgraduate study. The module which is delivered through a blended approach brings together three discrete elements of study, employability and research skills. Learning content will be delivered through a combination of synchronous and asynchronous teaching provision.

Key aims include:

  • To deliver a series of high quality, interactive study skills and blended learning activities to provide students with a broad foundation to support their development within their chosen field.
  • To provide a series of skills to support students within their employability profiles.
  • To provide students with the opportunity to develop research skills for engineering and business, including data gathering and analysis skills and ethical awareness.
  • To provide students with the opportunity to develop effective communication skills for engineering and business, including skills synthesise complex scientific data to engineering and non-engineering audiences.

This module enables students to gain an in-depth understanding of lean and agile concepts in the manufacturing business, including its supply chains and distribution networks.

This module equips students from diverse engineering and technical backgrounds with the conceptual and analytical foundations to understand, evaluate, and reason about intelligent automation in the context of Industry 5.0.

Beginning with digital transformation and the connected, data-driven systems of Industry 4.0, the module establishes the technical and organisational landscape from which Industry 5.0 emerges. Students will develop a critical understanding of why human-centricity is not an ethical preference but a systemic necessity, and why the complexity this introduces particularly in robotic and collaborative systems defines the real challenges of deployment. Resilience and sustainability are treated as properties of well-designed sociotechnical systems rather than independent objectives.

The module develops the ability to analyse deployment contexts and make justified, evidence-based recommendations about whether, and how, intelligent automation serves genuine need.

This module aims to provide an understanding of the fundamentals of sustainable engineering practices, and develop cognitive skills to enable students to both assess, and suggest approaches to reduce the environmental impacts of engineering products, processes and systems.

This module aims to equip students with a comprehensive understanding of the principles and practices of effective people management, organisational behaviour, and leadership. The focus is on both strategic and operational aspects of managing people within organisations. Students will explore key concepts such as organisational culture, motivation, team dynamics, and leadership styles. Additionally, the module will delve into strategic human resource management, including talent acquisition, performance management, and employee development.

Regarding organisational behaviour, students will consider how organisational structures and processes influence behaviour and performance and relate these to the factors affecting the efficient running, survival, and growth of an organisation in a competitive market. By the end of this module, students will be able to critically analyse leadership theories and practices, develop strategies for effective team management and organisational change, and understand the ethical and social implications of leadership in a global context. In addition, they will be able to describe and critically evaluate strategies for the effective management and planning of human resources within an organisation.