YEAR 1
Year 1 introduces students to a variety of skills with the emphasis on visualisation and creativity. Throughout the session there is an underlying aim to show the importance of a Design Engineering Process and there are a variety of ‘design tool’ lectures and presentations to make students familiar and confident when applying a design engineering process. These include drawing and visualisation, aesthetics, form giving, presentation skills, CAD, creativity sessions, human factors. Workshop practice also plays a key role in first year, the academic and support staff endeavour to make students confident in this area.
YEAR 2
Second year students benefit from the introduction of Glasgow University staff in studio and the nature of this session reflects the practical and analytical design engineering challenges. One of these existing challenges is to Design, Build and Test a gravity powered downhill racer, this team activity takes place over terms 2 and 3 with an individual phase towards the end of term 3. The individual phase provides an opportunity to reflect and design a speculative concept based on a similar theme. Throughout the session, second year aims to enhance the skills gained in first year and introduces you to appropriate Materials and Manufacturing terminology, practice and the methods to apply these. The students also take part in visits to local Manufacturing sites.
YEAR 3
This year usually revolves around a core theme running across the two semesters. Previous sessions have seen studio project activity include titles, such as ‘personal transportation’, ‘inclusive design’ or ‘mechanisms’. There is an emphasis on group working for at least a part of the time, with small teams involved in research activity leading into the development and evaluation of ideas. The early part of the session is normally given over to a highly-focussed, ‘hands-on’ phase of activity, with the emphasis on designing-through-making. In this, students explore, through drawing and modelling, the value of an iterative design approach and develop a practical ability to evaluate and improve their designs. During this phase there are also brief but intensive teaching sessions covering various skills and techniques, including the development and enhancement of IT skills. A longer design project follows, which exploits the techniques learned in the first semester in greater depth. Throughout this level, a greater emphasis on individual working is encouraged, and students have the opportunity to develop their own speculative ideas beyond the limits of the original project brief. The continued practical studio experience also reinforces an understanding of the whole process of product development. This helps to establish the confidence necessary for progression to the more independent activity of fourth year. Depending on your ability to meet progression requirements at the end of third year, you can progress to either the BEng and complete their degree at the end of fourth year, or to MEng and complete your degree in a further two years of study, at the end of fifth year. The MEng is based either in Glasgow for years 4 and 5, or with the MEng Euro option, year 4 can be based in a partner institution abroad. This arrangement also allows exchange students to enter the fourth year MEng programme from abroad. The fifth year of the MEng is always based in Glasgow.
YEAR 4
MASTER OF ENGINEERING
The students at this level engage with two projects, one team-based and the other an individual project. At least one of these projects is run in collaboration with an industrial partner. A design and technology course is run at GSA for the MEng Year 4 students.
BACHELOR OF ENGINEERING
The students of the graduating years complete one individual design engineering project under the supervision of studio staff. The project is user-centred and based on real life issues, often in collaboration with industry, organisations and individuals. The major project is a unique learning experience based on best professional practise and which prepares the students for working in industry. The studio offers a great opportunity to practise and apply creativity and knowledge gained from the course within the constraints and demands of a real life project. In the studio and workshops, the students bring together all their creativity, design investigation and applied Design Engineering process. The output from this process is a design engineering folio which explores design visually, supported by a technical report. Models and prototypes are also produced to represent the product. A study trip to a centre of excellence in design, engineering and manufacturing is usually organised at the start of fourth year.
In addition to many excellent industry and professional contacts, the department offers a range of expertise gained across a wide spectrum of industry and academia, typified by the following project clusters:
- Domestic/ consumer products
- Environmental & renewables
- Emergency & Rescue
- Medical & Health care
- Lifestyle, sport and recreation
- Transport
