Masters degrees in Solid Mechanics offer advanced study of the mechanical and static properties of solid materials and objects.
Taught MSc degrees are typical for the field, though research oriented MRes and MPhil programmes may be available at some institutions. Entry requirements normally include an undergraduate degree in a relevant subject such as Mechanical Engineering or Physics.
Our Structural Engineering postgraduate programme is delivered by the Faculty’s own staff, together with practising engineers from consultancies and local authorities.
For practising engineers engaged in the planning, design and construction of structural engineering works, this programme provides an opportunity to update their knowledge of current design practice and to become familiar with developments in codes and methods of analysis.
You will be able to choose from a rich and varied selection of specialist structural engineering subjects. The programme is offered in the standard full-time mode, in addition to part-time and distance learning options.
Graduates from the programme are highly employable and may progress to relevant specialist PhD or EngD research programmes in the field.
This programme is studied full-time over one academic year and part-time or distance learning over two to five academic years. It consists of eight taught modules and a dissertation project.
This degree is accredited as meeting the requirements for Further Learning for a Chartered Engineer (CEng) for candidates who have already acquired an Accredited CEng (Partial) BEng (Hons) or an Accredited IEng (Full) BEng/BSc (Hons) undergraduate first degree.
Example module listing
The following modules are indicative, reflecting the information available at the time of publication. Please note that not all modules described are compulsory and may be subject to teaching availability and/or student demand.
Structural Engineering Group Modules
Bridge Engineering Group Modules
Geotechnical Engineering Group Modules
Construction Management Group Modules
Infrastructure Engineering Group Modules
Water and Environmental Engineering Group Modules
Dissertation
Apart from the usual full-time mode, there are also part-time options. The majority of Bridge, Geotechnical and Structural Engineering modules can be studied by distance learning through the use of an interactive web-based e-learning platform (SurreyLearn).
This programme can be studied via distance learning, which allows a high level of flexibility and enables you to study alongside other commitments you may have. Get further information about the details of our distance learning programme.
As part of your learning experience, you will have at your disposal a wide range of relevant software, including ANSYS, ABAQUS, DIANA, SAP 2000, Integer SuperSTRESS, LUSAS, CRISP, MATLAB, PertMaster DRACULA and VISSIM.
The programme aims to provide graduates with:
We often give our students the opportunity to acquire international experience during their degrees by taking advantage of our exchange agreements with overseas universities.
In addition to the hugely enjoyable and satisfying experience, time spent abroad adds a distinctive element to your CV.
This course is aimed at graduates with an honours degree or relevant professional experience who want to develop their understanding and skills as structural engineers.
The course meets the requirements for Further Learning for a Chartered Engineer (CEng) for candidates who have already acquired an Accredited CEng (Partial) BEng (Hons) or an Accredited Eng (Full) BEng/BSc (Hons) undergraduate first degree. See http://www.jbm.org.uk for further information.
The course is delivered via a combination of lectures, tutorials, design projects, computing sessions and laboratory demonstrations.
You will be encouraged to attend meetings of the professional institutions, where relevant topics are being discussed.
Where possible, pertinent site visits and guest lectures will be organised.
Coursework 42%, Examination 47% and Dissertation 11%.
Graduates of this course will be well equipped to meet the challenges of the modern structural engineering industry. They may occupy pivotal appointments in prestigious building schemes and the prospect of a challenging career to provide and protect the infrastructure that underpins society.
Graduates might typically work as a structural engineer in a design office or for an engineering consultancy.
Many of our graduates will go on to further study in our Engineering 2050 Research Centre.
The Engineering Research Centre brings together a wealth of expertise and international reputation in three focussed subject areas. Research at the centre is well funded, with support from EPSRC, TSB, DoH, MoD, Royal Society, European Commission, as well as excellent links with and direct funding from industry. Our research excellence means that we have not only the highest calibre academics but also the first class facilities to support the leading edge research projects for both post-graduate studies and post-doctoral research.
You will probably be part of our Civil Engineering Group in this Centre which carries out leading edge research in structural engineering, transportation engineering, geotechnical engineering and hydraulics.
The creation of modern buildings is a complex operation requiring professional skills from many disciplines. This course offers advanced training in the analysis, design and construction of structures in a variety of materials.
This MSc offers you the knowledge and expertise for a career as a consulting structural engineer within this specialist professional area of civil engineering. It is designed to provide specialist postgraduate professional development across the areas of steel, concrete and timber design, structural dynamics, and structural mechanics. It will provide you with a sound scientific, technical and commercial understanding of structural engineering issues and practice, while training you in engineering research methods in order to develop a range of related transferable skills. It will cover the diverse nature of structural engineering through the integration of knowledge from mechanics, materials, structural analysis and structural design. You will gain new advanced level skills in engineering theory and practice related to the management of structural engineering challenges.
Distinctive features
This course has a number of distinctive features:
A wide range of teaching styles will be used to deliver the diverse material forming the curriculum of the programme. You will attend lectures and participate in examples classes. All students must complete 120 credits in Stage 1 in order to progress to the dissertation, for which they are allocated a supervisor from among the teaching staff. Dissertation topics are normally chosen from a range of project titles proposed by academic staff, usually in areas of current research interest, although you are encouraged to put forward your own project ideas.
This course's graduate employment record is excellent, with the majority of graduates joining engineering consultancies.
Visit our website for more information on fees, scholarships, postgraduate loans and other funding options to study Erasmus Mundus Computational Mechanics at Swansea University - 'Welsh University of the Year 2017' (Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2017).
Swansea University has gained a significant international profile as one of the key international centres for research and training in computational mechanics and engineering. As a student on the Master's course in Erasmus Mundus Computational Mechanics, you will be provided with in-depth, multidisciplinary training in the application of the finite element method and related state-of-the-art numerical and computational techniques to the solution and simulation of highly challenging problems in engineering analysis and design.
The Zienkiewicz Centre for Computational Engineering is acknowledged internationally as the leading UK centre for computational engineering research. It represents an interdisciplinary group of researchers who are active in computational or applied mechanics. It is unrivalled concentration of knowledge and expertise in this field. Many numerical techniques currently in use in commercial simulation software have originated from Swansea University.
The Erasmus Mundus MSc Computational Mechanics course is a two-year postgraduate programme run by an international consortium of four leading European Universities, namely Swansea University, Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (Spain), École Centrale de Nantes (France) and University of Stuttgart (Germany) in cooperation with the International Centre for Numerical Methods in Engineering (CIMNE, Spain).
As a student on the Erasmus Mundus MSc Computational Mechanics course, you will gain a general knowledge of the theory of computational mechanics, including the strengths and weaknesses of the approach, appreciate the worth of undertaking a computational simulation in an industrial context, and be provided with training in the development of new software for the improved simulation of current engineering problems.
In the first year of the Erasmus Mundus MSc Computational Mechanics course, you will follow an agreed common set of core modules leading to common examinations in Swansea or Barcelona. In addition, an industrial placement will take place during this year, where you will have the opportunity to be exposed to the use of computational mechanics within an industrial context. For the second year of the Erasmus Mundus MSc Computational Mechanics, you will move to one of the other Universities, depending upon your preferred specialisation, to complete a series of taught modules and the research thesis. There will be a wide choice of specialisation areas (i.e. fluids, structures, aerospace, biomedical) by incorporating modules from the four Universities. This allows you to experience postgraduate education in more than one European institution.
Modules on the Erasmus Mundus MSc Computational Mechanics course can vary each year but you could expect to study the following core modules (together with elective modules):
Numerical Methods for Partial Differential Equations
Continuum Mechanics
Advanced Fluid Mechanics
Industrial Project
Finite Element Computational Analysis
Entrepreneurship for Engineers
Finite Element in Fluids
Computational Plasticity
Fluid-Structure Interaction
Nonlinear Continuum Mechanics
Computational Fluid Dynamics
Dynamics and Transient Analysis
Reservoir Modelling and Simulation
The Erasmus Mundus Computational Mechanics course is accredited by the Joint Board of Moderators (JBM).
The Joint Board of Moderators (JBM) is composed of the Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE), the Institution of Structural Engineers (IStructE), the Chartered Institution of Highways and Transportation (CIHT), and the Institute of Highway Engineers (IHE).
This degree is accredited as meeting the requirements for Further Learning for a Chartered Engineer (CEng) for candidates who have already acquired an Accredited CEng (Partial) BEng(Hons) or an Accredited IEng (Full) BEng/BSc (Hons) undergraduate first degree.
See http://www.jbm.org.uk for further information.
This degree has been accredited by the JBM under licence from the UK regulator, the Engineering Council.
Accreditation is a mark of assurance that the degree meets the standards set by the Engineering Council in the UK Standard for Professional Engineering Competence (UK-SPEC). An accredited degree will provide you with some or all of the underpinning knowledge, understanding and skills for eventual registration as an Incorporated (IEng) or Chartered Engineer (CEng). Some employers recruit preferentially from accredited degrees, and an accredited degree is likely to be recognised by other countries that are signatories to international accords.
On the Erasmus Mundus MSc Computational Mechanics course, you will have the opportunity to apply your skills and knowledge in computational mechanics in an industrial context.
As a student on the Erasmus Mundus MSc Computational Mechanics course you will be placed in engineering industries, consultancies or research institutions that have an interest and expertise in computational mechanics. Typically, you will be trained by the relevant industry in the use of their in-house or commercial computational mechanics software.
You will also gain knowledge and expertise on the use of the particular range of commercial software used in the industry where you are placed.
The next decade will experience an explosive growth in the demand for accurate and reliable numerical simulation and optimisation of engineering systems.
Computational mechanics will become even more multidisciplinary than in the past and many technological tools will be, for instance, integrated to explore biological systems and submicron devices. This will have a major impact in our everyday lives.
Employment can be found in a broad range of engineering industries as this course provides the skills for the modelling, formulation, analysis and implementation of simulation tools for advanced engineering problems.
“I gained immensely from the high quality coursework, extensive research support, confluence of cultures and unforgettable friendship.”
Prabhu Muthuganeisan, MSc Computational Mechanics
