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Study Manufacturing & Production Engineering, why & how to study

If you enjoy both analytical thinking with a creative approach, read on to see how Manufacturing & Production Engineering might be the degree for you.

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CONTENTS

  1. What’s Manufacturing & Production Engineering?

  2. What Manufacturing & Production Engineering degrees can you study?

  3. What do you need to get onto a Manufacturing & Production Engineering degree?

  4. What topics does a Manufacturing & Production Engineering degree cover?

  5. How will you be assessed?

  6. Why study Manufacturing & Production Engineering?

  7. What do Manufacturing & Production Engineering graduates earn?

  8. What jobs can you get as a Manufacturing & Production Engineering graduate?

  9. What are the postgraduate opportunities?

  10. Similar subjects to Manufacturing & Production Engineering

  11. Have any questions?

What’s Manufacturing & Production Engineering?

Manufacturing & Production Engineering is the process of turning raw materials into new products. It combines research, design and development to bring an analytical approach to creating new things effectively, efficiently and economically.

The subject area overlaps with other engineering fields, such as chemical engineering and material engineering. It also involves lots of management and organisation.

What Manufacturing & Production Engineering degrees can you study?

Undergraduate degrees in Manufacturing & Production Engineering include:

  • Digital Manufacturing Engineering BEng/MEng
  • Manufacturing and Mechanical Engineering BEng/MEng
  • Manufacturing and Production Engineering BEng
  • Manufacturing Engineering BEng/MEng
  • Product Design and Manufacture BEng/BSc

Options may include an integrated foundation year or master's, industrial placement year or a year abroad.

What do you need to get onto a Manufacturing & Production Engineering degree?

Most undergraduate Manufacturing & Production Engineering courses ask for 96–144 UCAS points. Not every university will base their offer on UCAS points, and some courses may have lower or higher requirements. Qualifications may include:

  • A Levels: A*AA– BCD
  • BTECs: D*DD–MMM
  • Scottish Highers: AAAA–BCCDD (Advanced Highers: AA)
  • International Baccalaureate: 38–32
  • Universities will usually ask that you have studied: maths A Level (or equivalent)

Other good subjects to have studied include:

  • Physics or engineering science may be required
  • Chemistry, design and technology, and further maths may also be preferred
  • General studies and critical thinking A Levels may be excluded from offers

Experience that would look good on your application:

  • Work experience or shadowing in a related sector, such as a plastics, paper, or food and drinks manufacturer
  • Further research on developments or topics of interest, such as in Engineering magazine, The Engineer, or podcasts
  • If eligible, STEM summer schools such as Sutton Trust or UNIQ

Other requirements for this subject include:

  • Pass in the practical element of science taken at A Level
  • Interview and entry assessments may be required by some universities

What topics does a Manufacturing & Production Engineering degree cover?

Typical modules for courses in this subject include:

  • Accounting, finance and law for engineers
  • Automation for manufacturing
  • CAD/CAM and simulation
  • Design and management of lean operations
  • Digital manufacturing processes and systems
  • Dynamics and thermodynamics
  • Electrical and electronic circuits
  • Engineering mathematics and data analytics
  • Lifecycle engineering for manufacturing systems
  • Properties and behaviour of engineering materials 

How will you be assessed?

Courses are assessed in a variety of ways, depending on the module:

  • Coursework
  • Essays
  • Exams
  • Group projects
  • Individual research projects
  • Presentations
  • Reports
  • A final year dissertation

Why study Manufacturing & Production Engineering?

Degree courses in Manufacturing & Production Engineering aim to give you a competitive edge in the graduate job market. Many are accredited by professional bodies such as the Institution of Engineering and Technology, allowing you to work towards becoming a Chartered Engineer soon after graduating. This helps boost your employability prospects and the likelihood of earning a high salary.

Career-specific skills:

  • Experience of using commercial engineering software and industry tools, techniques and testing equipment
  • Understanding of design and manufacturing processes, safety and sustainability, and lean manufacturing
  • Lab skills and the analysis of test data

Transferable skills:

  • Communication
  • Creative, critical and analytical thinking
  • Numeracy and IT skills
  • Planning
  • Problem solving
  • Project management
  • Team working

Professional accreditation:

  • Degrees may be accredited by the Institute of Engineering and Technology (IET) and Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE)
  • May include registration as an Incorporated Engineer (IEng), and partial registration as a Chartered Engineer (CEng)

What do Manufacturing & Production Engineering graduates earn?

The average entry-level salary for a Manufacturing & Production Engineering graduate is around £24,000.

As your career progresses, you could earn £31,650 as a junior engineer in manufacturing, rising to £50,500 for those with experience or a managerial role. Directors may earn upwards of £90,900. If you enter the food and drinks or consumer goods sector, average salaries are higher.

What jobs can you get as a Manufacturing & Production Engineering graduate?

Many graduates go into roles as manufacturing engineers or production engineers in a vast range of industries, such as plastics, aerospace, food and drink, consumer products, automotive and mechanical. Common graduate employers include Rolls Royce, Aston Martin and BAE Systems. Roles could include:

  • CAD/CAM/CAE engineer
  • Design engineer
  • Engineering manager
  • Field service engineer
  • Graphic designer
  • Lecturer
  • Manufacturing engineer
  • Product design engineer
  • Quality engineer

What are the postgraduate opportunities?

Postgraduate opportunities are open to those with a first degree in a STEM subject (science, technology, engineering or maths discipline). Examples of taught master’s and research degrees at postgraduate level include:

  • Advanced Manufacturing Engineering and Management MSc
  • Advanced Manufacturing Technologies MSc(Res)
  • Manufacturing Engineering PhD
  • Petroleum Production Engineering MSc
  • Production and Manufacturing Engineering PhD
  • Production Engineering and Operations Management MSc

Similar subjects to Manufacturing & Production Engineering

Other subject areas that might appeal to you include:

Have any questions?

Get in touch with our experts by emailing ask@thecompleteuniversityguide.co.uk with your question about studying Manufacturing & Production Engineering. We’ll be happy to hear from you!

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