Studying Mechanical Engineering

Most people are oblivious of the fact that we’re constantly surrounded by mechanical engineering of some sort, shape or matter. And it’s even harder to identify an aspect of our daily lives that hasn’t been touched by mechanical engineering. Mechanical engineers use their knowledge of materials, design and manufacturing to advance how we live too. They design and create everything from micro-sensors, medical devices, computers and car engines to robots, cook-stoves, sports equipment, airplanes to space programs and the list goes on.Machines come in all shapes and sizes, and for that reason, mechanical engineering can further be divided into various sub-disciplines.Automobile engineering would be an example of this.

Studying Mechanical Engineering in UK has its own merits. The UK is at the forefront of mechanical engineering teaching, learning and research. There are nearly 70 universities offering study programmes in mechanical engineering.

At the undergraduate level,you will get a general overview of mechanical engineering.

At the postgraduate level, you could choose to specialise in any of the sub-disciplines of mechanical engineering. Some of the most popular and in-demand specialisations are aerospace engineering, offshore engineering, turbine technology and nuclear engineering and so on.

Both at the undergraduate level and postgraduate level, students have options to undertake paid work placements spanning anywhere between a few weeks to one full year.

Salary and Career Prospects

There is a severe shortage of suitably qualified mechanical engineers in the UK. For the undergraduates the starting salaries are in range of £21,800 to £28,000 per annum (21 to 28 lakhs INR). Postgraduate students with more specialist skills and work experience earn nearly triple that figure, with median salaries around £62,000 (around 61 lakhs INR).

Mechanical engineers are employed by transport companies (Airbus, BMW, and Jaguar), electricity and power companies (EDF, British Gas), utilities (United Utilities), petroleum companies (Shell, BP), manufacturing (Mars, Unilever), the government and academia.

Why the UK?

The UK is a world-renowned seat of learning, teaching and research with 3 universities in top 10 and 7 in top 50 in THE World Rankings 2018. UK government is investing heavily in major engineering projects like HS2, Cross rail (rail projects) and Hinkley Point (nuclear power plants).

The UK is home to some of world’s most prestigious engineering companies like Rolls-Royce, Airbus, Siemens and Dyson.

It is possible for students to remain in the UK after finishing their studies provided they meet all the requirements.