Coventry University - MSc Production Engineering and Operations Management

Coventry University

MSc Production Engineering and Operations Management

If you would like to pursue a managerial role in factory operations, this MSc in Production Engineering and Operations Management could help you take that next step up.

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Figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) show the UK’s industrial sector has increased by 1.4% a year since 1948. In our increasingly competitive global marketplace, modern manufacturing companies are being placed under even greater pressure to reduce the time and cost of producing high quality products. To respond effectively to these challenging market requirements, there is a growing demand for highly trained individuals with skills and expertise across engineering, business and management. This Master’s course is designed to meet that need, developing multidisciplinary production engineers capable of designing lean and competitive manufacturing facilities and delivering operational excellence.

Coventry University has a reputation for teaching excellence and a proud history of educating engineers who work in manufacturing across many different industry sectors – automotive, mechanical, process industries (e.g. cement), aerospace, consumer products and complex engineering systems. Our extensive industry links include Jaguar Land Rover, Nissan, MIRA, BAE System and Unipart, with whom we partnered to launch the £32 million Institute for Advanced Manufacturing and Engineering (AME) – the UK’s first ‘Faculty on the floor’.

Work placement option

This master's programme provides you with the additional option to apply for a 'work placement' opportunity during your first semester with us. The 'work placement', which if secured, can be carried out in the second year and is designed to further develop your skills, knowledge and professional experience with the aim of maximising your employability prospects. Please note that the optional placement modules incur an additional tuition fee of £4,000 payable on completion of placement.

Further information can be found under the ‘modules’ tab and on our work placement web page.

Please note that we are unable to guarantee any placement or study abroad opportunities and that any such opportunities referred to on this webpage may be subject to additional costs (e.g. travel, visas and accommodation etc.), competitive application, availability and/or meeting any applicable visa requirements. To ensure that you fully understand the requirements in this regard, please contact the International Office for further details if you are an EU or International student.

Entry Requirements

To enter this course you should have a minimum 2:2 honours degree in an appropriate engineering discipline such as Mechanical, Automotive, Motorsport, Manufacturing or Aerospace Engineering. However, entry qualifications are flexible and applications are welcomed from other technical disciplines, mature candidates and those with industrial experience for review by the course director.

This course requires IELTS of 6.5 overall, with no component lower than 5.5. Alternatively students may be admitted with IELTS 6.0 if they attend a compulsory five week pre-sessional English course, operated by Coventry University, before joining their master’s programme.

Career Prospects

Between 2010 and 2020, engineering companies have been projected to have 2.74 million job openings, of which, 1.86 million will require engineering skills.

Our partnership with the Unipart Manufacturing Group and our close links with a range of engineering companies ensures this course is highly vocational in nature, designed to produce ‘industry ready’ graduates. 

On successful completion of this course you should have developed as a manufacturing engineer and increased your knowledge of the application of technology and developed your business and management skills. You could go on to pursue a successful career in manufacturing industry in roles, which typically include manufacturing engineering, process planning, production planning, quality, systems improvement, projects and operations management.

Coventry University is committed to preparing you for your future career and giving you a competitive edge in the graduate job market. The university's Talent Team provide a wide range of support services to help you plan and prepare for your career.

Successful completion of this course can provide a route into many careers with the global engineering industry, including: manufacturing, project or process engineering; process planning; scheduling and control; logistics and supply chain management.

Course Details

Within the fast-moving 21st century global marketplace, retailers, wholesalers and consumers are demanding a greater variety of products more quickly and at the lowest possible cost. Concerns about the environment are also requiring companies across all sectors to be more accountable and socially responsible, particularly in waste management and reduction.

The overall aim of the course is to advance your abilities within the area of production engineering and operations management so you can assist manufacturing companies to meet these demands head on – achieving competitive advantage and making an impact on profits and sustainability.

We will encourage you to systematically and critically evaluate engineering design and process choices around materials, production technologies and production processes. You will then have the opportunity to design solutions to complex production engineering and operations management problems using 3D computer solid modelling and the latest industry standard software, interfacing with current leading production machines.

You will be required to study many of the more popular approaches being used to improve manufacturing processes with a view to making companies more productive and cost efficient, namely lean and agile manufacturing. Agile manufacturing is designed to respond to an environment of continuous and unanticipated change, focusing on the ability to generate a rapid response to unpredictable customer demand. It relies on capacity to reduce production cycles and requires the support of innovative staff and suppliers. Whereas lean operations, first adopted by Toyota Motors, refer to the operational techniques used to add value by maximising available resources and reducing wastage.

We also aim to cover some of the latest industry trends around automation techniques, including various robot types, robot programming, programmable logic controllers, sensors, vision systems, motion control, safety systems, and design for manufacture. You will have the opportunity to gain practical experience in on-line and off-line robot programming.

A distinct advantage of our course is its vocational nature. We use real-life case studies and examples from local and regional industries, including automotive, aerospace, mechanical and engineering services and their supply chain. For instance, supply chain optimisation, production enhancement and NPI (new product introduction). You may also have opportunities to access to the facilities of the Institute for Advanced Manufacturing and Engineering (AME), which can enable you to put your learning into practice, working on actual problems in partnership with Unipart to find solutions to current and emerging industrial challenges. Recent projects have involved learning about ‘light-weighting’ of automotive components and systems, for example, for high performance exhaust systems and fuel injection systems.

The course culminates with your dissertation, which provides an opportunity to apply the theories and techniques you have learned. It may focus on one area of study or involve a combination of subjects. In the past, students have considered topics such as comparison of industry across global sectors, introduction of ERP (enterprise resource planning) systems, innovation of methods and techniques from one industry sector to another, design of automation or robotics etc. Your project can be industry-based if you are already working or wish to gain an internship style industrial experience during the third semester (subject to application, additional costs and availability).  For example, solving specific production problems experienced by a company, investigating use of new technologies like 3D-printing, evaluating potential uses of new materials or production techniques or designing new systems or components for efficiency. With the programme being so closely related with AME, there may also be opportunities for involvement with ongoing UK or EU funded research projects run as part of the Institute’s normal research activities (subject to availability, application, meeting any applicable visa requirements and may incur additional costs). 

This course includes the Leading Strategic Change through Creativity and Innovation Professional Development module developed in partnership with the Chartered Management Institute.

Semesters without work placement pathway

Semester 1
Management of Quality
Global lean and agile operations
Computer aided design
Automation and robotics

Semester 2
Optimisation and simulation
New product introduction group
Project (will change to industry 4.0 and the engineering digital environment from sept 2021 intake)
Future and advanced manufacturing materials and technologies
Research methods and project introduction

Semester 3
Masters dissertation
Global professional development - consultancy (will change to leading strategic change through creativity and innovation from sept 2021 intake)

Semesters with work placement pathway

Semester 1
Management of Quality
Global lean and agile operations
Computer aided design
Automation and robotics

Semester 2
Optimisation and simulation
New product introduction group
Project (will change to industry 4.0 and the engineering digital environment from sept 2021 intake)
Future and advanced manufacturing materials and technologies
Research methods and project introduction

Semester 3
work placement (part one)

Semester 4
work placement (part two)

Semester 5
work placement (part three)

Semester 6
Masters dissertation
Global professional development - consultancy (will change to leading strategic change through creativity and innovation from sept 2021 intake)

*The information’s are correct at the time of publishing, however it may change if university makes any changes after we have published the information. While we try our best to provide correct information, It is advisable to call us or visit university website for up to date information.

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