About Production Engineering And Operations Management Msc in Coventry University

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

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.

Ranked 3rd in the UK for the study of Mechanical Engineering (Guardian University Guide 2020), 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’.

You will be encouraged to become student members of the IET or IMechE and support presentations and activities by the regional committees. During the course, you will also systematically record achievement of professional competences, which is required along with an accredited degree programme to seek professional registration at either Chartered Engineer (CEng) or Incorporated Engineer (IEng) level. 

Why Coventry University?

An award-winning university, we are committed to providing our students with the best possible experience. We continue to invest in both our facilities and our innovative approach to education. Our students benefit from industry-relevant teaching, and resources and support designed to help them succeed. These range from our modern library and computing facilities to dedicated careers advice and our impressive Students’ Union activities.

Course information

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 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 study two 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 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 will also have access to our Institute for Advanced Manufacturing and Engineering (AME), which will 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. 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.

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 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 should 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.

We will actively encourage and support you to make the most of this demand and help to prepare you for the world of work. This includes support in finding placements and employment from our award-winning Faculty careers service, EEC Futures, which won the ‘Best Placement Service in the UK’ award at the National Undergraduate Employability Awards in 2015 and 2016. 

Our course provides 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.

Where our graduates work

Graduates on similar courses have gone on to secure roles in production engineering and manufacturing management. 

To enter this course you should have a first or second class honours degree in an appropriate discipline. However, entry qualifications are flexible and applications are welcomed for mature candidates and those with industrial experience.

English as a Foreign Language 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.

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