We all naturally have the desire for ourselves, family and friends to lead a long and increasingly healthy life, and some of the challenges healthcare services face include pressure to grow in capacity, as well as make advancements in the technology being used. Medical Engineers play a vital role in the healthcare sector from maintaining, developing, and improving the components in medical instruments, to identifying the best materials to use in prosthetics or joint replacements. So if you’re looking for a rewarding career that really makes a difference to people’s lives this course could be for you.

The course begins by covering the fundamentals of Mechanical and Electronic Engineering, so you’re confident in the basics. You’ll learn the necessities but from a healthcare perspective, learning about mechatronics and robotics.

Then in your second year we’ll introduce you to anatomy, specifically gait analysis, which is the study of joint biomechanics and the movement of the legs and feet during walking and running. You’ll look at material properties, learning how materials are selected to operate in the challenging environment of the human body. You’ll also learn how medical imaging technologies work, with hands on experience of X-Ray machines, CT scans and Ultrasonic technologies, which brings together both Electronic and Mechanical Engineering.

Human disease and injury will be covered in your third year, we’ll get you thinking about the consequences and potential diagnosis options. You’ll also look at the range of individualised medical devices, and their mechanical design techniques, which includes 3D printing solutions.

We want to help you go on to become a leader, so during the final year of your integrated Master’s you’ll study modules relating to management. We take a broader view of the commercial aspects of the industry, and you’ll study project management, as well as delving deeper into the range of technologies at the cutting edge of healthcare, for example, Virtual Reality (VR), robotics, the Internet of Things (IOT) and big data mining and analysis.

Placements

This course offers you the chance to undertake an optional placement in Year 3. A placement year helps you to build on the knowledge and skills developed on the course. You will be employed by the company for 12 months, but the actual number of weeks worked will be dependent on the annual leave entitlement you are given in line with the placement company’s policy.

The placement year is a valuable tool that can enhance your employability and help you to develop as an individual. It is acknowledged that graduates with industry experience are generally much more attractive to employers.

Our Placement Unit will be on hand to support you in finding suitable placement opportunities. They will assist you with preparing your CV and with interview techniques. They'll also be in contact with you during your placement so that you'll be fully supported while you gain the experience that employers value so highly. The Placement Unit team are regularly in contact with local and national companies.

You can find more information on placements here.

Alternatively, if you are a student from within the UK, you could consider starting your own small business by applying for the Enterprise Placement Year in conjunction with the University’s Enterprise Team. You’ll have the opportunity to benefit from business advice, mentoring and networking sessions. You can find out more information on the Enterprise Placement Year.

Your Career

As a graduate of this course, you may consider employment in a wide range of sectors including the automotive, construction, manufacturing, design, medical and electronics industries. You could consider roles such as software engineer, design and test engineer and lead engineer to name a few.

Additionally, you may gain skills that are transferable to other industries and may be able to pursue a career that requires a good honours degree. You could also go on to further study and the University has many options available for postgraduate study which may interest you.

* Percentage of graduates from this course who are in work and/or further study fifteen months after graduating (HESA Graduate Outcomes 17/18, UK domiciled graduates).