BE(Hons) - Mechanical Engineering as a specified programme
The Bachelor of Engineering with Honours is the basis for a professional career in engineering, and at Waikato you're provided with plenty of opportunities to apply what you’ve learnt in real-life work situations.
Mechanical engineering uses mechanics and energy principles to design, research, develop and manufacture tools, engines, motors and other devices. At the University of Waikato we align what you learn with what industry requires.
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Key information
| Years: | 4 |
|---|---|
| Points: | 480 |
| Start Dates: | Semester A (February) and Semester B (July) |
| Fees (Domestic): | $7,580 (approx) per year |
| Fees (International): | $35,700 per year (any of years 1-3) |
| Entry Requirements: | Undergraduate International |
| Faculty: | |
| *Tuition fees shown are indicative only and may change. There are additional fees and charges related to enrolment please see the Table of Fees and Charges for more information. You will be sent an enrolment agreement which will confirm your fees. | |
Career opportunities
- Aeronautical Engineer
- Agricultural Engineer
- Automation Engineer
- Energy Engineer
- Equipment Prototype Engineer
- Materials Engineer
- Mechanical Engineer
- Process Engineer
- Product Developer
- Project Manager
Degree Planner
Degree planner — BE(Hons) in Mechanical Engineering
If no point value is listed, papers are worth 15 points. This structure applies to study starting in 2019.
Year 3
Programme Elective
(see footnotes)
Programme Elective
(see footnotes)
Year 4
Programme Elective
(see footnotes)
Programme Elective
(see footnotes)
Programme Elective
(see footnotes)
- Compulsory
- Stream
- Programme Elective
- Placement
Papers
Papers available within Mechanical Engineering
The Mechanical Engineering programme combines papers in mechanical engineering, science and mathematics to give graduates a good balance between intellectual rigour and engineering practice. This typically prepares graduates for employment in industry and a wide range of other careers. During the first three years, the curriculum includes engineering design as a major theme, which integrates papers in engineering science. In the final year students specialise in areas such as advanced product development and undertake a major design or laboratory-based project.
Mechanical Engineering is available as a specified programme for the BE(Hons).
To complete the specified programme in Mechanical Engineering, students must follow the following programme.
Year 1
Students must take the following papers: ENGEN101, ENGEN102, ENGEN103, ENGEN110, ENGEN111, ENGEN112, ENGEN170 and ENGEN180.
Year 2
Students must take the following papers: ENGEN201, ENGEN270, ENGEN271, ENGME221, ENGME251, ENGME280, ENGMP211 and ENGMP213.
Plus 15 points of electives from their chosen elective path: COMPX203 or ENGCB224.
If you are studying the Diploma in Engineering Professional Practice, concurrent with the BE(Hons), you must complete ENGEN272 (in place of ENGEN271).
Year 3
Students must take the following papers: ENGEN301, ENGEN370, ENGEN371, ENGME352, ENGME353, ENGME380 and ENGMP313.
Plus 30 points of electives from either ENGCB223, ENGCB321, or ENGMP311 or ENGME357, ENGME323.
If you are studying the Diploma in Engineering Professional Practice, concurrent with the BE(Hons), you must complete ENGEN372 (in place of ENGEN371).
Year 4
Students must take the following papers: ENGEN570, ENGEN582 and ENGME580.
Plus 30 points of electives (with no more than one 300 level paper): ENGCB321, ENGEV341, ENGCB521, ENGCB523, ENGEN585, ENGME540, ENGME557, ENGMP511, ENGMP512 and ENGMP513.
100 Level
| Code | Paper Title | Occurrence / Location |
|---|---|---|
| ENGEN101 | Engineering Mathematics 1A | 20A (Hamilton), 20A (Tauranga) & 20B (Hamilton) |
| A study of the fundamental techniques of algebra and calculus with engineering applications. | ||
| ENGEN102 | Engineering Mathematics 1B | 20B (Hamilton), 20B (Tauranga) & 20C (Hamilton) |
| A further study of the fundamental techniques of algebra and calculus with engineering applications. Includes an introduction to relevant statistical methods. | ||
| ENGEN103 | Engineering Computing | 20A (Hamilton), 20A (Tauranga) & 20G (Hamilton) |
| This paper introduces computer programming in languages such as Python. It provides the basis for the programming skills required in more advanced papers. | ||
| ENGEN110 | Engineering Mechanics | 20A (Tauranga), 20B (Hamilton) & 20X (Hamilton) |
| Statics and dynamics of rigid bodies. Application of freebody diagrams and equations of equilibrium to calculate internal and external forces and moments on/in structures and mechanisms. Kinetics and kinematics of particles. Geometric properties of areas. | ||
| ENGEN111 | Electricity and Electronics | 20A (Hamilton), 20B (Tauranga) & 20X (Hamilton) |
| Students are introduced to underlying concepts in electricity such as current, voltage and power, and apply these concepts in a laboratory by making circuits and measuring them with common laboratory instruments. | ||
| ENGEN112 | Materials Science and Engineering | 20B (Hamilton) & 20B (Tauranga) |
| Introduction to engineering materials (metals, ceramics, polymers, composites, semiconductors and biomaterials) and their atomic structure and mechanical properties. Includes; elastic and plastic deformation, fracture mechanisms, failure in service, iron-carbon phase diagram, redox reactions in corrosion, production of polymers, ce... | ||
| ENGEN170 | Engineering and Society | 20B (Hamilton) & 20B (Tauranga) |
| Introduction to the role of engineering in society in particular understanding of Treaty of Waitangi, history of science, engineering and technology, philosophy and ethics and public participation, participatory design, sustainability. | ||
| ENGEN180 | Foundations of Engineering | 20A (Hamilton) & 20A (Tauranga) |
| Introduction to the engineering design process and computer aided design, fundamental principles of engineering analysis, open ended problem solving, engineering economics and the skills of a successful engineer. Includes a design-build-test experience. | ||
200 Level
| Code | Paper Title | Occurrence / Location |
|---|---|---|
| ENGCB223 | Fluid Mechanics | 20B (Hamilton) |
| Basic principles of fluid statics and dynamics, including fluid viscosity, Bernoulli and mechanical energy equation, momentum analysis, dimensional analysis, flow in pipes, ducts and channels, and external flow over objects. | ||
| ENGCB224 | Heat and Mass Transfer | 20B (Hamilton) |
| This paper covers the fundamentals of heat and mass transfer analysis, including conduction, heat convection, radiation, molecular diffusion and mass convection. Finned surfaces and heat exchangers are also covered. | ||
| ENGEN201 | Engineering Mathematics 2 | 20B (Hamilton) |
| Calculus of Several Variables and its Applications. Vector calculus (Green's, Gauss' and Stokes' theorems). Taylor's Theorem in n dimensions. Introduction to ordinary differential equations and methods to solve them. | ||
| ENGEN270 | Engineering and Business | 20A (Hamilton) |
| This paper focuses on empowering students to become “business savvy” and prepared to enter the workplace and solve real-world problems. Topics covered include; team formation, design thinking, Lean Canvas, project management, Agile, risk management, project finance, professional ethics, preparing for the workplace, and business... | ||
| ENGEN271 | Engineering Work Placement 1 | 20X (Hamilton) |
| First work placement involving 400 hours of work experience at an approved engineering organisation relevant to your studies. Typically undertaken during the summer semesters at the end of second year. | ||
| ENGEN272 | Engineering Work Placement 1 | 20X (Hamilton) |
| First work placement for the DipEPP involving 400 hours of work experience at an approved engineering organisation relevant to your studies. Typically undertaken during the summer semesters at the end of second year. | ||
| ENGME221 | Engineering Thermodynamics | 20A (Hamilton) |
| This paper covers the fundamental concepts and laws of thermodynamics, including thermodynamics properties of substances, first and second law analysis, power cycles, refrigeration cycles and simple combustion analysis of engines. | ||
| ENGME251 | Dynamics and Vibration | 20B (Hamilton) |
| This paper covers dynamics of rigid bodies and fundamentals of vibration. Topics in rigid body dynamics are planar kinematics, mass moment of inertia, and planar kinetics including force, acceleration, work, energy, impulse and momentum. Vibration topics include single, two, multi-degree of freedom vibration systems and forced vibr... | ||
| ENGME280 | Design and Manufacturing 1 | 20B (Hamilton) |
| The paper focuses on the principles of fundamental manufacturing processes and engineering design methods. Practical aspects of selected major manufacturing processes via workshop and practical sessions give students the opportunities to build up their practical skills and apply their theoretical knowledge to solving practical prob... | ||
| ENGMP211 | Materials 1 | 20A (Hamilton) |
| This paper will provide a foundation for understanding the relationship between material structure, processing and behaviour to support engineering of materials and engineering with materials. | ||
| ENGMP213 | Mechanics of Materials 1 | 20A (Hamilton) |
| Calculation of displacements (translations or rotations) and stresses in skeletal structural members (bars, beams and shafts). Stresses in structural connections. Critical loads of struts under standard boundary conditions. Transformation of normal and shear stresses through use of Mohr's circle. | ||
300 Level
| Code | Paper Title | Occurrence / Location |
|---|---|---|
| ENGCB321 | Thermal Engineering | 20B (Hamilton) |
| Application of engineering thermodynamics to steady and unsteady industrial processes, including, steam boiler systems, advanced power and refrigeration cycles, cooling towers and plant utility systems | ||
| ENGEN301 | Engineering Mathematics 3 | 20A (Hamilton) |
| Introduces numerical methods and statistical ideas relevant to Engineering. | ||
| ENGEN371 | Engineering Work Placement 2 | 20X (Hamilton) |
| Second work placement involving 400 hours of work experience at an approved engineering organisation relevant to your studies. Typically undertaken during the summer semesters at the end of third year. | ||
| ENGEN372 | Engineering Work Placement 2 | 20X (Hamilton) |
| Second work placement for the DipEPP involving 400 hours of work experience at an approved engineering organisation relevant to your studies. Typically undertaken during the summer semesters at the end of second year. | ||
| ENGEN390 | Special Topics in Engineering 1 | 20X (Hamilton) |
| An independent theoretical literature or experimental investigation of an engineering topic supervised by a member of staff. | ||
| ENGEN391 | Special Topics in Engineering 2 | 20X (Hamilton) |
| An independent theoretical literature or experimental investigation of an engineering topic supervised by a member of staff. | ||
| ENGEV341 | Environmental Engineering 2 | 20B (Hamilton) |
| This paper covers the design, operation and management of unit processes used in environmental engineering including air, water, wastewater, storm water, waste, soils and noise treatment and control systems. | ||
| ENGME352 | Control and Applications | 20A (Hamilton) |
| This paper teaches students the theory and application of control in mechanical and electrical systems. This paper covers the introduction of s-domain and plane, open and closed-loop control, PID control, digital control, root locus and frequency response analysis. | ||
| ENGME353 | Mechanical and Electrical Machines | 20A (Hamilton) |
| This paper builds on the fundamentals taught in ENGEN110, ENGEN111 and ENGEN180; it covers application of electromechanical machine characteristics in drive design, selecting suitable power sources and matching transmission components. Problem-based learning is used in conjunction with experimentation to compare theory to real mach... | ||
| ENGME357 | Mechatronics Design | 20B (Hamilton) |
| This paper teaches students the basics of mechatronics with advanced theory of control and analysis. This paper covers theory of microcontrollers, state space, basic programming for obstacle avoidance, path planning and navigation of mobile robots. | ||
| ENGME380 | Design and Manufacturing 2 | 20B (Hamilton) |
| This paper uses problem and project based learning methods to help students gain knowledge and skills in design and manufacturing. Students will be taught how to apply dirty prototyping to a design project, and use modern manufacturing methods to design and produce a complex machine. | ||
| ENGMP311 | Materials 2 | 20B (Hamilton) |
| It will develop understanding of the relationship between material structure, processing and behaviour to support engineering of materials and engineering with materials. | ||
| ENGMP313 | Mechanics of Materials 2 | 20B (Hamilton) |
| Advanced level knowledge on mechanics and performance of materials, covering stress and strain transformations, failure criteria, unsymmetrical bending, torsion of non-circular sections, fatigue, materials selection and materials testing. | ||
500 Level
| Code | Paper Title | Occurrence / Location |
|---|---|---|
| ENGCB521 | Advanced Process Control | 20A (Hamilton) |
| This paper covers the fundamentals of process control, and introduces advanced process control strategies. | ||
| ENGCB523 | Advanced Energy Engineering | 20B (Hamilton) |
| Application of engineering thermodynamics, process integration and pinch analysis to energy systems including renewable energy systems and energy storage, small and large industrial utility systems with and without cogeneration, distributed and smart energy systems, and green buildings. | ||
| ENGEN508 | Master's Capstone Project | 20X (Hamilton) |
| This paper requires students to carry out a theoretical or empirical investigation in a relevant subject/engineering discipline and write a report on the findings of the investigation. | ||
| ENGEN570 | Engineering and the Profession | 20D (Hamilton) |
| The roles and responsibilities of professional engineers are examined. Topics include; project management, leadership, negotiation, ethical responsibilities, legal duties, Treaty of Waitangi, intellectual property and professional communication. | ||
| ENGEN582 | Honours Research and Development Project | 20D (Hamilton) & 20X (Hamilton) |
| This is the final year Honours, research and design "capstone" project. | ||
| ENGEN583 | Special Topics in Engineering 3 | 20X (Hamilton) |
| An independent theoretical literature or experimental investigation of an engineering topic supervised by a member of staff. | ||
| ENGEN584 | Special Topics in Engineering 4 | 20X (Hamilton) |
| An independent theoretical literature or experimental investigation of an engineering topic supervised by a member of staff. | ||
| ENGEN585 | Special Topics in Engineering 5 | 20X (Hamilton) |
| An independent theoretical literature or experimental investigation of an engineering topic supervised by a member of staff. | ||
| ENGEN586 | Special Topics in Engineering 6 | 20X (Hamilton) |
| An independent theoretical literature or experimental investigation of an engineering topic supervised by a member of staff. | ||
| ENGEN587 | Directed Study 1 | 20X (Hamilton) |
| Students have the opportunity to pursue a topic of their own interest under the guidance of academic staff. | ||
| ENGEN588 | Directed Study 2 | 20X (Hamilton) |
| Students have the opportunity to pursue a topic of their own interest under the guidance of academic staff. | ||
| ENGEV542 | Waste Minimisation Engineering | 20A (Hamilton) |
| Design of processes for the handling, recycling, reuse, treatment and disposal of domestic and industrial solid wastes including treatment plant sludges, assessment and modeling of gaseous emissions, odour, particulates, and air pollution control systems. | ||
| ENGME506 | Mechanical and Mechatronics Systems Analysis | 20A (Hamilton) |
| This paper covers the principles of mechanical and mechatronics engineering analysis that is divided into design, control and mechanics of materials. Students will learn design processes, PID control, root locus and frequency response analysis, failure theory, unsymmetrical bending and thick pressure vessel theory. | ||
| ENGME540 | Finite Element Analysis | 20A (Hamilton) |
| Theory of finite elements analysis using variational methods. Numerical modelling for finding the stresses and displacements of bars, beams and plates, and the temperature distribution of 1D heat transfer. Matlab code development assignment for simpler problems and assignments using commercial software to solve more complicated pro... | ||
| ENGME557 | Robotics | 20B (Hamilton) |
| This paper teaches students the advanced mechatronics with application to mobile and industrial robotic applications. This paper covers filtering techniques such as Kalman filter, autonomous navigation and path planning and integration of techniques to mobile and robotic applications. | ||
| ENGME580 | Product Innovation and Development | 20A (Hamilton) |
| ENGME580 teaches students the innovation and product development process; levels of innovation, how to screen ideas, Intellectual Property and how to develop a Business Plan. Students will be required to start with a basic product brief, produce a product idea, design and develop a prototype and 'pitch' it to 'investors'. | ||
| ENGME586 | Industrial Technology and Innovation 2 | 20B (Hamilton) |
| ENGME585 with ENGME586 are interdisciplinary courses to help students understand what is involved in technology innovation and management through readings, assignments and discussion sessions. It is designed to be interactive and will draw upon students' experiences derived from industrial placements and/or involvement with a techn... | ||
| ENGMP512 | Advanced Materials Manufacture | 20A (Hamilton) |
| This paper deals with advanced materials science knowledge and principles underlying materials engineering. It focuses on the relationships between processing conditions and microstructures of materials and major materials processing technologies. | ||
Scholarships and prizes
Selected scholarships for Mechanical Engineering students.
New to Waikato? The International Excellence Scholarship is worth up to $10,000.
Brian Perry Charitable Trust Undergraduate Scholarship in Science & Engineering Closed
For students who are enrolled in the second year of full-time study towards an undergraduate degree, in the Faculty of Science and Engineering at the University of Waikato. The scholarship will have a value of up to $3,000.
DairyNZ Masters Scholarship Closed
For students who are enrolled in the final year or have completed a Bachelors degree in Science, agricultural science, agricultural business or economics and are eligible to enrol in a masters degree at a New Zealand University. Up to three scholarships of $30,000 will be available each year + tuition fees.
Looking for more scholarships?
Practical experience
Expand to read practical experience
Work placements are a major feature of the Mechanical Engineering programme and you will complete 800 hours of relevant work experience during your degree.
Our Cooperative Education Unit actively seeks and oversees your industrial work placement, ensuring a good fit for your area of study and career goals, and monitoring the quality of your work experience. They are the leader in New Zealand for co-operative education programmes, with an average of 350 students placed in the industry every year.
By the time you graduate you will have the credibility of paid experience to take to your interviews.
Subject links
Study years 1 and 4 in Tauranga
Contacts
Faculty of Science & Engineering
Phone:
Email: contact-hecs@waikato.ac.nz
Website: sci.waikato.ac.nz
Facebook: facebook.com/WaikatoScienceEngineering