Master's Degree in Mechanical Engineering

The skills developed during the Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering are very wide. They are based on a common formation, the choice of a specialising field and the progressive and coordinated organization of personal works.

The common core programme provides a background in solid and fluid mechanics, in machinery, in heat transfer and in design/production.

One third of the training is customised by the choice of one of three specialising field:

• The Controlled Systems focus allows to get into design of automated and mechatronic systems focusing on advanced integration of components from different technologies. The focus is mainly on continuous industrial processes and electronic controls.
  
• The Energy and Power Systems focus considers rational management of energy and on sustainable development. With this training, the engineer can play a vital role in the control of various processes for production, conversion and transmission of power and energy while reducing their harmful effects. This field directly benefits from the research done by the Energy Cluster.
  
• The Machine Design and Production Engineering focus provides an additional training in the design, production, operation and maintenance of mechanical systems in traditional industrial sectors. In particular, ones can notice courses offered in computer-aided kinematics and dynamics and in reliability of industrial plants. This training is linked to the Risk Cluster of the FPMs.

Personal work and professional experience amount to 40% of the total study load. This enables integration and gradual application of skills acquired throughout the curriculum. In addition to the master thesis, the student in mechanical engineering carries out a second major personal assignment under the form of a project in the final year.

This work, associated to the specialising field, enables to put into practice the specific skills of the specialization. It places the student in the position of the engineer who is assigned mission defined by industry.

The master thesis contributes to research and development training and is a specific feature of engineering education.

For example, among the various personal works, ones can find the following topics:

• Study, design and manufacture of a vehicle for the Shell Eco-Marathon  competition;
  
• Simulation and vibration behaviour of a tennis racket ;
  
• Design, manufacture and development of a gyro-stabilised platform for radio-controlled helicopter performing aerial videos ;
  
• Study, design, manufacture and development of a robot for  robotics cups;
  
• Experimental and numerical study of the improvement of heat transfer in spray cooling ;
  
• Improving vehicle efficiency (hybridation)  ; 
  
• Development of a simulation model of refrigeration plants; 
  
• Modeling, analysis and optimisation of flysurf sails.

Mechanical Engineering students can stay in a foreign institution in order to achieve part of their studies. Thus, each year some students carry out  their Master thesis in the context of student exchange programmes  such as Socrates-Erasmus (University of Stuttgart, Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne, INSA Lyon, Trinity College Dublin, Heriot-Watt University, Ecole Centrale de Nantes, Chalmers University of Technology in Gothenburg) and CIME (Laval University, Quebec). Others choose to obtain a double degree by spending two years in another institution of the TIME network (SUPAERO, Ecole Centrale de Lille, Universidad Politecnica de Madrid) to which FPMs belongs.

In the context of these international exchanges, FPMs also hosts foreign students in the framework of their Master's degree in Mechanical Engineering.

By the end of their programme in Engineering Sciences, the master graduates will be able to:

• Demonstrate expertise and versatility in the sciences and technology
  
• Formulate and analyse complex problems
  
• Adopt an applied scientific approach
  
• Innovate
  
• Implement solutions
  
• Plan and carry out projects in engineering
  
• Work in and lead a team
  
• Master scientific and technical communication
  
• Practice interpersonal communication appropriate to each context
  
• Be a critical, reflexive and independent professional
  
• Be a responsible person, in step with the stakes of society

By the end of this specific course programme, the students will be able to:

• Master the basic principles governing the mechanics of solids and fluids, heat transfer and energy, the dynamic and vibrating behaviour of systems and the operation of machinery;
  
• Master the graphical modes and the techniques of representation of objects;
  
• Design and optimize mechanical systems or  complete processes;

For the focus on Machine Design and Production Engineering

• Design and define the optimal sizing of mechanical systems;
  
• Develop and operate units of mechanical production and ensure their maintenance and the quality control.

For the focus on Energy and Power Systems

• Design and operate processes for production, conversion and transmission of power and energy;
• Ensure sound management of energy in industrial processes.

For the focus on Controlled Systems

• Design and pilot mechatronic or automated systems;
  
• Incorporate and control components from different technologies, in varying operating conditions.

The Mechanical Engineering graduate from the FPMs is a generalist who has a wide range of skills and is therefore appreciated as a researcher and developer, designer, producer and manager of machinery, equipment and systems.

He or she naturally finds his place in mechanical manufacturing industries in which he or she is required to develop new equipment (engines, vehicles, machinery, robots, ...). Within design offices, he or she takes part in the design of complete mechanical systems in response to client needs. He or she conceives their automatic steering with feedback systems to be adapted to varying operating conditions.

In research and development, the mechanical engineer contributes to the creation of new products or processes. This activity is particularly important in leading sectors such as aerospace, aeronautics, automotive, biomedical...

The production engineer is responsible for the production of goods and equipment. He or she implements its technical expertise and its skills in organizational problems. In the energy field, he or she provides innovative solutions in the design and optimisation for production and conversion of energy systems.

The maintenance engineer is responsible for the availability of manufacturing units.

Mechanical engineers are also employed to perform other varied functions. If initially, mechanical engineers are recruited on account of their technical skills, the evolution of their career often leads them to take more responsibility for management and organization.

The Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering provides a professional qualification. The majority of graduates directly orient their activity towards a career in business. Some of them extend or deepen their education either by a complementary Master or a PhD in engineering science.