Engineering (Aeronautical) Durham University

Overview

Course Learning and Teaching

The Engineering (Aeronautical) MEng course at Durham University is mainly delivered through a mixture of lectures, problem classes, practical and design activities. Typically lectures provide key information on a particular field of study and identify the main underpinning engineering concepts in that area. Problem classes then provide opportunities for smaller groups to work through practical examples, based on the knowledge that you have gained through your lectures and through independent study outside the degrees formal contact hours. Finally, practical classes allow you to gain direct experience of practical and interpretative skills through laboratory classes, design activities and a Professional Engineering Applications Course (PEAC).

The balance of these types of activities changes as you develop your knowledge and your ability as an independent learner. This is one of the key attributes that you will develop (thereby preparing you for work or further study once you have completed the course). In the first two years, you will typically attend 12 hours a week of lectures (two hours per module) and have three hours of practical classes or design activities each week plus problem classes and small group supervision. In the first year there is a one-week full-time compulsory PEAC course and at the end of the second year there is a two-week full-time practical course. Outside timetabled contact hours, you are also expected to undertake your own independent study to prepare for your classes and broaden your subject knowledge.

The balance starts to shift in the third year, as you develop your abilities as an independent learner. Lectures still play an important role in supporting you in developing your knowledge and skills, with an average of 10 hours a week. The frequency of laboratory practical sessions and design activities remains similar, but the tasks become more open-ended.

This move towards greater emphasis on independent learning continues in the final year, where fewer modules comprise lectures, with an average of six hours a week. This emphasis on using the independent study and research skills developed in earlier years is continued through the research and development project that you will undertake. Under the supervision of a member of academic staff with who you will have weekly one-to-one supervisory meetings, you will undertake a detailed study of a particular area resulting in a significant piece of independent research.

Throughout the course, you also have access to an academic adviser who will provide you with academic support and guidance. You will meet regularly with your academic supervisor throughout your degree and they act as your first point-of-contact for any academic queries. In addition to this, all members of teaching staff have weekly tutorial hours when they are available to meet on a ‘sign-up’ basis. The Department also has an exciting programme of research seminars and talks from industrial companies which undergraduate students are strongly encouraged to attend.