School of Engineering, Technology and Design

University of Bradford

School of Engineering, Technology and Design

Awarding and teaching institution: / University of Bradford
Final award: / PGDip, MSc [National Qualifications Framework level H]
Programme title: / Maintenance and Safety Management
Programme accredited by:
Duration: / 1 year full-time or 2 year part-time;
UCAS code:
Subject benchmark statement: / Engineering
Date produced: / original: 8 April 2002; updated: 31 July 2003

Division of Responsibilities:

Hogheschool Zeeland - Vlissingen in the Netherlands: / Marketing and recruitment of students
Delivery of 9 modules
University of Bradford: / Design, planning, development, management and audit of MSc
Admission of students
Delivery of 3 modules
Supervision of all Dissertations
Award of qualifications

Engineering is fundamental to the economic and social prosperity of the global market. It is a “people serving” profession whose activities not only manage humankind’s environment but also create that environment itself. Your studies at Bradford will be a foundation for life aimed at developing your knowledge in areas of advanced applied engineering and of improving your technical competence in their application using a wide range of personal and professional skills.

The School places emphasis on both teaching and research, believing them to be mutually dependent. With reference to teaching and learning, the School aims to produce graduates who aspire to challenging careers in industry, commerce and the public sector or to developing their own enterprises in the potentially lucrative global telecommunications-related markets. Graduates will be able to move directly into responsible roles in employment with a minimum of additional training. It achieves this aim by:

Delivering a range of programmes of study with a balance of subject content appropriate to the targeted learning outcomes, with a degree of commonality of core material, but with the flexibility to allow an element of specialisation.

Providing a supportive, structured environment in which students are encouraged to develop independent learning skills;

Developing subject knowledge and understanding, developing discipline skills and developing personable transferable skills, to enable graduates to pursue programmes of further study, or to move directly into responsible employment.

Promoting educational opportunities for ethnic minority, mature and alternatively qualified students, as well as for traditionally qualified students.

Learning outcomes indicate what a graduate should know and understand, and be able to do on successful completion of one of the programmes. Engineering is an interactive process usually involving data collection, planning, analysis, design, economic evaluation, construction, operation and maintenance and decommissioning with a view to minimising environmental impact. As such, you will develop the following:

Knowledge and Understanding of concepts, principles and theories underpinning advanced Engineering disciplines, but with emphasis on the areas of Reliability, Safety and Maintenance Management; Quality Assurance and Management, Loss Prevention and Control, Emergency and crisis management, Analytical and simulation methods to solve engineering problems; Principles and practice of integrated management system design planning and management; Business, commercial and legal practices for engineering; The roles and responsibilities of professional engineers; Detailed knowledge and systematic understanding of key concepts, principles and theories relevant to your chosenspecialism.

Discipline Specific Skills in the selection and application of mathematical methods for modelling and analysing engineering problems; selection and application of principles and data collection and manipulation methods to support problem solving; skills of analysis, synthesis and evaluation to support design; Ability to balance sometimes conflicting, ambiguous and/or incomplete aspects encountered in problem solving and design; Plan, undertake and report an investigation.

Personal and Transferable Skills in Data management and presentation; Interpretation of information; IT and communication skills; Creative and systematic problem solving; Scientific method; Life long learning; Teamwork and leadership; and personal management.

The curriculum

The course structures are shown in the table on the next page.

Taught postgraduate courses cover a broad spectrum of specialist topics, leading to a variety of qualifications up to Master's degree.

Typically, a taught Master's course lasts for twelve months of full-time study. Three terms (or two semesters) of instruction are followed by a dissertation written over the summer. However, many courses may be studied part-time (one or two days per week) over two or more years.

All courses have two stages: the taught course stage (which takes up most of the first two semesters) and the project/dissertation stage. Many courses are available at two levels: the Master's degree (MA, MSc, MBA or MRes), and the Postgraduate Diploma (PGDip). Applicants for most taught Master's courses will be expected to have a first degree in a relevant subject. However, for those Master's courses which offer a Postgraduate Diploma (PGDip), students can be admitted with, say, relevant practical experience instead of formal qualifications. The two levels always run in parallel, so even if you are admitted at PGDip level you can transfer to the Master's course without loss of time if you perform well enough in the taught course assessment.

If you are following the course full-time, then the taught course stage occupies two semesters (late September to late January, and January to June). Some of the modules in the second semester will be direct preparation for the research project you will undertake over the summer, and which will form the basis of your Master's dissertation. Courses are organised on a modular basis. Modules are usually examined or assessed at the end of the semester in which they are taught. Master's students and PGDip students all follow identical modules, and sit the same examinations.

Candidates admitted at PGDip level may transfer to Master's if their performance is good enough, and proceed to the dissertation stage. Conversely, candidates admitted at Master's level may be transferred to the PGDip if it is felt that they are not able to achieve the particular level needed. If you do proceed to Master's level, you spend the summer writing a dissertation (sometimes described as a project report, a management project, or a long essay), usually between 10,000 and 15,000 words. The dissertation is written on a topic which you have to agree with your School, and is usually based on a project which you undertake in the second semester or over the summer. It is usually submitted by mid-September, a year after starting the course.

If you have passed at PGDip level, you will be awarded the Postgraduate Diploma on the basis of your performance in the semester 1 and 2 module assessments and examinations.

Assessment regulations: a summary (the text of the progression regulations is maintained on the Web)

For a Masters Degree (180 credits) students must have

>=50% in 160 credits (which must include the 60 dissertation credits)

and

>=40% in 20 credits.

For a Masters Degree with distinction (180 credits) students must have fulfilled requirements for a Master’s degree, with an overall average >=70% and >=70% on the dissertation modules.

For a Diploma (120 credits) students must have

>=40% in 100 credits

and

>=35% in 20 credits.

Course Structure

Unit code / Unit title / Delivered
by / Delivered
at / Credits / Level / Semester
ENG8014M / Material Science (Vlissingen) / HZ Vlissingen / Vlissingen / 10 / M / 1
ENG8015M / Maintenance Management I (Vlissingen) / HZ Vlissingen / Vlissingen / 10 / M / 1
ENG8016M / Quantitative methods for Reliability and Safety (Vlissingen) / HZ Vlissingen / Vlissingen / 10 / M / 1
ENG8017M / Database Management and Decision Support Systems (Vlissingen) / HZ Vlissingen / Vlissingen / 10 / M / 1
ENG3025M / Reliability and Safety Management / Univ. Bradford / Vlissingen / 10 / 3 / 1
ENG8018M / Loss Prevention and Control (Vlissingen) / HZ Vlissingen / Vlissingen / 10 / M / 1
ENG8019M / Maintenance Management II (Vlissingen) / HZ Vlissingen / Vlissingen / 10 / M / 2
ENG8020M / Research methods (Vlissingen) / HZ Vlissingen / Vlissingen / 10 / M / 2
ENG8021M / Communication (Vlissingen) / HZ Vlissingen / Vlissingen / 10 / 3 / 2
ENG4040M / Disaster Management / Univ. Bradford / Bradford / 10 / M / 2
ENG8022M / Legislation (Vlissingen) / HZ Vlissingen / Vlissingen / 10 / M / 2
ENG8024M / Total Quality Management / Univ. Bradford / Vlissingen / 10 / 3 / 2
ENG8023Z / MSc Project / Univ. Bradford / Netherlands / 60 / M / 3

The curriculum may change, subject to the University's course approval, monitoring and review procedures.

Teaching, learning and assessment strategies

You will experience a wide range of teaching and learning environments. Concepts, principles and theories are generally explored in formal lectures, practised in associated tutorials and demonstrated in laboratory classes. Practical skills are developed in laboratory, workshop, drawing office or design studio sessions. Cognitive and personal skills are developed in more open-ended problem solving and design exercises, often tackled by working in small groups supported by members of academic staff. Project work is used to bring various aspects of your course together so that you may develop an holistic appreciation of engineering.

Methods of Assessment are similarly varied and your progress will be assessed using a mix of formal examinations, various technical reports, essays, oral presentations and a dissertation.

Admission requirements

All our MSc courses have similar entry conditions, the minimum requirement being a lower second-class Honours degree in science, engineering or technology. Equivalent qualifications (for example, from overseas) and applications from mature students with relevant experience will be considered on their individual merits.

If you have a degree or a Higher Diploma in an appropriate subject, or have considerable relevant experience, but are unable to meet the requirements for direct entry to an MSc course, you may undertake a two-year programme, which incorporates a preliminary year of study. This first year is designed to give graduates with a technological or scientific background an education in the theory and practice of modern electrical and electronic engineering. It is also of value to graduates in physics, or other branches of technology, where a full programme of lectures, laboratory and project work in the relevant area of electrical and electronic engineering was not covered. Satisfactory completion of this preliminary year will lead to admission to a subsequent one-year MSc course.

Admissions policy

Each year we admit about 50 postgraduates to our awards.

Student support and guidance

For further information, please check the University prospectus or contact the Admissions tutor.

H:\PPAA\ASSU\SAINT Programme Specifications\2003-2004\School of Engineering, Design & Technology\Prog Spec - MSc MSM Vlissingen.doc