Computer Aided Engineering Product Design

Engineering Product Design as a unique subject area has received little attention in the curricula of undergraduate engineering programmes within Ireland. This is not the case in other European countries, such as Sweden and Switzerland, where the integration of product design, innovation and entrepreneurial studies within conventional engineering programmes has been traditional. It is worth noting that these countries enjoy international reputations for small indigenous high technology operations, which design and manufacture quality products.

The course is two years in duration, the first being entirely taught and the second being industry/project based. Students successfully completing Year 1 will be awarded Graduate Diploma and students successfully completing Year 2 will be awarded an Master of Technology.

Objectives

The University of Limerick feels that tuition in industrial design, design techniques, computer aided engineering and entrepreneurial studies, integrated within the context of mechanical engineering, constitutes a contribution to the desirable objective of expanding Ireland's indigenous high technology industrial base. Thus, engineering/technology graduates are provided with the unique opportunity of pursuing a programme of study dedicated to product design.

Careers

The programme is in part designed as a conversion course to Mechanical Engineering for students having undergraduate qualifications in other engineering and technology disciplines derived from the mechanical sciences. Graduates may therefoe pursue conventional mechancial engineering careers. However, the strong mechanical and industrial design orientation of the programme equips students ideally for careers in specialised areas such as Engineering Design, Product Design, Computer Aided Design, etc, coupled with entrepreneurial activity.