Electrical and Electronic Engineering with a Year Abroad MEng

In this module, you will be involved in the development of an autonomous vehicle building on knowledge learned in other parts of the course.

The work will be lab-based and undertaken in project weeks giving you a break from lectures in each semester.

You will work on this module for a third of the year.

In this module you will start to develop one of the key skills for an engineer – that of being able to program. You will gain the skills required to analyse, design and implement solutions to practical engineering problems through the use of computer aided design tools and the development of software based solutions.

This module introduces you to the algebra of complex numbers. It provides a key mathematical tool for analysis of linear mathematical and engineering problems.

You will study the complexity of solving general systems of equations using matrix techniques and review the calculus of a single variable.

You will have a three hour lecture and workshops each week.

This module will introduce you to electronic systems and information.

You will begin by looking at:

• signals
• analogue/digital systems
• electronic devices and communications systems

Teaching will use a 'top down' approach so you start with the big picture and work towards the more detailed view.

Our world relies on reliable and secure electricity supplies, this module will introduce you to the  concepts and challenges faced in generating traditional and renewable electrical energy. 

Following on from year one, this module continues to introduce to a variety of themes that are at the forefront of contemporary electrical and electronic engineering systems. 

This provides a broader context for the material covered in the co-requisite modules. The topics covered will vary each year and typical subjects might include:

• Smart Grids
• Bio-sensing
• Medical Electronics
• Photonics
• Electric Transportation
• The Internet of Things

This module introduces you to the underpinning technologies for the conditioning, control and conversion of electrical energy.

The topics covered in this module include:

• power electronics
• control
• electrical machines
• renewable energy

In this module you will study:

• intermediate level electronic analogue circuits and their use within more complex systems
• digital design techniques
• software tools
• communications systems
• sources and impact of noise and interference – a key topic for any electrical and electronic engineer

Electrical and electronic engineers are often required to analyse and solve the problems they encounter. 

This module will teach you the required mathematical skills and suitable software tools needed for you to start modelling these problems yourself.

Some topics covered include:

• analysis techniques for dynamic systems with application to communications and control theory
• analysis techniques for digital systems and statistical analysis of signals and data

This module partners with the lecture modules in the second year.

It gives you the chance to put your theoretical knowledge into practice through activities drawn from the design and development cycle.

You will be taking part in two, themed group projects:

• power and energy 
• electronics and communications 

This module covers advanced analytic mathematical techniques used to provide exact or approximate solutions to common classes of ordinary differential equations (ODES) typical in Engineering.

Each week there will normally be one, one-hour lecture and a two-hour workshop to introduce key mathematical knowledge on module topics.

Techniques covered include:

• method of variation of parameters
• Laplace transform methods
• Taylor series method
• Frobenius method
• asymptotic regular perturbations and strained coordinates
• multiple scales

Delivery

Assessment method

This module covers the design and analysis of electronic systems used in telecommunications particularly wireless devices.

You will look at devices including:

• amplifiers
• oscillators
• phase-locked loops
• mixers

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Assessment method

This is a problem-based group design project which focuses on the application of knowledge and skills, from across the taught modules. Groups develop and cost a major civil engineering project and plan resources to ensure timely and cost-effective completion of the work. Then a design of an engineering structure will be carried out, including presentation of options and a detailed design stage. The final task will be to design and construct a model structure, which will be tested in the laboratory.

This module assesses your ability to develop a business plan based on an idea for a new product. This will give you the knowledge and skills needed for a graduate entering employment.

You will do this by learning various models, tools and concepts that are commonly used in business including:

• Belbin’s model of team formation
• the appropriate use of PEST and SWOT analysis
• the basics of marketing
• the product life cycle
• technology audits
• finance sources
• intellectual property
• ethics
• product design

By the end of this module, you will be confident in:

• writing and assessing rudimentary business plans
• making informed decisions about product and business development

This module is an introduction to the operation of modern digital communication systems. Topics covered include:

• communication systems
• information content and channel capacity
• digital modulation techniques
• data compression techniques
• error-correcting and line coding techniques
• digital signal regeneration techniques
• system examples, telephone, digital television and CD technologies.

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This module introduces students to the concepts and operating principles of fixed and variable speed electric machine and drive systems.

The module will use a number of system examples to demonstrate how machines and drive systems are specified, designed, controlled and operated.

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This module aims to introduce principal generic and distinctive features of embedded computing, and develop practical skills in designing firmware for PIC16 microcontrollers using assembly language.

The modules includes:

• Architectures for embedded programmable digital electronics
• operation of a microcontroller and its programming
• assembly language directives and instructions
• interfacing of microcontrollers
• embedded peripherals and interrupts in microcontrollers
• communications for embedded computing
• special features of microcontrollers (the above items are based on the PIC16 microcontroller family)
• various microcontroller families
• introduction to larger scale embedded systems

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Introduces the main principles of integrated circuits (IC) design for digital electronic systems. This is based around CMOS technology that is used to fabricate the majority of ICs today. Internal operation of typical electronic and optoelectronic semiconductor devices is introduced.

Providing you with the skills required to commission a complete IT system, this module provides information on network design and implementation, services, security and management of systems.

You’ll also be introduced to new uses of IT infrastructure (such as VoIP).

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This module provides knowledge of the fundamentals of mobile communications and its application to real systems.

Typical subjects might be 3rd and 4th generation systems, OFDM and MIMO and how 5th generation systems are likely to develop.

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You will be introduced to the concepts and operating principles of optical communication systems and networks and the devices that underpin them.

Topics typically include:

• characteristics of optical fibres
• active and passive optical devices: including transmitters, detectors, amplifiers, multiplexers, filters and couplers

Delivery

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Providing an understanding of the operational principles of power electronic converters and their associated systems, this module covers: 3-phase naturally commutated ac-dc/dc-ac converters, capacitive and inductive smoothing - device ratings, dc-ac PWM inverters and modulation strategies, resonant converters, high power factor utility interface circuits and power converter topologies for high power (multilevel). You’ll have two one-hour lectures per week.

This module provides students with an understanding of power system apparatus and their behaviour under normal and fault conditions. This module covers:

• concept and analysis of load flow
• voltage/current symmetrical components
• computation of fault currents
• economic optimisation
• power-system control and stability
• power system protection

Delivery

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This module covers the analysis and design of renewable and sustainable energy systems. It covers the various types of renewable energy and the resources available. It uses an understanding of the physical principles of various types of energy resources in order to develop analytical models which can be applied to the design of renewable energy systems, including energy conversion and storage, especially for electrical power generation.

This module gives and Introduction to electromechanical fundamentals in robotics, and introduces students to: Direct Kinematics, Inverse Kinematics, Workspace analysis and trajectory planning, Manipulator Dynamics (Lagrange, Lagrange-Euler, and Newton-Euler) and Robot Control.

Development and deployment of software for a variety of platforms ranging from the web and mobile devices through to large scale parallel computers.

Delivery

Assessment method

The module provides students with the necessary background knowledge so that they can understand sensors and their applications.  The module covers a selection of topics where information is acquired from sensors and subsequently electronically processed. Applications will typically include, optical, acoustic, non-destructive evaluation, medical and bio-photonics.

This module presents a way of thinking about systems in general and a way of mapping the composition and integration of systems and of system components. It shows how projects are organised and managed in order to translate complex, diverse requirements into integrated, robust design solutions. The main topics are:

• How to think about systems and systems of systems
• Requirements and Capabilities
• Uncertainty, Risk, Sensitivity and Robustness
• Architectures, Integration and Interoperability
• A Systems Approach to Design and Optimisation
• A Systems Approach to Test and Evaluation
• Safety, Dependability and Predictability of Complex Systems
• Managing a Systems Engineering Process

The lectures are accompanied by a semester-long design challenge that lets the students gain practical experience of managing a systems engineering process.

You’ll work on an individual project of direct industrial or research relevance which will be undertaken in collaboration with a suitable company, or research group within the university.

The project specification will be drawn up after you meet with your project supervisor and an advisor at the collaborating company.

You’ll work under the supervision of a member of staff with weekly individual tutorials and where appropriate, will maintain contact with the collaborating company through meetings and visits.

This module covers a range of advanced control techniques used in a wide range of engineering applications. Typical topics include multivariable state space modelling, linear and nonlinear systems, continuous and discrete domains and observer theory.

This module covers the design of power electronic converters for real applications. Both component-level design and the impact of non-idealities on modelling and operation are considered.

Assessment

Exam, 40.0%

Coursework 1, 30.0%

Coursework 2, 30.0%

Coursework:

Power electronic systems design exercise that puts module content into practice using modelling and simulation tools.

Key Module Topics

Advanced modelling and control of power converters

Enabling technologies of power conversion (semiconductor devices, packaging, cooling)

This module covers the development of advanced engineering software projects, spanning a range of application areas. Generic topics to be discussed include: Large-scale software management, robust design and coding techniques, accurate and efficient numerical computing for technological simulations, parallel computing techniques applicable to several classes of parallel computer e. multicore, distributed and graphics processing unit (GPU) based systems, database design and implementation. You’ll have a two-hour lecture each week to study for this module.

Selected topics from the field of artificial intelligence with particular focus on the interface with electronic systems.

Explore the principles, major algorithms, methods of implementation and applications of digital signal processing. 

This module aims to give an understanding of the operation of power systems which incorporate significant input from renewable energy generators, especially wind power systems and will enable design and analysis of such systems.

This module introduces both the syntax and application of HDL for the design of modern electronics. That would typically cover Xilinx, Mentor Graphics, and combinational and sequential circuits design. The module will use the software tools from both Xilinx and Mentor Graphics to present FPGA based digital system design flow with VHDL.

The aim of this module is to develop a broad understanding of instrumentation techniques which are used in a wide range of engineering applications. Topics taught will include: the physics and mathematics of sensor action, measurement errors and their control, data conditioning and conversion hardware and relevant signal processing techniques. You’ll spend two hours in lectures each week as well as completing coursework for study of this module.

This module introduces typical analytical, computational and experimental tools used in the study of electromagnetic fields and high frequency devices. Fundamentals of electromagnetic wave propagation and typical passive microwave devices such as metal waveguides and devices in printed circuit technology as also introduced.

This module covers selected topics from the interface between electronic and optical regimes.

You will also look at issues with:

• component, circuit and system design applications
• communications
• material processing
• bio-photonics
• optical imaging 

This module aims to develop an understanding of the design and operation of power systems in aerospace, marine and automotive applications. With the introduction of more electrical technologies in these application areas, the understanding and expected performance of the power system has become a critical platform design issue. You’ll have five blocks of four hour lectures to study for this module.

This module covers the main concepts in design of high-speed circuits and devices. These typically include passive circuits, amplifiers  and active devices.