The MEng individual project
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The MEng individual project provides an opportunity for you to apply your knowledge and skills acquired during your studies to research, analyse and solve an engineering problem. This self-directed piece of independent work will require a deep understanding of the relevant engineering practice, related knowledge in literature, and project management. You will present your results in a formal technical report. Throughout the module an experienced tutor will advise and guide you, but you will be expected to produce your work independently, without close supervision.
What you will study
Before registering for this online module, normally you should have studied one of the modules listed in the Entry requirements section.
The MEng individual project is an opportunity for you to undertake an open-ended research or enquiry based project. About 80 per cent of your study time will be spent on your project, and about 20 per cent on learning how to carry out a project in general.
Understanding how projects develop and being able to explain how your project developed are two key skills that are central to the module and to its learning outcomes. The choice of project area is left up to you, but its subject matter should be covered by one of the OU level 3 modules that you have previously studied. It will be your responsibility to ensure the project has a satisfactory amount of engineering, but you will receive guidance from your tutor and the internal examiner.
Central to the project is the use of research and literature so you will need to be confident in your use of the online OU library. Support for this will be available to provide guidance in the use of library search facilities as well as in the execution of a literature review. Your ability to evaluate sources of information and make use of your engineering knowledge will be assessed. You are expected to work closely with your tutor whose role will be to provide guidance and feedback on your proposal.
The assignments have been structured to guide and support you through your project, with each assignment providing a workflow and progress checker. You will need to organise your own work and be able to define (and justify) your work schedule. As you are expected to develop a self-reflective approach, you will be required to keep a project log throughout the module and to use it for an assessed critical review of your work.
You will learn
The module provides you with opportunities to develop and demonstrate the following learning outcomes:
- competence in the use of the principles and conventions of project management and execution
- the ability to recognise potential engineering problems in developing technologies and solve them using innovative analytical and experimental techniques.
- understanding of engineering principles and techniques and the ability to apply them to accomplish a project.
In addition, you will develop your skills of project execution, literature review and technical report writing. As the project provides an opportunity to develop your employability in engineering, you will also continue your personal development planning.
Entry requirements
This is an OU level 3 module. OU level 3 modules build on study skills and subject knowledge acquired from studies at OU levels 1 and 2.
We recommend that you complete 60 credits at OU level 3 from the list below and 30 credits at postgraduate level from either Technology innovation management (TB801) or Strategic capabilities for technological innovation (T849), before studying this project module.
Electronics
Environmental management
Failure of stressed materials
Fluid mechanics
Innovation and design
Mechanical engineering
Small worlds
Solid mechanics
Structural integrity
Sustainable energy
When you register you will be asked to complete and submit an options form electronically to inform us of you project theme. It is important that you return your choice in early September before the module start date. This will allow us to allocate you the most appropriate tutor in terms of subject expertise.
If you have any doubt about the suitability of the module, please speak to an adviser.
What's included
The study materials will be delivered online via the module website:
- study planner
- study guide
- subject-specific advice
- guidance on defining your project title and aims
- assessment materials.
In addition there will be input from the OU library as well as resources on literature reviewing and report writing.
Computing requirements
You’ll need broadband internet access and a desktop or laptop computer with an up-to-date version of Windows (10 or 11), or macOS (11 'Big Sur' or higher).
Any additional software will be provided or is generally freely available.
To join in spoken conversations in tutorials, we recommend a wired headset (headphones/earphones with a built-in microphone).
Our module websites comply with web standards, and any modern browser is suitable for most activities.
Our OU Study mobile app will operate on all current, supported versions of Android and iOS. It’s not available on Kindle.
It’s also possible to access some module materials on a mobile phone, tablet device or Chromebook. However, as you may be asked to install additional software or use certain applications, you’ll also require a desktop or laptop as described above.