MSc in Maintenance Engineering and Asset Management

Who is it for?

This course is suitable for graduates with engineering, maths, sciences or related degrees keen to pursue careers in industrial maintenance, planning, control and management. It is also highly relevant to graduates currently working in the industry keen to extend their qualifications and knowledge in this field alongside individuals with other qualifications who possess considerable relevant industry experience.

Why this course?

This course is specifically aimed at developing your learning in the latest technologies and management strategies of maintenance and assets, with direct application to the workplace.

The main aim of the course is to deliver fundamental knowledge and a comprehensive set of skills to produce experts capable of transforming an organisation’s maintenance culture and strategy.

It addresses the significant need for leaders in asset management and maintenance who can plan the care of long life, high-value assets for availability and performance.

Graduates will be able to:

• Assess the regular and sudden failures in machines and structures and determine their root cause
• Evaluate the suitability of inspection techniques in the context of real operation failures
• Elaborate on the potential risks in considered maintenance routines and recommend mitigation activities
• Assess the impact of technical and financial management on asset availability
• Solve the technical complexities in implementing new technologies to devise effective maintenance planning
• Evaluate the legal implications of a suggested maintenance routine and critically analyse its impact on health, safety and environment
• Build hand's on expertise to use the tools and the techniques in implementing asset inspection and planning
• Prove confidence in proposing customised maintenance routines in comparison with the OEM's suggested routines
• Develop a strategy based maintenance framework suitable to any given industrial scenario.

Informed by Industry

Our courses are designed to meet the training needs of the industry and have strong input from experts in their sector. In particular, the guidance provided by the TES Council (including organisations such as Rolls-Royce, MoD, BAE Systems, Babcock International and Leonardo) has been instrumental in making the course cutting edge.

Students who have excelled in their performances are recognised through course awards which are presented on Graduation Day by high profile organisations and individuals and are often sponsored by our industrial partners.

Accreditation

We will seek accreditation from the Institute of Asset Management (IAM), the British Institute of Non-Destructive Testing (BINDT) and the Institute of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE).

Course details

The course will include eight taught compulsory modules, which are generally delivered from October to March. Planned module titles include:

• Fundamentals of Maintenance
• System Availability and Maintainability
• Failure of Materials and Structures
• Condition Based Maintenance
• Maintenance Planning and Control
• Asset Management
• Diagnostics and Prognostics
• Probability and Statistics in Risk and Reliability Engineering

The course comprises eight assessed modules, a group project and an individual research project.

The modules include lectures, tutorials and lab-based activities. These activities are designed to give you hands-on knowledge and theory so as not to rely on technicians for machinery technical issues and are assessed through practical work, written examinations, case studies, essays, presentations and tests. These provide the 'tools' required for the group and individual projects.

Group project

The group project experience is highly valued by both students and prospective employers where teams of students work to solve an industrial problem. The project applies technical knowledge and provides training in teamwork and the opportunity to develop non-technical aspects of the taught programme. Part-time students can prepare a dissertation on an agreed topic in place of the group project.

Industrially orientated, our team projects have support from external organisations. As a result of external engagement, Cranfield students enjoy a higher degree of success when it comes to securing employment. Prospective employers value the student experience where team working to find solutions to industrially based problems are concerned.

Individual project

Students select the individual project in consultation with the Course Director. The individual project provides you with the opportunity to demonstrate your ability to carry out independent research, think and work in an original way, contribute to knowledge and overcome genuine problems.

Assessment

Taught modules 40%, Group project (or dissertation) 20%, Individual project 40%

Modules

Keeping our courses up-to-date and current requires constant innovation and change. The modules we offer reflect the needs of business and industry and the research interests of our staff and, as a result, may change or be withdrawn due to research developments, legislation changes or for a variety of other reasons. Changes may also be designed to improve the student learning experience or to respond to feedback from students, external examiners, accreditation bodies and industrial advisory panels.

To give you a taster, we have listed the compulsory modules and (where applicable) some elective modules affiliated with this programme which ran in the academic year 2018–2019. There is no guarantee that these modules will run for 2019 entry. All modules are subject to change depending on your year of entry.

Your career

This qualification takes you on to a wide range of careers involving maintenance engineering and asset management, with responsibilities in industries including

• Oil and Gas,
• Aerospace,
• Defence,
• Power generation and distribution,
• Nuclear,
• Automotive,
• Chemical and Process,
• Manufacturing Textile,
• Civil Infrastructure,
• Logistics
• Health.

The unique feature of this course is its applied and practical nature, aimed at the availability of strategic assets. This course will qualify you to transform the current industry culture of OEM’s based maintenance routines to strategy based maintenance.