Our MRes Engineering Management (Postgraduate Engineer Apprenticeship Route) allows you to invest in your workforce by combining university education, work-based learning and ongoing professional development. While working as a valuable part of your team, your apprentices can gain the advanced knowledge and skills needed to develop innovative solutions to complex technical engineering problems, and assemble their portfolio towards achieving Chartered Engineer (CEng) status.

Key information

Award:

MRes

Mode of Study:

Part-time

Duration:

30 months

Location:

University of Bolton

Start date:

To be confirmed

Course Details

Our MRes Engineering Management (Postgraduate Engineer Apprenticeship Route) is designed to support the development of professionals that will match the current and future needs of your organisation. You can offer structured on-the-job training and an internationally recognised qualification in engineering management, helping you attract the best new talent and retain valued staff through career progression. Integrating study into the normal working week will allow your apprentices to put their new skills and understanding into practice immediately, benefitting your organisation without delay.

Postgraduate engineers develop solutions to engineering problems using new or existing technologies, through innovation, creativity and change and may have technical accountability for complex systems. This postgraduate course will support your apprentices to develop the theoretical knowledge needed to solve technological problems by applying analytical techniques, along with the project, financial, and personnel management skills and understanding required for commercial success.

Our expert staff will guide them as they develop effective project planning and management skills, gain postgraduate research and problem-solving skills, and learn when to seek advice from subject experts and senior colleagues. Your apprentices will spend most of their time in the workplace, with a minimum of six hours per week being devoted to off-the-job training and university learning, which is usually facilitated on a day-release basis.

Our dedicated team will cover integrated management systems and techniques for quality, sustainability, lean and innovation. Your apprentices will also explore the essential elements of business management, including leadership, human resource management and marketing, and develop essential skills such as communication and time management. Throughout the course, we’ll guide them as they build a portfolio of evidence representing the projects and tasks they have completed while working as part of your team.

The course is designed to meet professional institution standards in the UK and to support you to achieve Chartered Engineer (CEng) status.

If you’re looking for postgraduate-level training in this subject area but don’t work for an employer who is offering apprenticeships, please see our related courses section for details of study opportunities that don’t require current employment.

Highlights

When apprentices successfully complete the end point assessment for this course, they will receive a Postgraduate Engineer Apprenticeship Certificate from the relevant awarding body, and be awarded an academic degree – the MRes Engineering Management from the University of Bolton.
Face-to-face sessions and one-to-one support are offered by our dedicated staff team who offer a wide range of professional experience, industry knowledge, technical expertise and academic credentials.
During the final stage of the course, your apprentice will undertake a substantial work-based research project, the nature of which will be identified and developed through consultation between your organisation and the University. As well as offering your apprentice valuable experience, this live project can offer you genuine insight into potential opportunities or improvements that can benefit your organisation.
Your apprentices will have the option to gain an industry-recognised project management qualification assessed by an external provider. The details and costs of this qualification are in development and details will be available prior to their enrolment on the course.

Key Features

This Postgraduate Engineer Apprenticeship skilfully combines study in our vibrant higher education environment with practical and focused work-based learning and experience in your organisation.
Course materials are available online, allowing your apprentices to prepare work in advance and make the most of the highly interactive in-class tuition.
Our approach to teaching and learning is ‘student-centred’ so we’ll work with your apprentices on an individual basis, providing tailored help and support throughout their studies.
By studying alongside apprentices from other engineering specialisms or alternative industrial sectors, your apprentices can benefit from a wider range of knowledge and experience that supports cross-disciplinary thinking.
We also offer Master’s degrees in Systems Engineering and Engineering Management, and these apprenticeships are part of a well-established suite of master’s programmes offered by the University of Bolton.
Quarterly and annual reviews, where each apprentice, their workplace mentor and a member of our team meet to assess your apprentice’s progress, promote continuing conversation between your workplace and the University. This helps to ensure the success of your apprentices and maximise the value of their studies to your organisation.

Professional recognition

This apprenticeship uses UK-SPEC learning outcomes and is designed to meet the academic requirements leading to Chartered Engineer (CEng) status. Please see the Engineering Council UK website for further details of UK-SPEC.

We’ll be seeking accreditation of the MRes Engineering Management for Chartered Engineer (CEng) status from the Institute of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE), the Joint Board of Moderators (JBM) and the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET).

Normally, applicants are expected to have successfully completed an Honours degree (or equivalent) in a relevant subject, and have appropriate work experience.
An applicant must possess GCSEs in English and Mathematics at grade 4-9 (or grade C or above) or hold an equivalent such as Functional Skills Level 2 in Literacy and Numeracy. If an applicant has yet to achieve these qualifications, then with their employer's support, they can complete suitable equivalents locally or with assistance from the University. Please contact apprentices@bolton.ac.uk for a list of acceptable GCSE equivalents, further information and support.
Applicants will also be considered if they have alternative equivalent qualifications with extensive relevant work experience.
Applicants holding overseas degrees are very welcome and the equivalence of their qualifications will be assessed by the University.
We'll consider applications where appropriate work experience can be demonstrated in lieu of, or in addition to, the published academic qualifications in line with the University’s Recognition of Prior Experiential Learning (RPEL) procedures.
Applicants will attend a joint discussion with their employer and the University of Bolton. This combined interview and onboarding discussion fosters trust and sets the tone of the relationship between the applicant, their employer and our tutors.
Admission to this programme is only available to applicants who meet ESFA eligibility criteria, including the following: 1) They are employed for a minimum of 30 hours per week in a role relevant to the apprenticeship. 2) They have the right to live and work in the UK. 3) Their employer is willing to sponsor them to spend a minimum of six hours per week of their time in off-the-job training, including attending the University (times and dates to be determined) for the duration of their course. Please note that an apprentice cannot be self-employed. ESFA eligibility criteria may change so please contact apprentices@bolton.ac.uk for up-to-date information.
If English isn’t the applicant's first language, they will also need IELTS 6.0 with no less than 5.5 in any band (or equivalent). We also accept a range of other English language qualifications – please visit our English Language Requirements web page for more details.
To be eligible for tuition fee funding through the Apprenticeship Levy, candidates should not normally have already completed a qualification at the same level as the proposed apprenticeship, unless that qualification was gained in a completely unrelated discipline.

Where changes are made to material information contained in this course description or a decision is taken to suspend a course between the offer of admissions and enrolment, we will inform applicants at the earliest possible opportunity and will outline the various options available to the applicant.

The MRes Engineering Management (Postgraduate Engineer Apprenticeship Route) programme is designed to meet the Postgraduate Engineer (Degree) Apprenticeship Standard. Developed by employers in collaboration with higher education institutions and professional bodies, this apprenticeship standard underpins a highly relevant qualification and professional development pathway that supports apprentices to achieve the requisite postgraduate knowledge and skills.

What can I do with this qualification?

This degree apprenticeship aims to support the development of the next generation of postgraduate engineers for a wide range of engineering-related disciplines; for example, civil, software, integrated systems, mechanical, electrical, electronic, electromechanical, fluid power components/systems or materials.

On successful completion of the end point assessment apprentices will be well prepared to take on demanding roles in engineering management. Typical occupations include research and development engineer, design and development engineer, systems integration engineer, quality assurance/compliance engineer, test/qualification engineer, manufacture/production engineer, maintenance/test engineer, product support (including logistics) engineer, civil engineer, decommissioning/disposal engineer, supply chain/procurement and engineering business manager.

It’s likely that postgraduate apprentices will seek to achieve Chartered Engineer (CEng) status, and this master’s is designed to meet the academic requirements leading to this professional registration. They may also choose to undertake further study in order to develop expertise in a particular area of engineering, extend their business management knowledge. or continue their focus on research by pursuing a PhD.

Course fees

Apprentices will need to be employed by your organisation for a minimum of 30 hours per week. Your organisation will also need to commit to sponsoring apprentices to complete this qualification.

For further information on how your organisation can access funds to support apprentices, please e-mail apprentices@bolton.ac.uk.

Whether you’re an employer, employee or school leaver, please visit our Apprenticeship web page for support and advice regarding apprenticeships.

International applications are not possible for this course

As an international student you are not allowed to study this course because of the restrictions on your visa.

We offer a wide range of full-time courses in lots of different subjects, many of our courses start in September and January. If you would like to see what courses are available please visit our Course Search.

Useful information

Apprentices will not be expected to pay tuition fees towards this programme. If your organisation has a wage bill of more than £3 million per annum, then it may be able to fund this apprenticeship through its Apprenticeship Levy contributions. If your organisation does not pay the levy, it will be eligible for government support to fund apprenticeships. This support, called co-investment, covers 95% of the apprenticeship's tuition fees, with your organisation funding the remaining 5% of the fees.

Important note regarding tuition fees for the 2023-2024 academic year: EU nationals who meet residency requirements (have settled or pre-settled status) may be eligible for 'Home' fee status. If you do not meet these residency requirements, overseas fees will apply. Irish citizens living in the UK or Ireland will be eligible for 'Home' fee status under the Common Travel Area arrangement. Please read the student finance for EU students web page on www.gov.uk for information.

The fees for a student's course of study will be set for the normal duration of that course subject only to inflationary increases – measured by the Consumer Price Index (CPI) recorded in March each year to take effect for subsequent start dates.

For details of how to apply for this course, please choose your status from the options below:

Course application details are unavailable at present

Engineering management is a multi-faceted discipline, so we use a wide range of teaching and learning methods. These are designed to fully engage apprentices, helping them to develop the skills, knowledge, self-awareness and behaviours that are essential for success in this field. Learning focuses on your workplace environment – your apprentices will spend the majority of their time gaining on-the-job knowledge and experience. They will also complete at least six hours per week in off-the-job learning, including studying at the university.

As well as attending timetabled lectures, seminars, workshops, practical sessions and tutorials, apprentices will also be expected to allocate significant time to independent and self-directed studies. For example, building a portfolio of evidence, background reading, revisiting practical work, attending lectures and technical meetings provided by professional bodies, preparing for seminars, working on assignments and revising for exams will support their timetabled learning and develop good habits for lifelong learning. Our friendly and supportive tutors will be here to guide them, and will gladly help them devise an independent study regime focused on their individual development needs. Learning will also be supported by the University's virtual learning environment, Moodle.

Your organisation will need to provide each apprentice with a workplace mentor to support their development. They will also benefit from regular visits from a University tutor. The workplace mentor, University tutor and apprentice will work together to create the individual learning plan required to progress the apprentice’s professional body membership. An individual learner record (ILR) will be completed on a monthly basis.

For the degree element of this programme, we assess each apprentice’s individual performance through a strategic blend of reports, presentations, portfolios and other assignments. Some assessments contribute to their final module marks, while others are designed to help them identify their strengths and weaknesses, and where they need to seek extra support from course tutors. In addition to the assessments associated with the degree programme, apprentices will undertake the end point assessment, at the end of the apprenticeship period.

Modules

The modules listed below may be a mixture of compulsory and optional. You may not have the opportunity to study all the modules shown as part of the course.

Research Skills and Methods
Integrated Management Systems
Project Management
Business and Management in Engineering
Work-based Poject 1
Work-based Project 2
Dissertation
Work-based Portfolio and PDP 1
Work-based Portfolio and PDP 3

Assessment methods

Level	Assesment method
Level one	Coursework 100%

Learning activities

Level	Learning activity
Level one	Guided independent study 74%, Placement/study abroad 20%, Scheduled learning and teaching activities 6%

Disclaimer

The university will use all reasonable endeavours to deliver your course as described in its published material and the programme specification for the academic year in which you begin your course. The university considers changes to courses very carefully and the university will minimise any changes. Please be aware that our courses are subject to review on an ongoing basis and changes may be necessary due to legitimate staffing, financial, regulatory and academic reasons. The content of course modules and mode of associated assessments may be updated on an annual basis. This is to ensure that all modules are up-to-date and responsive to employment and sector needs. The published course material and the programme specification contain indicative ‘optional modules’ that may be subject to change due to circumstances outside of our control. For this reason, we cannot guarantee to run any specific optional module.