Intensive International Pre-Master's for Engineering and Design (IIPED)

About the Course

This specialised, intensive 14-week course prepares students for academic study on selected postgraduate courses in the School of Engineering and Design. This course is ideal for students who have marginally fallen below the postgraduate entry requirements or who need more support in their English skills and would like to attend a Pre-Master's course related to their degree programme.

To apply for IIPED:

Before applying for this course you should have applied for the relevant Postgraduate Engineering course. Once you have done this you can apply online here.

Or you can download an application form (PDF) and email it to iplc@brunel.ac.uk

Aims

The aim of this course is to develop students’ skills to prepare them for their academic study on their chosen Postgraduate Master’s in the School of Engineering and Design. The programme provides a comprehensive syllabus including core subjects in Project and Communications management and Academic English, as well as a specialised module that directly relates to students chosen postgraduate course in the field of Mechanical Engineering, Manufacturing or Network Computing. The programme is taught in small class sizes of no more than 20 students per class to ensure students receive full support to develop their skills. The intensive nature of the course allows students to complete the Pre-Master’s course in 14 weeks, rather than the usual extended Pre-Masters’ programmes.

Enquiries

For more information please contact:

International Pathways and Language Centre
Brunel International Admissions Office
Brunel University
Uxbridge
Middlesex, UB8 3PH
United Kingdom
Tel +44 (0)1895 265889
Fax +44 (0)1895 269700
Email iplc@brunel.ac.uk

Special Features

The opportunity to attend an intensive 14-week course, rather than the usual extended pre-masters courses.
A preparatory programme: to improve your academic skills, or refresh your knowledge prior to your academic study.
Flexible start dates, with direct entry in June or earlier if you want to benefit from extra academic English language courses.
Passing the course guarantees progression onto a selected Master's course in engineering and design (see the 'Course Content' section for more details).
Specialist modules directly related to your degree, helping you to improve your skills and knowledge needed for your postgraduate course.
Focus on the use of Academic English to prepare students for your postgraduate studies
Small classes (around 20 students per class)
Based on Brunel's campus - discover the University and make friends before starting your postgraduate course.
Airport Pickup, Orientation and Social programme included in cost.

Academic features - School of Engineering and Design

The opportunity to study at Brunel which is ranked in the top ten for General Engineering in the Guardian University Guide 2011.
Extensive and high quality research activity, which was ranked 5^th for General Engineering in the latest Research Assessment Exercise (RAE).
Engineering and Design is one of the largest Schools in the University with over 60 members of staff involved in teaching and research, an undergraduate population of over 800 and a postgraduate population of over 200.
Courses are taught by professionally active staff who ensure that they stay in touch with the commercial worlds of both Design and Engineering.
Accredited degrees including accreditation by the Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE) and the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET) providing a fast track route onto students chosen field in Engineering.
Collaborative research projects supported by industrial, governmental and overseas partners, including oil companies, vehicle manufacturers, built environment consultancies and government laboratories. There is collaboration with many universities in Asia, Europe and the US.
Excellent employment opportunities – recent Brunel Engineering graduates have gone on to work for prestigious companies such as Vodafone, Qinetiq, Ford, GlaxoSmithKline, GE Energy, Ministry of Defence and Thales.
Exceptional facilities and resources with extensive, software and hardware contributed by our prestigious industrial collaborators that support the research work and courses.

Course Content

This course aims to provide students with the required academic skills for their chosen postgraduate course in the School of Engineering and Design. The course is taught over a period of 14 weeks, in which you will take all the core components and one of the specialist components subject to your postgraduate course.

All students will take the following core components:

Project Management: Project Planning, Financial Evaluation of Projects, Allocation And
Distribution of Plant, Materials and Manpower, Stock Control Theory, Organisation of Modern Manufacture, Queuing Theory and Probability Theory.
Communications Management: Corporate Communications, Telecommunications and the Impact of E-Commerce and Integrated Communications Technology on the Broad Economy.
English for Academic purposes: Students will work on Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening skills. These will be taught in conjunction with Orientation Studies, Project Management and Communications Management.

Students will pick one other core module, depending on the course they wish to go onto:

Thermofluids Route

Covering: Fluid Mechanics, Thermal Power, Energy and the Environment and Environmental Systems. Students who successfully complete this course will be able to go on to the following Postgraduate programmes:

Contextual Design Route

Covering: Product Design, Innovation in the current market-led environment, Product Branding, Impact of Legislation on Design. Students who successfully complete this course will be able to go on to the following Postgraduate programmes:

* Please note if you have chosen Engineering Management MSc the specialist component you study on IIPED will depend on your first degree, so it is not guaranteed that you will take the Design option.

Network Computing route

Covering: Java Programmes, Object-Orientated Design and Programming, Internet Networking Technologies and an Introduction to Databases and Web-based applications. Students who successfully complete this course will be able to go on to the following Postgraduate programmes:

Teaching and Learning

Our purpose

The aim of International Pathways and Language Centre (IPLC) is to provide international students with an alternative pathway onto their academic courses. IPLC’s purpose is, therefore, to provide high quality teaching to develop students’ skills to prepare them for their academic study.

Classes are taught in small groups of no more than twenty to ensure students receive full support to develop their academic skills and build their confidence to progress onto their future academic studies.

Hours

The IIPED course is a full-time intensive programme taught over a period of 14 weeks. Students will be taught for an average total of 20 hours per week.

How will I be taught?

Classes will follow a similar format (in smaller groups) to those of postgraduate courses in Engineering and Design to introduce international students to studying at Brunel. These include:

Lectures
These provide a broad overview of key concepts and ideas relating to your course and give you a framework from which to carry out in-depth study.

Laboratories
These are normally three hour sessions where students can develop, understand and practise using industry standard equipment. They provide an informal environment in which you can explore new ideas and apply what you have learnt in lectures with the help of a tutor.

Workshops
In a workshop, you will work on more complex problems with guidance from a member of staff. This might involve producing an artefact or a design solution. These allow you to develop new intellectual and practical skills and also serve to reinforce material learnt in lectures.

Tutorials
In tutorials, classes will include up to six students. This will be an opportunity to look at your academic knowledge and to develop personal skills, such as communication ability and study skills.

One-to-one
These sessions will provide you with one-to-one supervision for English for Academic Purposes. This will provide you with an opportunity to develop key academic skills in preparation for your future studies, including communication ability, note-taking, presentations and academic listening and reading.

Assessment

Several methods of assessment are applied on this course, including examinations, written work, presentations and project work. All of these methods are common-place on postgraduate courses in Engineering and Design and will help prepare you for your future study at Brunel.

Project Management: Written Examination 100%
Communications Management: Written Examination 100%
English for Academic Purposes: Assessed Oral Presentation, Project Report, Written Examination, Reading Examination and Listening and Note-Taking Examination.
Thermofluids: Written Examination 75%, Project Report 25%
Contextual Design: Written Examination 75%, Project Report 25%
Network Computing: Written Examination 75%, Project Report 25%

Employability

During the IIPED programme you will develop the key academic and practical skills to excel on your Postgraduate programme, which will in turn prepare you for future employment.

After successfully completing the IIPED programme you will transfer onto one of the specified Master's courses in Engineering and Design. These are highly desirable courses that include the following benefits:

Accredited degrees including accreditation by the Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE)and the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET) providing a fast- track route onto your chosen field in Engineering
Excellent employment opportunities – recent Brunel Engineering graduates have gone on to work for prestigious companies, such as Vodafone, Qinetiq, Ford, GlaxoSmithKline, GE Energy, The Ministry of Defence and Thales.

Careers

Students graduating from disciplines in Engineering and Design have excellent opportunities in a wide choice of career paths including automotive design and manufacture, North Sea oil production, mining and mineral processing, nuclear power, water authorities, TV production, accountancy, banking, insurance, financial consultancy and managerial roles within the electrical industry to name just a few.

Graduates have gone on to join prestigious companies such as:

Apple Computers
GlaxoSmithKline
Microsoft
Ford
Vodafone
Virgin Atlantic

Research
Some graduates go directly into research, leading to the award of their Doctor of Philosophy degree, or PhD, whilst some others spend several years in industry first.

Fees for 2013/14 entry

Fees quoted are per annum and are subject to an annual increase.

English Language Requirements

Direct Entry

IELTS: 5.5 (min 5.5 in all areas)
Students going onto Design Masters will need IELTS 6.0 (min 5.5 in all areas)
TOEFL Internet test: 71
Pearson: 51
BrunELT 55%

13 weeks English plus IIPED

IELTS: 5.0 (min 4.5 in all areas)
Students going onto Design Masters will need IELTS 5.5 (min 5.0 in all areas)
TOEFL Internet test: 61
Pearson: 44
BrunELT 50%

17 weeks English plus IIPED

IELTS: 4.5 (min 4.0 in all areas)
Students going onto Design Masters will need IELTS 5.0 (min 4.5 in all areas)
TOEFL Internet test: 52 (Reading 4, Listening 9, Speaking 16, Writing 13)
Pearson: 41
BrunELT: 45%

Brunel also offers our own BrunELT English Test and accept a range of other language courses. We also have a range of Pre-sessional English language courses, for students who do not meet these requirements, or who wish to improve their English.

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