MEngSt study tracks for Mechanical and Mechatronics Engineering
There are five distinctive study tracks you can pursue through a Master of Engineering Studies in either Mechanical or Mechatronics Engineering.
The Master of Engineering Studies (MEngSt) is a wide-ranging programme that can draw knowledge from various disciplines. With the right course planning and selection, you can follow a study track that suits your previous academic background and preferred future goals.
Research projects
For both Mechanical and Mechatronics Engineering, you can select a project course that aligns with your chosen study track:
- MECHENG 787 (15 points)
- MECHENG 788A & B (30 points)
- MECHENG 795A & B (45 points)
- MECHENG 789 (30 points)
Mechanical Engineering study track 1: Aerodynamics
The following are suggested electives for this study track. Please refer to the University of Auckland Calendar for detailed course descriptions.
- MECHENG 712 Aerohydrodynamics
- MECHENG 714 Wind Engineering
- MECHENG 711 Computational Fluid Dynamics
Suggested areas for research projects
- Aerodynamics, wind energy, wind engineering, wind tunnel design and testing, yacht engineering, sail aerodynamics. Contact Professor Richard Flay for more information.
- Aerodynamics, UAVs, CFD, wind engineering, ventilation, renewable energy. Contact Associate Professor Rajnish Sharma for more information.
- Turbulent heat and fluid flow, geophysical and engineering fluid mechanics. Contact Dr Michael MacDonald for more information.
- CFD methodology, separated flows, yacht aerodynamics. Contact Dr Stuart Norris for more information.
Mechanical Engineering study track 2: Thermofluids
The following are suggested electives for this study track. Please refer to the University of Auckland Calendar for detailed course descriptions.
- MECHENG 715 Building service
- MECHENG 713 Energy Technology
- MECHENG 717 Advanced Thermal Systems
- MECHENG 711 Computational Fluid Dynamics
Suggested areas for research projects
- Micro fluidics, heat transfer, combustion. Contact Associate Professor Rajnish Sharma for more information.
- Efficient/sustainable HVAC/refrigeration systems, expander and compressor technology, thermodynamics and heat transfer.
- CFD methodology, natural convection, heat transfer, flow stability. Contact Dr Stuart Norris for more information.
- CFD, Heat transfer, turbomachinery, aerospace. Contact Dr Priyanka Dhopade for more information.
Mechanical Engineering study track 3: Manufacturing Systems
The following are suggested electives for this study track. Please refer to the University of Auckland Calendar for detailed course descriptions.
- ENGGEN 705 Engineering Product Development
- MECHENG 709 or 710 Industrial Automation or Advanced Industrial Automation
- MECHENG 751 Advanced CAD/CAM/CNC
- MECHENG 753 Manufacturing Information Systems
- MECHENG 752 Technology Management
Suggested areas for research projects
- Industry 4.0 technologies and their implementations, advanced data analytics for manufacturing, Cloud manufacturing. Contact Professor Xun Xu and Dr Yuqian Lu for more information.
- Industrial Internet of Things, smart manufacturing system control, industrial robots and automation, human-robot collaboration. Contact Dr Yuqian Lu for more information.
- Digital Twins for smart manufacturing, cyber-physical production systems. Contact Professor Xun Xu for more information.
- Intelligent Industrial Asset Management. Contact Dr Jaspreet Dhupia for more information.
- Design and development. Contact Dr David Wynn for more information.
Mechanical Engineering study track 4: Polymer and polymer composites – materials and manufacturing
The following are suggested electives for this study track. Please refer to the University of Auckland Calendar for detailed course descriptions.
- MECHENG 742 Advanced Materials Manufacturing
- MECHENG 743 Composite Materials
- MECHENG 747 Manufacturing and Industrial Processes
- POLYMER 700 Polymer Materials Engineering
- POLYMER 704 Advanced Polymer Processing
- POLYMER 705 Polymer Process and Product Design
- POLYMER 706 Polymer Testing and Characterisation
Suggested areas for research projects
- Manufacturing processes for composite materials; novel processes and industrialisation, sustainable materials and processing, material systems for wireless charging of EVs. Contact Professor Simon Bickerton for more information.
- Microstructure/property relationships, fibre-reinforced composites, natural fibre composites and life cycle assessment. Contact Professor Krishnan Jayaraman for more information.
- Machinability, tribological characteristics and recyclability of composites, manufacturing and evaluation of thermoplastic composites. Contact Dr Richard Lin for more information.
- Composites analysis, finite element modelling, hull slamming and liquid composite moulding. Contact Dr Tom Allen for more information.
Mechanical Engineering study track 5: Acoustics, dynamics and control
The following are suggested electives for this study track. Please refer to the University of Auckland Calendar for detailed course descriptions.
- MECHENG 722 or 719 Engineering Vibrations or Advanced Engineering Vibrations
- MECHENG 724 or 720 Multivariable Control Systems or Advanced Multivariable Control Systems
- MECHENG 726 Acoustics for Engineers
Suggested areas for research projects
- Fault monitoring and predictive maintenance of machines. Contact Dr Jaspreet Dhupia for more information.
- Scavenging Kinetic Energy from Human Motions for Powering Wearable Devices. Contact Dr Lihua Tang for more information.
- Sound and vibration isolation and testing of aerospace structures. Contact Dr Vladislav Sorokin for more information.
- Flight control of unmanned aerial vehicles. Contact Dr Karl Stol for more information.
Mechatronics Engineering study track 1: Smart/functional materials in mechatronics (MechaMaTronics)
The following are suggested electives for this study track. Please refer to the University of Auckland Calendar for detailed course descriptions.
- MECHENG 735 or 728 MEMS and Microsystems or Advanced MEMS and Microsystems
- MECHENG 736 or 730 Biomechatronics Systems or Advanced Biomechatronics Systems
- CHEMMAT 755 Electronic Materials and their Applications
- CHEMMAT 724 Advanced Materials Characterisation
Suggested areas for research projects
- Soft wearable sensors and applications, energy harvesting using functional/smart materials. Contact Associate Professor Kean Aw for more information.
- Printing of functional materials for sensors and devices. Contact Dr Jonathan Stringer for more information.
Mechatronics Engineering study track 2: Acoustical signal processing
The following are suggested electives for this study track. Please refer to the University of Auckland Calendar for detailed course descriptions.
- MECHENG 726 Acoustics for Engineers
- ELECTENG 733 Digital Signal Processing
- ELECTENG 736 Analog and Digital Filter Synthesis
Suggested areas for research projects
Assisting speech communication for vulnerable listeners, ears for drones - audio recording technologies for unmanned aerial vehicles, localisation of bird calls in NZ bush. Contact Dr Yusuke Hioka for more information.
Mechatronics Engineering study track 3: Robotic mechanisms and manipulation
The following are suggested electives for this study track. Please refer to the University of Auckland Calendar for detailed course descriptions.
- MECHENG 736 or 730 Biomechatronics Systems or Advanced Biomechatronics Systems
- MECHENG 709 or 710 Industrial Automation or Advanced Industrial Automation
- MECHENG 724 or 720 Multivariable Control Systems or Advanced Multivariable Control Systems
Suggested areas for research projects
- Soft surface manipulator, cable-driven underwater robotics. Contact Professor Peter Xu and Dr Jaspreet Dhupia for more information.
- Design, Analysis, Modelling, and Development of Soft, Wearable Exoskeleton Gloves; Analysis, Modelling, Development and Control of All-Terrain Robotic Vehicles. Contact Dr Minas Liarokapis for more information.
- Soft bending actuators for soft robotic applications. Contact Associate Professor Kean Aw for more information.
Mechatronics Engineering study track 4: Biomimetic and bioinspired robotics
The following are suggested electives for this study track. Please refer to the University of Auckland Calendar for detailed course descriptions.
- MECHENG 736 or 730 Biomechatronics Systems or Advanced Biomechatronics Systems
- MECHENG 724 or 720 Multivariable Control Systems or Advanced Multivariable Control Systems
- ENGGEN 770 Medical Device and Technology Development
Suggested areas for research projects
- Soft digestion robotics and soft tissue manipulation. Contact Professor Peter Xu for more information.
- Redundantly actuated parallel robotics for dentistry. Contact Professor Peter Xu and Dr Jaspreet Dhupia for more information.
- Modelling, analysis and development of adaptive, anthropomorphic robotic and prosthetic hands. Contact Dr Minas Liarokapis for more information.
Mechatronics Engineering study track 5: Intelligent robots and autonomous systems
The following are suggested electives for this study track. Please refer to the University of Auckland Calendar for detailed course descriptions.
- MECHENG 724 or 720 Multivariable Control Systems or Advanced Multivariable Control Systems
- COMPSYS 726 Robotics and Intelligent Systems
- COMPSYS 731 Human-Robot Interaction
- COMPSYS 732 Mobile Autonomous Robotics
Suggested areas for research projects
- Aerial robotics. Contact Dr Karl Stol for more information.
- Autonomous omni-directional mobile robotics. Contact Professor Peter Xu and Dr Karl Stol for more information.
- Autonomous driving. Contact Dr Jaspreet Dhupia for more information.
- Blind robot grasping and haptic object identification with adaptive hands, skill transfer between humans and robots. Contact Dr Minas Liarokapis for more information.