Computational MSc courses

Swansea University has been a world-leading institution in Computational Engineering since the 1960s

About our Computational MSc courses

The Computational MSc courses are for students willing to acquire the necessary skills to develop and apply computational methods for performing virtual simulations of a wide range physical problems, including solid mechanics, fluid dynamics, wave propagation and multi-physics. The course includes optional modules on machine learning and Data-Driven methods.

Applicants to the MSc courses are usually students with a background in an Engineering (mechanical, aerospace, civil or electrical) or Science (mathematics, physics) discipline. This is a multidisciplinary programme, with modules that are complementary to those seeking to develop computational engineering skills to further their careers in Engineering and Science.

Three courses are available:

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Computational Engineering, MSc:

This course is for students willing to acquire the necessary skills to develop computational tools for real-life problems. The course duration is one year, and students will be able to tailor the degree by choosing one of the three different specialisations available: Software tools, Data-Driven methods, and Numerical techniques.

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Computational Engineering with Industry, MSc:

This course is an extension of the MSc Computational Engineering, with a second year. During the second year, you will undertake either an industrial placement or an industry-focused project to work on a real-life challenge undertaken in collaboration with one or several industrial partners.

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Computational Mechanics, International MSc:

This course is a 2-year MSc in collaboration with Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC) in Barcelona, Spain. Students can undertake the first year in Swansea and the second year in UPC or vice versa. At the end of the first year, they undertake an industrial placement. This course provides a unique opportunity to study in two renowned universities in the field and in two different countries. As such it offers a wide range of optional modules to specialise in many areas of computational mechanics, both in Swansea and in Barcelona.

Why a Computational MSc at Swansea?

The Computational MSc courses are taught by world-leading academics and they are advised by an Industrial Steering Committee with industrial experts on computational engineering. The Industrial Steering Committee includes:

Hexagon
Rolls-Royce
Rockfield
Peritus International
Pebble Engineering

Students will have free access to all the software required to undertake their studies, both at PCs within the University and at home. For their dissertation they will also have access to the high-performance computing facilities available at Swansea, including the Impact Cluster and the Supercomputing Wales facilities at Swansea, with a total of 4,920 cores and 47 Tb of RAM memory.

Employment Opportunities

Graduates of the MSc Computational Engineering have a wide range of opportunities. They can access jobs in industry or academia, depending on their interests.

Due to the unique skills of a Computational Engineer, the expected salary is usually higher than a standard Engineer. For instance, in the UK, the average salary of a Computational Engineering job in November 2022 is £43K, whereas the average salary of an Engineering job is £38K. It is worth noting that employers seeking for graduates use either “Computational Engineer”, “Modelling Engineer” or “Simulation Engineer” in their descriptions.

Companies that offer jobs to Computational Engineers include some of the most famous brands worldwide, namely Alphabet, Amazon, Apple, Boeing, Chevron, Coca-Cola, ExxonMobil, General Dynamics, HP, IBM, Intel, Meta, Microsoft, Nike, Pfizer, Tesla.

After graduation, some students prefer to pursue a PhD in Computational Engineering. Our graduates have gone on to pursue PhDs in many leading Universities worldwide and many Swansea graduates hold research or academic positions in prestigious Universities and R&D centres.