Manufacturing to Mechanical Engineer

willowthewisp

Hi, I hold a degree in Manufacturing Engineering. At a particular stage in my undergraduate course there was the option to go for Manufacturing or Mechanical Engineering. I obviously choose Manufacturing.
10 years down the line I am querying that decision due to the areas my career path in Engineering has taken me.

Basically I am wondering does anyone know if it would be possible to take the modules which were applicable to Mechanical rather than Manufacturing Engineering, and then be able to have a degree in Mechanical Engineering also (i.e. prior learning for all the modules which were already completed)?


Thanks

Darren1o1

willowthewisp wrote: »

Hi, I hold a degree in Manufacturing Engineering. At a particular stage in my undergraduate course there was the option to go for Manufacturing or Mechanical Engineering. I obviously choose Manufacturing.
10 years down the line I am querying that decision due to the areas my career path in Engineering has taken me.

Basically I am wondering does anyone know if it would be possible to take the modules which were applicable to Mechanical rather than Manufacturing Engineering, and then be able to have a degree in Mechanical Engineering also (i.e. prior learning for all the modules which were already completed)?


Thanks

You could do a masters in Mechanical. I know DCU does a intermediate (Mechanical basics) course then goes into advanced topics for their CAMME program.

alias no.9

willowthewisp wrote: »

Hi, I hold a degree in Manufacturing Engineering. At a particular stage in my undergraduate course there was the option to go for Manufacturing or Mechanical Engineering. I obviously choose Manufacturing.
10 years down the line I am querying that decision due to the areas my career path in Engineering has taken me.

Basically I am wondering does anyone know if it would be possible to take the modules which were applicable to Mechanical rather than Manufacturing Engineering, and then be able to have a degree in Mechanical Engineering also (i.e. prior learning for all the modules which were already completed)?


Thanks

What is the end goal of this change? What job do you think you will get afterwards that you can't get now?

willowthewisp

alias no.9 wrote: »

What is the end goal of this change? What job do you think you will get afterwards that you can't get now?

I suppose its maybe a more knowledge gap that I am trying to bridge and make myself more appealing to employers. I find that manufacturing engineers are not as directly sought after as Mechanical engineers and am as such working and describe myself as a Mechanical Engineer.
It's just that when I have to explain that my degree is actually in Manufacturing, I feel people are a little surprised/confused.

alias no.9

willowthewisp wrote: »

I suppose its maybe a more knowledge gap that I am trying to bridge and make myself more appealing to employers. I find that manufacturing engineers are not as directly sought after as Mechanical engineers and am as such working and describe myself as a Mechanical Engineer.
It's just that when I have to explain that my degree is actually in Manufacturing, I feel people are a little surprised/confused.

10 years on from an undergraduate degree, your experience should be more important than the specifics of the degree. If there's a specific area of knowledge you want to cover, then go cover that and identify it as an area of interest/expertise in your cover letter.
If there's a job that interests you and you think you can do, who cares if the job title specifies Mechanical Engineer, check out the more detailed job specification, explain your strengths and experience with respect to this and don't apologise for graduating as a Manufacturing Engineer, you're an experienced Engineer, sell your experience.

mr potato head

I agree with alias, the job titles are very broad and the job specification will tell you more about the role than the titles. Selling your experience and the knowledge gained in industry is the main thing, you've spent over twice as many years learning applied and real world engineering skills than time spent on your undergrad.

When you say you are trying to bridge a knowledge gap, are you looking to change industry or role from where you have previous experience?

I did the Manufacturing stream in DIT nearly 10 years ago. I've I have worked in Ireland, Germany and the UK and from talking to collogues If I compare the majority of modules I covered , the course might just as easily be called Mechanical Design or Mechanical Manufacturing Engineering in another institution and the Mechanical Engineering stream would have been Mechanical and Process engineering.