Professional Certificate of Competency in Mechanical Engineering

Course Duration
Duration
  • 3 Months
Course Study
Study Mode
  • Online
  • Online Mechanical Engineering
Course Location
Location
  • Online
Course Code
Course Code
CME
Course Intakes
Intakes
  • 21 January 2025
  • 12 August 2025
Course Type
Course Type
  • Professional Certificate
  • UK
  • Mechanical Engineering
Course Fees
Fees

Course Overview

This professional development course is designed for engineers and technicians who need to understand the essentials of mechanical engineering.

Course Benefits

  • You may be eligible to claim CPD points through your local engineering association.
  • Receive a Certificate of Completion from EIT.
  • Learn from well-known faculty and industry experts from around the globe.
  • Flexibility of attending anytime from anywhere, even when you are working full-time.
  • Interact with industry experts during the webinars and get the latest updates/announcements on the subject.
  • Experience a global learning with students from various backgrounds and experience which is a great networking opportunity.
  • Understand the fundamental concepts of Mechanical Engineering like heat transfer, fluid mechanics, mechanism of gears and bearings, and the principles of machine design.
  • Gain practical skills vital in designing of mechanical elements like fasteners, keys and keyways and riveted joints.
  • Learn about the latest mechanical process in manufacturing and production, their maintenance and the international standards and codes applicable.

Mechanical Engineering Course Details

Mechanical engineering, in simple terms, deals with any equipment that moves; this is what makes it perhaps the broadest and most diverse engineering discipline. The mechanical discipline primarily derives its breadth from the need to design and manufacture everything from small (even nano) individual devices, such as measuring instruments, to large systems such as machine tools and power plants.

Easy installation and serviceability are critical to the success of a mechanical system, as is operational and design flexibility. Understanding parameters governing the selection and design of mechanical systems is essential for identifying suitable systems for a particular application.

To place all these issues in context, a good working knowledge of mechanical principles combined with a solid understanding of critical concepts such as force, energy, and heat is essential. Mechanical power transmission is discussed from the point of view of gears, couplings, and bearings. Proper selection and sizing of these critical mechanical components are vital to ensure optimum performance and improved efficiency of a mechanical system. Recently, fluid engineering has undergone significant change, and therefore, a detailed overview of the underlying principles of fluid power and its applications is vital. The theory behind heat transfer, the various heat transfer mechanisms, and the design of heat exchangers are also examined.

Any study of mechanical systems would be incomplete without including a review of mechanical vibrations. This will help you in monitoring, controlling, and analyzing vibrations and in conducting fault diagnoses in mechanical systems.

The field of maintenance has evolved into a separate and highly specialized function. An effective maintenance regime helps identify failure symptoms and enables the initiation of corrective measures for preventing unscheduled and sometimes catastrophic failures. Lastly, a discussion on the numerous standards, codes, and regulations governing mechanical systems helps put the whole course into perspective.

The course is composed of 12 modules, covering topics such as force, work, power, moments and torques, balanced and unbalanced forces and loads in a system, heat transfer mechanisms, gears and bearings, and the principles of design manufacturing.

Module 1: Mechanical Engineering Basics

  • Introduction and basic concepts
  • Units for engineering quantities
  • Interpretation of mechanical drawings
  • Friction – importance in mechanical systems, types, static and dynamic friction coefficients

Module 2: Engineering Materials

  • Stress-strain relationship
  • Properties of engineering materials: strength, hardness, ductility, and toughness
  • Thermal processing of metals and how it affects their properties
  • Ferrous and non-ferrous alloys
  • The common failure of modes of materials: Fracture, fatigue, creep and corrosion

Module 3: Mechanical Design

  • Basic principles
  • Factor of safety
  • Static equilibrium
  • Design for static strength
  • Threaded fasteners
  • Keys and keyways
  • Riveted joints
  • Design for fatigue strength

Module 4: Gears and Bearings

  • Gears: Terminologies, types, ratios, and gear trains
  • Gear selection and gearboxes
  • Troubleshooting gear problems
  • Bearings: Loads, types, selection and troubleshooting
  • Installation guidelines

Module 5: Mechanical Drives

  • Belt and chain drives
  • Mechanical couplings
  • Hydrostatic drives
  • Hydrodynamic drives
  • Torque converters and fluid couplings
  • Clutches: Types, performance, and selection
  • Brakes: Types, performance, and selection

Module 6: Prime Movers

  • What is a prime mover?
  • Internal combustion engines
  • Electric motors
  • Hydraulic and air motors
  • Gas turbines
  • Mechanical variable speed drives
  • Hydraulic and pneumatic cylinders
  • Comparative merits/demerits of different prime movers
  • Primer mover selection criteria, applications

Module 7: Fluid Engineering

  • Concepts: Viscous flow and Reynolds number
  • Piping, selection, and sizing
  • Pumps and valves: Types and applications
  • Fluid engineering symbols and diagrams
  • Analysis of piping systems
  • Seals, fittings, flanges gaskets and O-rings
  • Mechanical seals: Types, selection, and maintenance

Module 8: Theory of Heat Transfer

  • Laws of thermodynamics
  • Thermal cycles
  • Heat exchangers: Types, maintenance, and troubleshooting
  • Heat pumps
  • Air conditioning
  • Heat: Conduction, convection, and radiation

Module 9: Mechanical Vibrations

  • Single degree of freedom system
  • Terminologies: Amplitude, phase, and frequency
  • The natural frequency of vibration
  • Multiple degrees of freedom system
  • Vibration measurement: sensors, analyzers, and interpretation
  • Use of vibration as a condition monitoring tool
  • Troubleshooting and correcting unwanted Vibrations

Module 10: Manufacturing and Production Systems

  • Metal production – foundry process
  • Cast making and metal melting
  • Die and precision casting
  • Heat treatment (hardening and softening)
  • Hot and cold working of metal
  • Presses
  • Numerical control
  • Machining and metal cutting
  • Broaching, shaping and sawing
  • Basics of welding and types of welded joints
  • Brazing
  • CAD/CAM
  • Rapid prototyping

Module 11: Maintenance

  • Objectives, reliability, and availability
  • Breakdown, preventive and predictive maintenance
  • Standard practices and tools
  • Lubrication
  • Factors influencing equipment downtime
  • Hazardous failures
  • Condition monitoring methods
  • Non-destructive testing and inspections
  • Planning and inspection schedules

Module 12: Mechanical Engineering Codes and Standards

  • Need for standardization
  • Mechanical engineering standards
  • Overview of standards
  • Benefits of standardization
  • ISO 9000/1
  • Six-sigma

To obtain a certificate of completion for EIT’s Professional Certificate of Competency, students must achieve a 65% attendance rate at the live, online fortnightly webinars.  Detailed summaries/notes can be submitted in lieu of attendance.  In addition, students must obtain a mark of 60% in the set assignments which could take the form of written assignments and practical assignments. Students must also obtain a mark of 100% in quizzes.  If a student does not achieve the required score, they will be given an opportunity to resubmit the assignment to obtain the required score.

For full current fees in your country go to the drop down filter at the top of this page or visit the Fees page.

Payment Methods

Learn more about payment methods, including payment terms & conditions and additional non-tuition fees.

Tom Neillings has extensive experience in the diesel power generation, and oil and gas industries. He has worked in both South Africa and Saudi Arabia.

Learn about our instructors.

You are expected to spend approximately 5-8 hours per week learning the course content. This includes attending fortnightly webinars that run for about 90 minutes to facilitate class discussion and allow you to ask questions. This program has a 65% attendance requirement in the live webinars in order to graduate from the program.  If you are unable to attend the live webinars, you have the option of watching the recording of completed webinars and sending a summary of what you have learnt from the webinar to the Learning Support officer.  The summaries go towards your attendance requirement for the program.

This program is run online on an intensive part-time basis and has been designed to fit around full-time work. It will take three months to complete.

We understand that sometimes work commitments and personal circumstances can get in the way of your studies, so if at any point you feel that you are struggling with the pace of the course or finding a particular module challenging, you are encouraged to contact your designated Learning Support Officer for assistance.

Registrations are open for our upcoming intakes. Please ensure you book your place at least one week before the start date of the program.

Hear from our students

  Great range of content for someone new to the field, started well with basic physics and had excellent progression to a range of basic systems and concepts which form the basis of an initial understanding of mechanical engineering ideas.  
  Good introduction to most aspects of mechanical engineering.  
  The online webinars were great.  

Helpful Information

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