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Department of Mechanical, Aerospace and Civil Engineering

Three course students in blue coats stood around machine while an anonymous hand adjusts it

Continuing professional development

The University of Manchester has been delivering industrially applied professional development courses in plant maintenance and reliability for over 20 years.

Explore your professional development options below.

Reliability Engineering and Asset Management

Short courses

We offer short courses where professionals can get to grips with key industrial issues over a few days, including:

Interested in this, or other short course options? Contact us for more information.

Our Department offers eight IMechE accredited CPD courses that can contribute to your professional development giving you the opportunity to update your skills and knowledge and support you applying for Chartered Engineer Status and Membership. The courses cover a spectrum of plant maintenance activities ranging from maintenance design, condition monitoring, maintenance auditing, risk and reliability modelling and turnaround management.

Candidates can select which of the following courses are most relevant and can study them individually at their own pace online via distance learning, or part-time on campus. For individuals working in industry, this flexible and blended learning structure allows you to study alongside full-time employment. For employers the CPD route is also an ideal way to upskill your workforce.

The CPD courses we currently offer are:

  • Asset Management Strategy and Organisation
  • Asset Maintenance Systems
  • Auditing Asset Management & Maintenance Organisations
  • Design for Reliability and Asset Management
  • Machinery Vibration-based Condition Monitoring
  • Reliability, Maintainability and Risk
  • Safety Legislation and Cost Effectiveness
  • Turnaround Management

Ladder of opportunity

The CPD courses we offer align with the content of our MSc Reliability Engineering and Asset Management which provides a ladder of opportunity for candidates to go on to achieve a formal postgraduate qualification if they pass four or all eight CPD courses.*

Successful completion of four CPD courses = award of PG Certificate

Successful completion of all eight taught courses= award of PG Diploma

Successful completion of all eight taught courses and a research dissertation= award of MSc

* In order to receive the awards outlined below, units would need to be studied over a maximum of 5 years.

Course structure

The CPD courses taught in semester one will run from September to January and courses in semester two will run from February to June. You can find full details including content, the semester in which it is taught and assessment information in the course specifications in the list above.

Each CPD course is run once a year and the taught element takes place over an intensive one-week teaching block. Please contact us for the upcoming teaching dates of the course(s) you are interested in.

For those studying the CPD course online via distance learning you will engage with the teaching by Webinar.

Course fees

Fees for the 2020/2021 academic year are:

  • Individual CPD course (15 credit course) = £2625

Fees are paid for each course upon registration.

Entry requirements

The standard academic entry requirement is a lower second class (2:2) UK honours degree or international equivalent, in a relevant science or engineering discipline. 

We may consider your application without this qualification, if you have significant relevant professional experience demonstrated by an up-to-date CV.

How to apply

  1. Complete the online application form.
  2. Scroll through the options to select the modular programme/plan codes.
  3. You are not required to complete all of the fields on the application form, but please complete the following:
    • full contact details, full name, date of birth, address, email address, phone number;
    • The title of your chosen course(s).
  1. Please also upload the following documents:
    • statement of aims - (about half an A4 sheet) briefly summarising your motivation for studying the course(s);
    • academic transcript - showing all subjects studied and grades awarded for each year of your degree;
    • degree certificate;
    • CV - showing academic and employment history;
    • Two letters of reference - two industrial references are sufficient if you have graduated more than two years ago (references can be emailed separately after application if preferred).

If you have any questions about the application process or courses themselves, contact us.

Other REAM courses

If you would like to find out more about the entry requirements for the full MSc or PG Certificate or PG Diploma courses in Reliability Engineering and Asset Management, please see the course profiles:

Find out more about about Reliability Engineering and Asset Management professional development programme by watching our course video: