Materials and Process Engineering

Overview

Materials and process engineering involves converting raw and commodity materials from animals, vegetables or minerals into valuable products required by manufacturers or consumers. The discipline combines chemical, mechanical and materials engineering to produce professional engineers with a wide range of skills for the processing and manufacturing industries.

Materials and process engineering has particular relevance to New Zealand. Processing our raw materials and commodity goods more effectively is important to New Zealand's continuing economic welfare. We need to develop products that have significant value in world markets. To do this, we need to understand fully the properties of materials as diverse as food, wood, metals, plastics and fuel and how they interact with their environment. We then need to know how to design, manufacture and process these materials into high value products such as dietary formula, ceramics that can withstand high temperatures, titanium alloys, pharmaceuticals, laminated boards, and functional proteins.

The materials and process engineering programme is designed to prepare graduates for careers in engineering anywhere in the world. The programme has received full IPENZ accreditation which gives the degree international acceptance in countries such as Australia, USA, Canada, Japan, UK, Hong Kong, Singapore, South Africa etc.

The materials and process engineering degree programme includes the range of subjects needed to attain entry level in the work force as a professional engineer. Materials and process engineers study the basic engineering sciences of rigid mechanical (force and motion), deformable mechanics (stress and strain), thermal fluid science (energy and hydraulics), separation processes, chemical reactions, and system dynamics and control. Computer aided engineering analysis and design, combined with design and build projects are a feature of the programme.