SPECIAL REGULATIONS FOR THE HONOUR SCHOOL OF ENGINEERING SCIENCE

To search within this page: Press CTRL + F (PC) or APPLE + F (Mac)

For candidates embarking on the Honour School in or before October 2008, taking Part I in or before 2010, and taking Part II in or before 2011

A

1. No candidate shall be admitted to the examination in this school unless he or she has either passed or been exempted from the First Public Examination.
2. The subject of the examination shall be Engineering Science.
3. The examination in this school shall be under the supervision of the Divisional Board of Mathematical, Physical and Life Sciences, which shall make regulations concerning it, subject always to the provisions of this subsection.
4. The examination shall consist of two parts and shall be partly of a practical nature.
5. No candidate may present himself or herself for examination in Part II unless previously adjudged worthy of Honours by the examiners in Part I. The name of a candidate shall not be published in a Class List unless he or she has been adjudged worthy of Honours by the examiners in Part I and in Part II of the examination in consecutive years, save where approval has been given by the Board for an intercalated year of study or industrial attachment between Parts I and II.
6. A candidate adjudged worthy of Honours in Part I and Part II in Engineering Science may supplicate for the Degree of Master of Engineering in Engineering Science provided that the candidate has fulfilled all the conditions for admission to a degree of the University.
7. A candidate who passes Part I or who is adjudged worthy of Honours in Part I, but who does not enter Part II, or fails to obtain Honours in Part II, is permitted to supplicate for the degree of Bachelor of Arts in Engineering Science (pass or unclassified Honours, as appropriate); provided that no such candidate may later enter or re-enter the Part II year or supplicate for the degree of Master of Engineering in Engineering Science; and provided in each case that the candidate has fulfilled all the conditions for admission to a degree of the University.

B

Part I

Candidates will be required to take seven written papers, each of three hours, as follows: the five papers A1 to A5 in group A together with two papers taken from B1 to B6 in group B. In addition, they will be required to take three coursework subjects A6 to A8, each to be considered by the examiners as equivalent to one written paper.

Group A: Core course

Paper A1: Mathematical Methods.

Paper A2: Electrical Systems.

Paper A3: Modelling, Dynamics and Control.

Paper A4: Structures and Materials.

Paper A5: Fluid Mechanics and Thermodynamics.

Paper A6: Engineering Practical Work.

Paper A7: Engineering and Society Coursework.

Paper A8: Part I Design Project.

Group B: Basic options

Paper B1: Mechanical Engineering.

Paper B2: Civil Engineering.

Paper B3: Electronic Engineering.

Paper B4: Information Engineering.

Paper B5: Chemical Engineering.

Paper B6: Biomedical Engineering.

The examiners will not provide calculators, but will permit the use of one hand-held pocket calculator from a list of permitted calculators published by the Chairman of the faculty not later than the end of the fourth week of the Trinity Full Term in the academic year preceding the examination.

Candidates shall be required to submit a portfolio for Engineering and Society coursework (A7) comprising three assignments on:

(a) a management case study
(b) a safety assessment
(c) a sustainability assessment

as specified by the Chairman of the Faculty of Engineering Science. Details of the portfolio will be published not later than Friday of the eighth week of Hilary Full Term in the academic year preceding that in which the written examination is to be taken. Each assignment shall be typed and must not exceed 3,000 words except where specified by the Chairman of Faculty. Two copies of the portfolio of work shall be submitted to the Chairman of Examiners, Honour School of Engineering Science, c/o Examination Schools, High Street, Oxford, not later than noon on Friday of the ninth week of the Trinity Term of the year preceding the written examinations. The material must be the candidate's own work and the candidate shall sign and present with the portfolio a detachable certificate to this effect. Assignments previously submitted for the Honour School of Engineering Science may be resubmitted. No assignment will be accepted if it has already been submitted wholly or substantially for another honour school or degree of this University, or for a degree at any other institution. Resubmitted work must be physically presented at the time and in the manner prescribed for submission.

Candidates shall submit to the examiners reports on the Part I Design Project (A8) completed as a part of their course of study. The subject of the project shall be approved by the Projects Committee of the Faculty of Engineering Science and three copies of the report shall be submitted to the Chairman of the Examiners, Honour School of Engineering Science, c/o Examination Schools, High Street, Oxford, by noon on Friday of the fourth week of Trinity Term in the year of the Part I examination. The examiners shall consider the project report as the equivalent of a written paper. The project report must not exceed thirty pages (including all diagrams, photographs, references and appendices). All pages should be numbered, have margins of not less than 20mm all round, and type face not less than eleven-point with line spacing of no less than 8mm. The report must be the candidate's own work and should include a signed statement to this effect. Project reports previously submitted for the Honour School of Engineering Science may be resubmitted. No project report will be accepted if it has already been submitted wholly or substantially for another honour school or degree of this University, or for a degree at any other institution. Resubmitted work must be physically presented at the time and in the manner prescribed for submission.

In the assessment of Paper A6 the examiners shall take into consideration failure of a candidate to complete the practical work to a level prescribed from time to time by the faculty. Failure to complete coursework modules to a satisfactory standard will also be taken into account by the examiners, except that exemption from the requirement to complete coursework modules shall be granted to any candidate who, in Trinity term of the second year, participates in an exchange scheme approved by the faculty. The Chairman of the Faculty of Engineering Science shall provide a list, by the end of the sixth week of the Trinity term in the year of the Part I examination, showing the extent to which each candidate has satisfied these requirements.

Candidates will not normally be required to submit their Engineering Practical Work. However, the examiners may request practical work from some candidates. Such candidates will be named in a list posted by the day of the last written examination.

Candidates may be examined viva voce at the examiners' discretion.

Part II

In Part II a candidate shall be required to offer three written papers from Group C or an equivalent approved collection of course options if taking part in an exchange scheme. The detailed requirements and arrangements for written papers to be taken by students in Oxford, and the list of subjects and the syllabuses from which the papers in Group C may be selected shall be approved by the Faculty of Engineering Science and published in the Gazette by the Chairman of the Faculty of Engineering Science not later than the end of the Trinity full term of the academic year preceding the year of the examination of Part II. Candidates taking part in an exchange scheme shall have the proposed set of papers to be taken in the host institution approved by the faculty by the end of Trinity full term before going on the exchange.

Each individual candidate taking part in a full year exchange at a host institution approved by the University will provide a collated set of coursework to the Exchange Co-ordinator of the Faculty of Engineering Science. Each individual candidate will ensure that the host institution forwards a full transcript of the courses taken certified by the host institution. Each individual candidate will ensure that the host institution retains the examination papers for the approved courses undertaken and that these are submitted under seal, together with the collated coursework and transcript of courses taken, to the Chairman of Examiners, Honour School of Engineering Science, c/o Examination Schools, High Street, Oxford by noon on Friday of the sixth week of Trinity Term.

Each individual candidate shall submit three copies of his or her own report on the Part II Project completed as part of the course of study. The subject of the project shall be approved by the Projects Committee of the Faculty of Engineering Science and the report on the project shall be submitted to the Chairman of the Examiners, Honour School of Engineering Science, c/o Examination Schools, High Street, Oxford, by noon on Friday of the fourth week of Trinity Term. The project and report together shall be considered by the examiners in deciding the class of a candidate as equivalent to three written papers. The report must not exceed fifty pages (including all diagrams, photographs, references and appendices). All pages must be numbered, have margins of not less than 20mm all round and type face of Arial 11 pt font with double-line spacing. The report must be the candidate's own work and should include a signed statement to this effect. Reports previously submitted for Part II for the Honour School of Engineering Science may be resubmitted. No work will be accepted if it has already been submitted, wholly or substantially, for Part I or for another honour school or degree of this University, or for a degree of any other institution. Resubmitted work must be physically presented at the time and in the manner prescribed for submission.

Exceptionally, and with the approval of the Chairman of the Faculty of Engineering Science, candidates may undertake their Design Project during a twenty-four-week placement and take a specified equivalent of three Group C papers. The placement shall always include the period from the fifth Friday before to the first Saturday after the end of Michaelmas Full Term.

Candidates may be examined viva voce at the examiners' discretion.

Schedule

Group A: Core course

Paper A1: Mathematical Methods

Convolution; Fourier transforms; spectra; sampling and reconstruction; random processes.

Vector algebra; vector calculus; Gauss' and Stokes' theorems; derivation of vector equations; describing properties of continuous media such as continuity and Laplace's equation.

Solution of partial differential equations in two independent variables; boundary conditions; application to engineering problems; the wave equation; wave propagation and dispersion.

Linear transformations and equations; matrix rank and diagonalisation; computation of solutions of simultaneous linear equations, iterative algorithms; eigenvalue computation; curve fitting and algorithms for data approximation; computational solution of differential equations.

Paper A2: Electrical Systems

Applied Electromagnetism. Integral form of Maxwell's equations, origin of ρ, ε, and μ, capacitance and inductance for simple geometries, slow moving fields. Single phase transformer, electro-mechanical conversion, separately excited DC motor. Balanced three-phase circuits, induction motor.

Digital Logic and Computer Architecture. Finite State Machines, RTL, hardware implementation. The CPU, ALU, instructions and hardware support. Memory devices and organization. Processor performance, interfacing.

Communications. Modulation schemes, Carson's rule. Fibre transmission systems. Fixed networks, protocols and routing, Ethernet, simple traffic model. Mobile communications, cellular concept, GSM, CDMA.

Paper A3: Modelling, Dynamics and Control

Modelling of dynamic systems in terms of ordinary differential equations. Steady state and transient behaviour.

Mechanical vibrations; system modelling, applications.

Dynamics; motion with rotation and translation. Kinematics; motion in rotating frames of reference. Mechanism analysis. Gear trains.

Introduction to Control. Stability. Analysis and design of simple control systems.

Electronic instrumentation and signal conditioning. Interface to computer systems; computer implementation of control.

Paper A4: Structures and Materials

Elastic continuum problems in two and three dimensions; equilibrium, compatibility, stress-strain relationships and boundary conditions. Stress distributions in structural members.

Elastic analysis of structures using matrix methods; the stiffness matrix method, the finite element method in one and two dimensions.

Elastic instability of struts; plasticity in bending; plastic collapse of beams and frames.

Alloys and strengthening mechanisms; equilibrium diagrams, diffusion, heat treatment.

Plasticity; microscopic and macroscopic behaviour, von Mises' yield criterion. Creep. Fracture and fatigue.

Paper A5: Fluid Mechanics and Thermodynamics

Stream function. Potential theory. Examples of potential flows. Lift and drag coefficients. Vorticity, circulation. Magnus effect, Kutta-Joukowsky theorem.

Applied fluid mechanics. Dimensional analysis, similarity and model testing. Turbomachinery. Boundary layer theory. Friction drag. Steady flow in open channels.

Second Law, reversibility, Carnot cycle, thermodynamic temperature, Carnot theorem, entropy, process efficiencies.

Thermodynamic Machines. Refrigeration systems, steam cycles, internal combustion engines, gas turbines, compressors.

Heat and Mass Transfer. Radiation, convection, determination of heat transfer coefficients, heat exchangers. Mass transfer by convection and diffusion.

Paper A6: Engineering Practical Work

Practical exercises including: engineering computation, electricity, electronics, control, computer architecture, structures, mechanics, materials, thermodynamics, fluid mechanics.

Paper A7: Engineering and Society

Paper A8: Design Project.

Group B: Basic Options

Paper B1: Mechanical Engineering

Applications of elasticity and plasticity, mechanics of non-metallic materials, power transmission, dynamics of machines, gas dynamics and hygrometry.

Paper B2: Civil Engineering

Structural analysis and design, soil mechanics, water engineering.

Paper B3: Electronic Engineering

Semiconductor devices, analogue and digital circuits, communication systems.

Paper B4: Information Engineering

Information Engineering Systems, Dynamical Systems and Optimal Control, Computer Controlled Systems, Software Engineering, Estimation and Inference, Digital Signal and Image Analysis.

Paper B5: Chemical Engineering

Chemical thermodynamics, mass transfer processes, chemical reactors, process design, bioprocessing.

Paper B6: Biomedical Engineering

Quantitative physiology, biomechanics, biomedical, instrumentation, biomedical fluid mechanics.

Group C: Advanced Options

These papers will contain questions on the subjects for each paper as published in the Gazette by the Chairman of the Faculty of Engineering Science.

SPECIAL REGULATIONS FOR THE HONOUR SCHOOL OF ENGINEERING SCIENCE

For candidates embarking on the Honour School in or after October 2009, taking Part A in or after 2010, taking Part B in or after 2011, and taking Part C in or after 2012.

A

1. No candidate shall be admitted to examination in this school unless he or she has either passed or been exempted from the First Public Examination.
2. The subject of the examination shall be Engineering Science.
3. The examination in this school shall be under the supervision of the Divisional Board of Mathematical, Physical and Life Sciences, which will make regulations concerning it, subject always to the provision of this subsection.
4. (a) The examination shall consist of three parts: A, B and C. (b) Parts A, B and C shall be taken at times not less than three, six and nine terms, respectively, after passing or being exempted from the First Public Examination. (c) Parts B and C shall be taken in consecutive years, save where approval has been given by the Board for an intercalated year of study or industrial attachment between Parts B and C.
5. No candidate may present him or herself for examination in Part C unless he or she has been adjudged worthy of Honours by the examiners in both Parts A and B together.
6. The name of a candidate shall not be published in a class list until he or she has completed all parts of the examination, and has been adjudged worthy of Honours by the examiners in Parts A, B and C of the examination. The Examiners shall give due consideration to the performance in all parts of the respective examinations.
7. The examiners shall be entitled to award a Pass to candidates on Parts A and B who have reached a standard considered adequate but who have not been adjudged worthy of honours.
8. A candidate who obtains only a pass, or fails to satisfy the examiners, may enter again for Part B of the examination on one, but no more than one, subsequent occasion. Parts A and C shall be entered on one occasion only.
9. A candidate adjudged worthy of Honours on both Parts A and B together, and on Part C may supplicate for the Degree of Master of Engineering in Engineering Science, provided he or she has fulfilled all the conditions for admission to a degree of the University.
10. A candidate who passes both Parts A and B or who is adjudged worthy of Honours in Parts A and B together, but who does not enter Part C, or fails to obtain classified Honours in Part C, may be permitted to supplicate for the degree of Bachelor of Arts in Engineering Science (pass or unclassified Honours, as appropriate); provided that no such candidate may later enter or re-enter the Part C year or supplicate for the degree of Master of Engineering in Engineering Science; and provided in each case that the candidate has fulfilled all the conditions for admission to a degree of the University.

B

In the following ‘the Course Handbook’ refers to the Engineering Science Undergraduate Course Handbook, published annually at the start of Michaelmas Term by the Faculty of Engineering Science.

The syllabus for each of Parts A, B and C will be published by the Faculty of Engineering Science in the Course Handbook, together with the relative weighting of each paper and the duration of all written papers.

The examiners will not provide calculators, but will permit the use of one hand-held pocket calculator from a list of permitted calculators published by the Chairman of the Faculty not later than the end of the Trinity Full Term in the academic year preceding the examination.

1. In Part A of the examination, candidates will be required to take four written papers, as follows: A1 Mathematics A2 Electronic and Information Engineering A3 Structures, Materials and Dynamics A4 Energy Systems In addition, they will be required to take Paper A5 Engineering Practical Work, which will be examined by continuous assessment. Candidates will not normally be required to submit their Engineering Practical Work. However, the examiners may request practical work from some candidates. Such candidates will be named in a list posted by the day of the last written examination.
2. In Part B of the examination, candidates will be required to take five optional written papers from Schedule B papers in the Course Handbook and, in addition, Paper B2 Engineering in Society. Candidates will also be required to take three coursework subjects, as follows: B1 Engineering Computation B3 Group Design Project B4 Engineering Practical Work Paper B4 will be examined through continuous assessment. Candidates will not normally be required to submit their Engineering Practical Work. However, the examiners may request practical work from some candidates. Such candidates will be named in a list posted by the day of the last written examination.
3. Candidates shall submit to the examiners reports on the Group Design Project (Paper B3) completed as a part of their course of study. The subject of the project shall be approved by the Projects Committee of the Faculty of Engineering Science and three copies of the report shall be submitted to the Chairman of the Examiners, Honour School of Engineering Science, c/o Examination Schools, High Street, Oxford, by noon on Friday of the fourth week of Trinity Term in the year of the Part B examination. The project report must not exceed thirty pages (including all diagrams, photographs, references and appendices). All pages must be numbered, have margins of not less than 20mm all round and type face of Arial 11 pt font with double-line spacing. The report must be the candidate’s own work and should include a signed statement to this effect. Project reports previously submitted for the Honour School of Engineering Science may be resubmitted. No project report will be accepted if it has already been submitted wholly or substantially for another honour school or degree of this University, or for a degree at any other institution. Resubmitted work must be physically presented at the time and in the manner prescribed for submission.
4. In Part C a candidate shall be required to offer six written papers from Schedule C in the Course Handbook or an equivalent approved collection of course options if taking part in an exchange scheme. Candidates taking part in an exchange scheme shall have the proposed set of papers to be taken in the host institution approved by the faculty by the end of Trinity full term before going on the exchange.
5. In Part C of the examination, each candidate shall carry out a project on a topic of Engineering Science approved by the Projects Committee of the Faculty of Engineering Science. Each candidate shall submit three copies of his or her own report of the project to the Chairman of the Examiners, Honour School of Engineering Science, c/o Examination Schools, High Street, Oxford, by noon on Friday of the fourth week of Trinity Term. The report must not exceed fifty pages (including all diagrams, photographs, references and appendices). All pages must be numbered, have margins of not less than 20mm all round, and type face of Arial 11 pt font with double-line spacing. The report must be the candidate’s own work and should include a signed statement to this effect. Reports previously submitted for Part C for the Honour School of Engineering Science may be resubmitted. No work will be accepted if it has already been submitted, wholly or substantially, for Part B or for another honour school or degree of this University, or for a degree of any other institution. Resubmitted work must be physically presented at the time and in the manner prescribed for submission.
6. Each individual candidate taking part in a full year exchange at a host institution approved by the University will provide a collated set of coursework to the Exchange Coordinator of the Faculty of Engineering Science. The Exchange Coordinator will ensure that the host institution forwards a full transcript of the courses taken certified by the host institution. The Exchange Coordinator will also ensure that the host institution retains the examination papers for the approved courses undertaken and that these are submitted under seal, together with the collated coursework and transcript of courses taken, to the Chairman of Examiners, Honour School of Engineering Science, c/o Examination Schools, High Street, Oxford by noon on Friday of the sixth week of Trinity Term. Exceptionally, and with the approval of the Chairman of the Faculty of Engineering Science, candidates may undertake their Project during a twenty-four week placement and take a specified equivalent of six papers from Schedule C in the Course Handbook. The placement shall always include the period from the fifth Friday before to the first Saturday after the end of Michaelmas Full Term.
7. Candidates may be examined viva voce at the examiners’ discretion.