Railway Systems Engineering and Integration

Our programme in Railway Systems Engineering and Integration Masters provides an all-round level of knowledge and education and equips the next generation of industry leaders. A major benefit of this course is that it enables you to consider the broader aspects of railway systems and how they interact.

Railway businesses rely on advanced technical and operational systems to carry vast numbers of passengers in densely populated areas and large quantities of goods over long distances, economically, safely and in a timely manner. This taught postgraduate programme in Railway Systems Engineering and Integration has a strong focus on developing postgraduates’ railway engineering knowledge and know-how, their systems integration skills and their understanding of the complex interactions between subsystems. It develops your ability to work in multi-disciplinary project teams and is strongly supported by railway practitioners.

Graduates of the programme design, build, operate and manage successfully the sophisticated subsystems and complex interfaces characterising existing and new railways. The full-time programme comprises of classroom taught modules and coursework modules, scheduled over a period of 8 months. Part-time students follow the same syllabus as full-time students but complete the taught modules in a sequence that best suits their work-commitments. The MSc strand requires the submission of a dissertation that is based on a significant amount of independent research.

Many participants are experienced railway engineers and managers, sponsored by their employers, but the programme also allows new entrants to the railway industry to familiarise themselves with the specialist disciplines involved in railway systems engineering, while also gaining an insight into the complex interactions between subsystems.

2021/22 timetable

Distance-learning Study Mode

The distance-learning mode involves attendance in Birmingham only for the taught weeks over a period of 2-3 years. This means you can combine work with study and visit Birmingham 5 or 6 times to complete the degree.

• Study in our state-of-the-art School of Engineering building which includes a 179-capacity Design Centre and a basement that houses a full-size set of railway points, the University’s pantograph test rig and a test track for the scaled hydrogen-powered train.
• There are 3 visits for the 3 modules in the first year and 3 visits for the 3 modules in the second year. In the second year there is also an optional visit for the Study Tour (usually in May).
• You will have a substantial amount of preparation work, homework, and assessment comprising coursework projects and exams, which may be available in your home country.
• There are a number of people from Australia, Hong Kong, China, and Singapore who have successfully completed the programme on this basis.

Why study Railway Systems Engineering and Integration Masters at Birmingham?

• Study in our state-of-the-art new School of Engineering building which includes

-160 drop in study spaces for flexible learning and 20 flexi bays for staff and student interaction

-Study in our new £16.4M UK Rail Research and Innovation Network (UKRRIN) Centre of Excellence in Digital Systems (CEDS) with the opportunity to work alongside leading industrial collaborators

-Provides an opportunity to work on your specific sponsored projects and network globally

• The Railway Systems Engineering and Integration programme provides an all-round level of knowledge and education and equips the next generation of industry leaders.
• A major benefit of this course is that it enables you to consider the broader aspects of railway systems and how they interact. Many major projects fail at the interdisciplinary interfaces, and this is precisely the area where the MSc course can assist.
• It allows you to work at a more senior level, on major projects, and to understand when the ‘technical experts' were not fully appreciative of the interfaces with other disciplines and the latent problems that were developing.
• We’re Europe’s largest and most diverse railway research & education group with extensive links into industry. What this means is that students benefit from learning about rail and rail systems from the fundamentals which everyone needs to know, through to the latest research and industrial applications.
• We have extensive laboratories and facilities both on and off our campus for carrying out research in railway engineering. Facilities include railway system simulators, wind tunnel, electronics laboratories, pantograph testing rig, robotic arms, a railway track foundation rig, plus other equipment. We also have an aerodynamic moving-model testing facility for high-speed trains.

The course is accredited by the Joint Board of Moderators (Institution of Structural Engineers, Institution of Civil Engineers, Chartered Institution of Highways & Transportation, Institute of Highway Engineers).