A Higher National Diploma is a Level 5 qualification and represents the next level of study in Higher Education, building on the fundamental principles studied during an HNC. HND qualifications are highly-recognised both in academia and in industry, and facilitate opportunities for both career development and progression, as well as progression on to further study.
Note that this course is available as a top-up only. As a result, this qualification is only suitable for those who already have an HNC in Engineering, studied under the Regulated Qualifications Framework (RQF), first introduced in 2017.
If you do not have an RQF HNC in Engineering, please refer to our HNC programmes listed here. Once you have achieved the HNC qualification, you will be eligible to apply for the HND top-up programme.
Mechanical Engineering HND Overview
An HND (Level 5) builds on the fundamental Engineering principles studied at HNC, and further develops knowledge and skills in the field of Mechanical Engineering. The HND top-up programme in Mechanical Engineering consists of a range of Level 5 units, designed to deepen the understanding of Mechanical Engineering principles acquired during the HNC, at Level 4. In addition, the HND programme will introduce a more challenging level of technical skills.
Like our HNC qualifications, this HND top-up course offers full Online Delivery and Assessment. This is a Distance Learning programme, but not in the traditional sense, as our content consists of video tutorials and interactive practice questions, carefully designed to help and guide you at each stage of your studies.
Studying by Distance can be challenging, so when you complete your HND top-up with us, this will be a real testament to your self-motivation, organisation skills and perseverance. These are additional transferable skills that are highly desirable in the Engineering sector.
Mechanical Engineering HND Top-Up Course Content
The Engineers Academy® BTEC HND Top-Up in Mechanical Engineering will supplement the 8 units that you will have already studied at HNC, by adding an additional 7 units. To view the specification provided by the awarding body for this qualification, click on the BTEC Edexcel image above.
Please note that the units listed below assume that you have completed your HNC with Engineers Academy®, or have completed a course made up of similar units with another provider. Though we endeavour to keep this unit combination the same for all applicants, it may be the case that if you have completed your HNC with a different provider, some units must be substituted, or some additional units may be required. The units listed below may also be subject to change.
L5 HND Units:
- Unit 39 – Further Mathematics
- Unit 37 – Virtual Engineering
- Unit 34 – Research Project
- Unit 36 – Advanced Mechanical Principles
- Unit 49 – Lean Manufacturing
- Unit 38 – Further Thermodynamics
- Unit 35 – Professional Engineering Management
Engineers Academy Clients
Additional Programme Study Requirements
You will be provided with full, unlimited access to the Engineers Academy Study Platform for the duration of your chosen HND programme. In order to access the Study Platform, you will need an Internet connection and Internet access. In addition, you will need the following:
- A scientific calculator (Casio FX83GT or equivalent)
- Microsoft Office 365 / LibreOffice software (or equivalent)
- A Laptop or Desktop Computer with the following specifications
- Operating System: MAC operating on version 11 Big Sur, or PC operating on Windows 10 (or newer)
- Processor: X86-based 64-bit processor, 4 cores, 1.7GHz minimum
- RAM: 4GB minimum
- Storage: 10GB minimum
- Graphics Card: DirectX11 minimum
Note: You will also be required to register for additional subject specific software, but wherever possible, we will recommend software that offers free trials and / or student licenses. Please ensue you have the necessary permission to install software on the Laptop / Desktop that you intend to use for your studies.
Additionally, due to expectations of the awarding body (Pearson):
- Students enrolling on any Level 5 HND top-up programme must be employed in the engineering sector (or an engineering related role), or must be a ‘time-served’ engineer.
- Students must be available for the face-to-face assessment of at least one aspect of the programme, which can be arranged to be at a time and place convenient to the student, including the student’s workplace (where appropriate).
Oliver Brannan –
I recently completed my HND with Engineers Academy. I had to complete this course alongside a full time job, which meant it had to be easy to understand so I was able to meet assignment deadlines. This was achieved better than I had expected by far. The tutors are a great help, Rob, Jon and Andy were all readily available to respond to any queries I may have had. At times I was sending feedback on a nighttime and had woken up to a feedback form that had been completed.
The lessons are great. One my favorite features about this style of learning is that if you ever struggle with a topic you can revisit the lesson, unlike regular college. And said lessons were very well structured, and easy to follow. I was surprised at how achievable they managed to make such a complex topic. Highly reccomend studying through the engineers academy, and I have suggested to my own employer that all of our new apprentices apply to do their HNC and HND through this company.
Graham Mills –
Having already completed the HNC through Engineers Academy, I had high expectations for the standard of the content and methods of its delivery. Those expectations were exceeded. The video lessons are perfect lengths, with more complex topics broken down into multiple pieces. The most important point for me was that the videos keep things as simple as possible, just like with the HNC. The theory is all explained as clear as possible, and I cannot emphasise enough how difficult that is to achieve. Trying to explain difficult maths and engineering theory in simple terms takes a lot of skill.
The support is fantastic. Typically, I try not to lean on tutors too much, preferring instead to figure problems out for myself. But on the occasions when I did need to ask for either further explanation or formative feedback, it was always forthcoming and very prompt. I can’t thank Andy, Rob, and Jon enough for their help with this course.
If I could stay with this platform to complete my degree, I wouldn’t even hesitate. The effort that all concerned have put in is incredible and it shows. The quality of the instruction, the timeliness of the support, the production values of the videos, etc. It’s all excellent and I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend this course to anyone completing the HNC and considering their next moves. It pushed me to new, higher standards of work and effort, but without making me feel like anything was out of my reach. That is what education should be.