HNC Manufacturing Operations

The Higher National Certificate (HNC) in Manufacturing Engineering for England allows students to achieve a qualification equivalent in level to the first year of a ‘traditional’ degree. Taught by industry specialists dedicated to ensuring you acquire the skills and knowledge required to succeed in the sector, the programme offers the opportunity to develop an in-depth understanding of the various aspects of manufacturing and related professional standards. The qualification encompasses eight units which are designed to provide insight to manufacturing engineering operations, including the major impact that new digital and software technologies have on the engineering environment.

The course is a recognised Higher Technical Qualification (HTQ) which means it has been reviewed and approved for ensuring learners gain the skills that employers want, and employers can be confident that learners have the knowledge, skills, and behaviours for a particular specialist role.

This course is available on a part-time basis and is taught in-person at our Yeovil College campus. The part-time course is studied over 1 and a half academic years (or ‘3 semesters’), and students are typically timetabled for 1 day per week.

Higher National Certificate in Manufacturing Engineering for England, awarded by Pearson, and regulated by the Office for Students.

You will study a range of units that will develop your specialist knowledge and skills. Modules currently offered include:

• Engineering Design
• Engineering Maths
• Managing a Professional Engineering Project
• Production Engineering for Manufacture
• Quality and Process Improvement
• Computer Aided Design and Manufacture (CAD/CAM)
• Industry 4.0
• Industrial Robots

Alongside developing a range of subject-specific skills, this course also gives you the opportunity to develop important transferable skills such as critical analysis, academic writing, time management, and communication.

Please be aware that modules studied may change periodically to reflect developments in the discipline, in response to student or stakeholder feedback, or as a result of regulatory body requirements. However, no significant changes to modules would be implemented without student consultation and feedback. Enrolled students can always find the most up-to-date information about their modules and who is teaching them in their course handbook.

Learning will be achieved through a combination of class-based sessions, group activity, and independent study.

A typical week for a part-time student has around 7-8 hours of contact time in taught sessions, plus additional 1:1 support available by student request. As with all higher education programmes, students are required to take ownership of their learning and development, and should therefore expect to spend time studying with independence outside of lectures. Time spent studying independently may include reading journal articles and relevant books, undertaking research, and completing assignments by set deadlines.

As a rough guide, between timetabled sessions and independent work a student should expect to spend around 10 hours studying for each credit they undertake. A typical part-time student will undertake five 15 credit modules (so 75 credits) in their first academic year, and then three 15 credit modules (so 45 credits) in the final half-year of the programme.

Tuition Fees: Full information on tuition fees, including tuition fee lists, can be found on our Financial Support page. Please be aware that fee levels vary depending upon the year in which a student commences their studies. For more detailed information, see the YCUC (Yeovil College University Centre) HE Fees Policy, available in the Policies and Reports area of our website.

Additional Costs: There are no required additional costs for the programme. Whilst some students may choose to buy their own copies of certain key texts this is not essential as relevant resources are available through the College's Learning Resources Centre.

Typical entry requirements are 48 UCAS tariff points. These could come from a relevant BTEC Level 3 qualification, a relevant T Level, an A Level profile that demonstrates impressive performance in relevant subject areas, or other Level 3 qualifications such as an International Baccalaureate or an Access to HE Diploma. It is highly recommended that these 48 UCAS tariff points come from an Engineering or Science-based discipline, however, applicants from outside of these specialisms with relevant experience will be considered.

Grade 4 (C) in GCSE Maths (or equivalent) is required. Grade 4 (C) in GCSE English (or equivalent) and GCSE Physics is highly desirable.

Mature Applicants: We welcome applications from mature students (aged 21 and over as of 1st September in the academic year of admission) and do not necessarily require the same academic qualifications as school leaving applicants. Mature students requesting contextual admission are required to provide details of their relevant prior work or study experience, and to also undertake a pre-entry admissions assessment to ensure there is suitable grounds to suggest they are academically ready to begin the programme and there is a reasonable expectation that they will succeed in their studies. Please email university.centre@yeovil.ac.uk to find out more.

International Applicants: International applicants will be required to evidence English language skills - this could be an IELTS score of 5.5, with a minimum score of 5.5 in each component, a grade 4 in GCSE English (or equivalent), or having recently completed a Level 3 qualification taught and assessed in the English language. For more information, please get in touch via university.centre@yeovil.ac.uk or call 01935 845454.

Interviews: As part of the admissions process, applicants who meet the entry criteria for the course will be invited to attend an admissions interview with a member of staff from the course they are applying to. More information about the interview process can be found on the How to apply page.

Part-time: To apply for this course on a part-time basis, you will need to submit an application form directly to the University Centre. You can find out more about this process and download a copy of the application form by visiting our How to apply page, or you can request a copy of the application form directly from the Yeovil College University Centre team via 01935 845454 or university.centre@yeovil.ac.uk.

If you have any questions, or want to know more about this course, please get in touch! You can contact us via email (university.centre@yeovil.ac.uk), phone (01935 845454), or you can fill out our Contact form.