Automotive Engineering with Electric Vehicles

MSc

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Start dates: January 2024 / September 2024 / January 2025 / September 2025

Full time: 12 months for September start, 17 months for January start

Part time: 24 months for September start, 29 months for January start

Location: Headington

Department(s): School of Engineering, Computing and Mathematics

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Overview

Prepare for a career in automotive engineering with a combination of theory and practical, hands-on experience. Our ecosystem of automotive labs doubles as your research and learning space. You’ll have access to facilities including our High Voltage Energy Storage lab, driving simulator, the Joining Technology Research Centre, and #OxfordMetaverse, our virtual reality space.

During your time studying Automotive Engineering with Electric Vehicles, you can engage with activities and research groups through your dissertation and extra-curricular activities. 

Visiting speakers from the industry help you get a fresh perspective on what’s going on in the profession of automotive engineering. They’ll share their expertise and experiences in technology, production methods, processes, and management techniques. This course is accredited by the Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE) and the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET).

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Mini with bonnet up in Brookes garage

Why Oxford Brookes University?

  • Great location

    Oxford has one of Europe’s biggest concentrations of high-tech engineering businesses, and we have excellent links with many of them.

  • Leading Innovation

    You’ll have the opportunity to be at the forefront of performance and be able to gain practical industry experience in electrical automobile engineering.

  • Brand new facilities

    All Engineering and Motorsport courses are moving from the Wheatley Campus to brand new, custom designed buildings at our main Headington site. These buildings are expected to open in September 2024, but as with any large-scale building project those timescales could change. You'll benefit from state-of-the-art facilities and equipment including a VR cave and material science labs, composite lab, autodynamics workshop and wind tunnel, as well as social learning spaces, teaching rooms and cafe space.

  • Taught by experts

    The course is taught by current and former industry professionals, so everything you learn is up to date.

  • Hear from employers

    You can see what your career options are in our Industrial Lecture Series, and attend our careers fair where employers and alumni visit Oxford Brookes.

  • Accreditation(s)

    This course is accredited by the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET) for the purpose of meeting the further learning requirement for registration as a Chartered Engineer. This course is also accredited by The Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE).

    • Engineering Council
    • Institution of Engineering and Technology
    • Institution of Mechanical Engineers

Course details

Course structure

Modules cover specialist automotive subjects, including Advanced Powertrain Engineering and Electric Vehicles. You’ll learn to analyse and fully diagnose components and assemblies, discover the management techniques crucial for engineering, and design, test and model vehicles in crash scenarios.  

Your dissertation gives you the opportunity to study an area of automotive engineering that you’re passionate about at an in-depth level. And you’ll develop research, planning and project management skills along the way. 

Industry-sponsored projects are available from national and international companies, including McLaren, MAN, and Artic Truck. Or you can undertake your own project and work closely with a research or commercial organisation of your choice. 

Computer with diagnostic software

Learning and teaching

You will be taught by staff from the department of mechanical engineering and mathematical sciences. You'll receive further input from visiting speakers from business and industry.

Assessment

Your assessments will be diverse, and will support different learning styles - you’ll have a real opportunity to showcase your strengths. Your learning may be assessed by a combination of individual or group coursework, examinations, and presentations. The assessment methods chosen will be based on your learning needs, individual aims and the academic standards expected for the course.

Study modules

Taught modules

Compulsory modules

  • Noise, Vibration and Harshness (NVH) (20 credits)

    This module looks at the analysis, quantification, characterisation and diagnosis of the noise, vibration and harshness of automotive components and assemblies.

  • Advanced Powertrain Engineering (20 credits)

    This module provides an understanding of areas such as powertrain system requirements, energy flow in the driveline, engine and powertrain modelling concepts for evaluating the performance of Powertrain systems.

  • Engineering Business Management (20 credits)

    This module provides you with an understanding of the management skills and knowledge that are important in engineering industries.

  • Advanced Vehicle Dynamics (20 credits)

    This module will give you a thorough understanding of the relevant theoretical and practical considerations associated with optimising vehicle performance. You will learn to apply advanced vehicle dynamic analysis techniques such as the derivative method and learn how to optimise suspension on our four-post rig.

  • Electric Vehicles (20 credits)

    This module develops comprehensive understanding of electric vehicles with the focus on advanced vehicle propulsion technology. The module covers the analysis, modelling, simulation and control of various electric vehicle architectures with the focus on the powertrain and associated electronics.

  • Composite Design and Impact Modelling (20 credits)

    This module will give you an understanding of material, component and structural behaviour when subjected to medium-to-high-impact events. This includes the design, testing and modelling of motorsport and automotive vehicles.

Final project

Compulsory modules

  • Dissertation (60 credits)

    This is an individual project on a topic from automotive engineering, offering an opportunity to develop a high level of expertise in a particular area of automotive engineering, including use of industry-standard software and/or experimental work, the module will also provide you with research skills, planning techniques, project management. Whilst a wide range of industry-sponsored projects are available (e.g. MAN (Germany), VUHL (Mexico), McLaren (UK), AVL (Austria), Arctic Truck (Iceland) etc.), students are also able undertake their own projects in the UK and abroad, to work in close co-operation with a research, or commercial organisation.

Please note: As our courses are reviewed regularly as part of our quality assurance framework, the modules you can choose from may vary from those shown here. The structure of the course may also mean some modules are not available to you.

Research

The emphasis in our research groups is producing high-quality research for the real world. Staff have close links with industry through research projects and consultancies.

Our engineering research is organised into three cross-cutting, interdisciplinary themes. Research in this area is supported by the UK Research Councils and the European Commission, industry and charitable foundations.

  • Sustainable Engineering and Innovation
  • Low Carbon Vehicles
  • Simulation, Modelling and Systems Integration.

The results of the most recent REF (2014) exercise showed that 96% of research in the department is internationally recognised, and 57% was judged to be of world leading quality or internationally excellent, compared with 45% in 2008. More specifically, 50% of the impact case studies returned were judged to be internationally excellent, and 72% of the research outputs were judged to be internationally excellent or world leading.

Careers

Many of our engineering students have found success in their fields, in the UK and abroad. Graduates work with Mercedes HPP supporting development of Mercedes Formula E team and Williams Advanced engineering, supporting Jaguar Formula E team. Recent graduates are working for companies including:

  • BMW,
  • Jaguar Land Rover,
  • Aston Martin Lagonda,
  • McLaren Automotive,
  • Tata Technologies,
  • Koenigsegg Automotive,
  • Porsche.

And if you need support with your career, you’ll have access to our careers support system.

Entry requirements

International qualifications and equivalences

How to apply

Application process

Tuition fees

Please see the fees note
Home (UK) full time
£9,300

Home (UK) part time
£4,650

International full time
£17,200

Home (UK) full time
£9,750

Home (UK) part time
£4,875

International full time
£18,500

Questions about fees?

Contact Student Finance on:

Tuition fees

2023 / 24
Home (UK) full time
£9,300

Home (UK) part time
£4,650

International full time
£17,200

2024 / 25
Home (UK) full time
£9,750

Home (UK) part time
£4,875

International full time
£18,500

Questions about fees?

Contact Student Finance on:

+44 (0)1865 534400

financefees@brookes.ac.uk

Fees quoted are for the first year only. If you are studying a course that lasts longer than one year, your fees will increase each year.

The following factors will be taken into account by the University when it is setting the annual fees: inflationary measures such as the retail price indices, projected increases in University costs, changes in the level of funding received from Government sources, admissions statistics and access considerations including the availability of student support. 

How and when to pay

Tuition fee instalments for the semester are due by the Monday of week 1 of each semester. Students are not liable for full fees for that semester if they leave before week 4. If the leaving date is after week 4, full fees for the semester are payable.

  • For information on payment methods please see our Make a Payment page.
  • For information about refunds please visit our Refund policy page

Additional costs

Please be aware that some courses will involve some additional costs that are not covered by your fees. Specific additional costs for this course are detailed below.

Funding your studies

Financial support and scholarships

Featured funding opportunities available for this course.

All financial support and scholarships

View all funding opportunities for this course

Programme changes:
On rare occasions we may need to make changes to our course programmes after they have been published on the website. For more information, please visit our changes to programmes page.