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Mechanical Engineering Design

BEng (Hons)

UCAS code: 5Y12

Start dates: September 2023 / September 2024

Full time: 3 years, or 4 years sandwich

Part time: up to 8 years

Location: Wheatley

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

Overview

Become an incorporated engineer, faster. Our Mechanical Engineering Design degree combines practical, hands-on learning with the essential theories for working in this industry. Then practice your new skills through our extra-curricular activities and specialist facilities.

You’ll learn how to become an inventive problem-solver. After reviewing a product, you’ll consider how to improve it and test your ideas using industry-standard software. Tools you’ll use include computer-aided design (CAD) and stress and analysis packages.

Our teaching staff are industry professionals and experts in their fields. You can apply their insights to your coursework and to your job applications when you graduate. Your analytical skills will be highly relevant to any other postgraduate study you choose to take.

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Mechanical Engineering Design BEng (Hons) degree course student with lecturer at Oxford Brookes University

Why Oxford Brookes University?

  • Flexibility

    First year modules are shared with BEng Motorsport Technology, so you can switch to BEng Motorsport Technology if it better suits your goals.

  • Earn while you learn

    Take a paid work placement and gain industry experience to help your CV stand out when applying for jobs.

  • New friends and skills

    Get involved with extracurricular activities that compliment your course, and meet people who share your interests.

  • Professional advice

    Learn from industry experts, and apply their advice and experience to your projects and job applications.

  • View career options

    Prospective employers come to Oxford Brookes as part of our Industrial Lecture series, letting you ask questions about career routes.

  • Free language courses

    Free language courses are available to full-time undergraduate and postgraduate students on many of our courses, and can be taken as a credit on some courses.

  • Study abroad

    You may be able to go on a European or international study exchange while you are at Brookes. Most exchanges take place in the second year. Although we will help as much as we can with your plans, ultimately you are responsible for organising and funding this study abroad.

  • Accreditation(s)

    Accredited by the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET) on behalf of the Engineering Council for the purposes of fully meeting the academic requirement for registration as an Incorporated 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

You’ll begin your first year with the Stirling Engine design project. You’ll work with students from across our engineering courses to draw the engine’s parts, discover its physics, and test its thermodynamics, dynamics, and stress analysis. Then you’ll set up sensors to measure key performance indicators before you market and sell it on a global online marketplace.

Year 2 is your opportunity to gain a broader range of analytical skills and work on more group design tasks. Modules include Control Technology, Materials Engineering, Electronic Systems and Thermal Systems.

You can go on a professional work placement before starting year 3. Here, you’ll apply what you’ve learned so far on the course to industry projects. You’ll come back with new skills to apply in your third year, and experience that makes your CV competitive. Students have gone on placements at companies including Caterpillar, Cummins, and JCB.

Mechanical Engineering Design BEng (Hons) degree course student in workshop at Oxford Brookes University

Learning and teaching

Our teaching methods include seminars and lectures. You’ll have practical work in;

  • laboratories
  • computer labs
  • workshops.

We emphasise the importance of information technology in modern engineering practice. Almost all our teaching involves computers and engineering software. 

Assessment

All your Year 1 modules involve continuous assessment.

In Years 2 and 3 we assess you through written examinations. However some modules are assessed through coursework only. 

Study modules

Year 1

Compulsory modules

Engineering Design & Practice I (30 credits)

IEng Engineering Mathematics & Modelling (30 credits)

Introduction to Materials (15 credits)

Basic Dynamics (15 credits)

Basic Thermodynamics (15 credits)

Basic Stress Analysis (15 credits)

Optional modules

Introduction To Thermo Fluids (15 credits)

Year 2

Compulsory modules

Design & Practice II (30 credits)

Stress and Dynamic Systems (30 credits)

Control Technology (15 credits)

Materials Engineering (15 credits)

Thermal Systems (15 credits)

Electronic Systems (15 credits)

Optional modules

Independent Study in Mechanical/Automotive/Motorsport Engineering (15 credits)

Year 3 (optional placement year)

Optional modules

Optional Work Placement Year

You will be encouraged to work in industry for one year, between the second and final years of the course. You will need to cover transport and living costs during this time. We have placement opportunities with local, national and international engineering companies and product manufacturing companies. These are advertised through our placement office where support and guidance in applying for placements is provided. We have an excellent record of graduates gaining full-time employment with the company hosting their industrial placement. Sponsored students spend the year with their sponsoring company. Students who are not sponsored will be assisted by our full-time placements officer in finding a suitable placement.

Year 4 (or year 3 if no placement)

Compulsory modules

Engineering Project (30 credits)

Management Ethics, Energy & Sustainability (30 credits)

Advanced CAD/CAM (15 credits)

Design of Machines (15 credits)

Sustainable Engineering (15 credits)

Sensors & Data Logging (15 credits)

Optional modules

Independent Study Engineering (15 credits)

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.

Careers

Since mechanical engineering underpins all of the engineering profession, our graduates go on to work in a broad range of industries. This includes aerospace, manufacturing, defence, pharmaceuticals, and finance. They’re employed by companies such as Dyson, Airbus, and Lentus Composites.

Completing this BEng course meets the academic requirements for gaining incorporated engineer status. It’s accredited by the Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE) and the Institution of Engineering Technology (IET).

You’ll have the option to study mechanical engineering design, or another similar subject, at postgraduate level. So you may want to consider progressing to our MSc courses after completing your undergraduate programme.

Our Staff

Miguel Fernandes Ferreira

Read more about Miguel

Entry requirements

Wherever possible we make our conditional offers using the UCAS Tariff. The combination of A-level grades listed here would be just one way of achieving the UCAS Tariff points for this course.

Standard offer

UCAS Tariff Points: 112

A Level: BBC

IB Points: 30

BTEC: DMM

Contextual offer

UCAS Tariff Points: 88

A Level: CCD

IB Points: 27

BTEC: MMM

Further offer details

We welcome applications from candidates with alternative qualifications, and from mature students.

International qualifications and equivalences

Tuition fees

Please see the fees note
Home (UK) full time
£9,250

Home (UK) part time
£1,155 per single module

Home (UK) sandwich (placement)
£1,500

International full time
£15,500

International sandwich (placement)
£1,500

Home (UK) full time
£9,250

Home (UK) part time
£1,155 per single module

Home (UK) sandwich (placement)
£1,500

International full time
£16,100

International sandwich (placement)
£1,500

Questions about fees?

Contact Student Finance on:

Tuition fees

2022 / 23
Home (UK) full time
£9,250

Home (UK) part time
£1,155 per single module

Home (UK) sandwich (placement)
£1,500

International full time
£15,500

International sandwich (placement)
£1,500

2023 / 24
Home (UK) full time
£9,250

Home (UK) part time
£1,155 per single module

Home (UK) sandwich (placement)
£1,500

International full time
£16,100

International sandwich (placement)
£1,500

Questions about fees?

Contact Student Finance on:

+44 (0)1865 483088

financefees@brookes.ac.uk

Please note, tuition fees for Home students may increase in subsequent years both for new and continuing students in line with an inflationary amount determined by government. Tuition fees for International students may increase in subsequent years both for new and continuing students.

Oxford Brookes University intends to maintain its fees for new and returning Home students at the maximum permitted level.

Financial support and scholarships

For general sources of financial support, see our Fees and funding pages.

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.

Information from Discover Uni

Full-time study

Part-time study

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.