The Motorsport Technology degree course covers the fundamentals of motorsport technologies and lasts three years (or four if you include the optional placement year). The disciplines covered range from CAD/CAM, stress and dynamic analysis, thermo-fluids to business and management. You will be exposed to all aspects of racing and road car design, gaining an understanding of the entire design process and learning how to turn your ideas into well-prepared design proposals.
All students on the course are eligible to join our Formula Student team - a project that will challenge you to design, build, test and race a single-seater racing car. The competition is held annually and around 50 universities compete. Our students have an excellent record in the competition, winning the best UK team in 2012. We set a world record in lateral acceleration in skid-pad at Formula SAE in Detroit in 2005.
Study modules
As our courses are reviewed regularly as part of our quality assurance framework, the modules available may vary from those listed here. Most of the modules will be compulsory.
Year 1
- Engineering Mathematics and Modelling
- Design & Practice I
- Introduction to Materials
- Basic Dynamics
- Basic Stress Analysis
- Basic Thermodynamics
Year 2 and final year
Year 2
- Statics & Dynamics Loading
- Design & Practice II
- Control Technology
- Automotive Electronics
- Simulation of Thermal Systems
- Materials Engineering
Final year
- Incorporated Engineering Project
- Management Ethics, Energy & Sustainability
- Vehicle Dynamics
- CAD/CAM
- Sensors and Data Logging
- Motorsport Vehicle Performance
- Advanced Automotive Electronics
- Motorsport Engineering Technology
Work placements
Our work placement programme has been commended by professional bodies as a model of excellence. 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. The transport and living costs are covered by the students.
You will be encouraged to work in industry for one year between the second and final years of the course. More and more students are taking up this option, as they recognise the benefits of obtaining industrial experience, consolidating their understanding of the automotive industry, motorsport industry and engineering, and applying their knowledge in an industrial environment.
On returning to university for their final year, the experience students have gained invariably improves their academic performance. We have an excellent record of graduates gaining full-time employment with their industrial placement company.
Sponsored students spend the year with their sponsoring company. Students who are not sponsored will be assisted in finding a suitable placement.
Study abroad
Great opportunities to study or work 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.
Studying abroad provides an amazing opportunity to add value to your studies by:
- increasing your employability within an international market
- boosting your language skills
- building your confidence in adapting to new situations
- improving your knowledge of different cultures.
While on exchange you will gain credits which count towards your degree.
We have more than 100 partner universities around the world. Funding is available through the Erasmus scheme, and also via some international programmes such as the Santander Student Awards.
There is also a European work placement programme which gives you the chance to work abroad as part of your studies.
Free language courses for students - the Open Module
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.
Please note that the free language courses are not available if you are:
- studying at a Brookes partner college
- studying on any of our teacher education courses or postgraduate education courses.
Additional costs
As part of the course, first-year engineering students spend time in laboratories, for which protective equipment is mandatory. This typically costs £20-£25, although you are able to use you own protective equipment, if suitable.
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.