Intro

With an extra year of integrated study at foundation level, this course opens up opportunities in engineering if you do not hold the required A-levels or equivalent qualifications, are changing career, or returning to study. 

The foundation year gives you the support, knowledge and skills you need. On successful completion of the foundation year, you can progress to the Design Engineering BEng(Hons).

You’ll study core design and mechanical engineering subjects exploring; CAD, dynamics, control, manufacturing, electronics, electrical machines, mechanics, materials and computing. And you’ll build skills in advanced digital fabrication processes and computer-based tools for design, modelling and simulation.

Learning through design exercises and case studies you’ll work with other engineering specialists on projects based on real-world scenarios, assessed by industry. 

Placements and guest lectures from industry experts provide valuable professional insight and networking opportunities.

See our upcoming events

Key facts

Location Brighton: Moulsecoomb

UCAS code H152

Full-time 4 years
With placement year 5 years

Apply now with UCAS for 2023

Course content

Course structure

You will explore fundamental mechanical engineering topics through a shared first year with our automotive, aeronautical and mechanical engineering courses. You’ll work in a group on a design project.

In your second year, you will deal with more specific engineering projects and situations. You will undertake a digital fabrication project.

After your second year, you may opt to put your studies into practice on a year-long industrial placement.

In your final year, you will apply your expertise to complex engineering problems based on real-world scenarios. And complete a significant individual project.

Making sure that what you learn with us is relevant, up to date and what employers are looking for is our priority, so courses are reviewed and enhanced on an ongoing basis. When you have applied to us, you’ll be told about any new developments through Student View.

Students working in the Advanced Engineering Building

Foundation year 

On successful completion of the foundation year, you will transfer to the Design Engineering BEng(Hons) course.

Modules

  • Core Mathematics
  • Core Science
  • Engineering Mathematics
  • Engineering Science
  • Mechanics and Geometry
  • Foundation Year Project
Students testing electronic equipment

Year 1

In your first year, you will be introduced to the principles of mechanical engineering and develop skills such as computer aided design (CAD). A major design project will combine knowledge gained in conceptual design, manufacturing and testing and put it into practice. 

Modules

  • Engineering Mathematics

    In this module you will learn to apply mathematical concepts and software tools to solve engineering problems.

    On completion you will be able to use analytical techniques and software tools to solve simple algebraic problems, develop mathematical models of engineering systems, and apply an appropriate analytical method, or software tool to solve a mathematical model.

  • Engineering Practice

    On this module you will develop your engineering skills using projects as the focus of your learning.

    You will work on group projects, applying engineering skills such as reflection, organisation, planning, design, communication and planning. Concepts across a range of engineering specialisms will be introduced as part of a problem-based approach.

  • Mechanical Design

    This module introduces you to the principles of mechanical design and communicating engineering design intent. You will acquire skills in drawing and Computer Aided Design (CAD) drawing software package such as SolidWorks, and basic concepts of mechanical design and machine components.

  • Energy Systems

    This module will provide you with an introduction to energy production, conversion, storage, conservation and coupling. This will be achieved utilising basic applied concepts relating to fluid mechanics, thermodynamics, heat transfer and engineering economics.

  • Design Project

    In this module teams of engineers have the task of designing and manufacturing a functional product. Each team member has to apply a range of engineering skills and knowledge to realise the design. You will gain experience of working within a team, planning and managing the design project.

  • Materials and Manufacture

    This module introduces you to materials and their properties, a range of manufacturing processes, and environmental considerations used to make components from various materials.

Students using the simulator lab

Year 2

You will explore various aspects of mechanical engineering such as engineering systems and dynamics and control. You will also work on group projects – a digital fabrication to produce a technically challenging electronic product, and designing and building a fighting robot.

Modules

  • Design for Design Engineers
  • Professional Practice in Design Engineering
  • Science, Mathematics and Analysis in Design Engineering
  • Wider Contexts for Design Engineering and Personal Development.

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Second year students put learning into practice with the robot project.

Placement year

A placement year offers you a great opportunity to:  

  • build knowledge of real-world businesses and organisations  
  • develop existing skills and discover new ones  
  • make contacts in industry and commerce  
  • increase your confidence  
  • improve your time management.  
Students working in the engineering lab

Final year

You will undertake an individual project and have the flexibility to choose from option modules in areas of interest.

Modules

  • Dynamics and Control
  • Product Design
  • Advanced Digital Fabrication Technologies
  • Individual Project

Options*

  • Manufacturing Systems
  • Advanced Materials Engineering
  • Renewable Technologies (PV and Biomass)

*Option modules are indicative and may change, depending on timetabling and staff availability.

Students using 3D printers

Staff profile 

Dr Derek Covill, course leader

 I really enjoy empowering students with these tools, to show the impact they can have and how we can do amazing things with them. Also I enjoy working seeing students grow and develop. I try to work with students in ways that help them learn how to be resourceful, how to take on a professional mindset so that they can learn how to learn and develop, but also that this is an exciting, simulating and fun subject to be involved in.

Read more about Dr Covill 

Dr Derek Covill

Careers

Preparing for your career 

In your career you need a combination of knowledge, skills, personal qualities and relevant experiences – and you’ll get all of this from your degree. 

Project work in groups with other engineering specialists develops your teamwork, project management, presentation, and communication skills, giving you hands-on experience that mirrors industry.

  • Build and fight your own robot for our annual combat robot competition
  • Collaborate on projects that reflect real engineering challenges in the student-run Sustainable Technology and Engineering Projects (STEP) Lab
  • You’ll also have opportunities to get involved in real industrial projects.

Facilities for learning 

You’ll have access to our specialist facilities for applied learning, including:

  • a Simulation Suite with flight and car simulators that use VR and motion platform technology
  • a wind tunnel
  • prototyping labs and workshops in our advanced engineering building
  • 3D printers and CNC machines.
Driving sim 360
Click to view a virtual tour of some of our facilities.

Industry/professional links 

We work closely with industry to make sure that you develop the skills and knowledge needed in the workplace. 

  • Our industrial advisory board advises on the content of our course.
  • Guest lectures from industry experts give you a feel for what it’s really like to be a design engineer.
  • You will showcase your individual project to potential employers at the final year project exhibition.
  • Brighton technology company, Paxton, offers our engineering, computing, maths, and product design students three scholarships a year worth £10,00 and a three-month paid placement.
Students demonstrating their designs in the Advanced Engineering Building

Graduate destinations 

Our graduates are working in companies including:

  • Rolls-Royce
  • National Rail
  • Bosch
  • Airbus Defence and Space
  • Marshall Aerospace
  • Ricardo UK Ltd
  • Jaguar Land Rover Ltd
  • Mott-Macdonald
  • Ove Arup. 

Further study 

You can progress to year 3 or 4 of our integrated masters MEng if you achieve the required standard in year 2 or 3 of the BEng. 

Students testing designs in the wind tunnel

Supporting your employability 

Outside of your course, our Careers Service is here to support you as you discover (and re-discover) your strengths and what matters to you. We are here for you throughout your university journey as you work towards a fulfilling and rewarding career.

Connect with our careers team

  • Find part-time work that you can combine with your studies.
  • Find, or be, a mentor or get involved with our peer-to-peer support scheme.
  • Develop your business ideas through our entrepreneurial support network.
  • Get professional advice and support with career planning, CV writing and interview top tips.
  • Meet potential employers at our careers fairs.
  • Find rewarding volunteering opportunities to help you discover more about what makes you tick, and build your CV.

Whatever your career needs, we are here to help. And that's not just while you are a student, our support carries on after you've graduated.

Find out more...

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Entry criteria

Flexible admissions

When you apply to Brighton we want to hear about who you are. Grades are never the whole picture; we're interested in things like creativity, resourcefulness, persistence and the capacity to think big and find new ways of doing things. And we recognise that not everyone has the same background. That's why we treat everyone who applies as an individual. We recognise many qualifications and we care about all of your achievements and the experiences you've had that set you apart.

Find out more

Graphic with the text 'Potential + possibility'

Entry requirements

UCAS tariff
72 UCAS tariff points with maths and physics at A or AS-level, otherwise 96 points. General Studies excluded.

A-levels
DDD with maths and physics. CCC without maths and physics.

BTEC
MMM/MMP.

International Baccalaureate
24 points, with two subjects at Higher level.

GCSE (minimum grade C or grade 4)
At least five subjects including maths and a physical science. Mature students without these qualifications but with relevant industrial experience may be considered. EU students must have IELTS 5.0 plus UK AS-level equivalent qualifications including maths and physics (min grade C).

Studied before or got relevant experience?
A qualification, HE credits or relevant experience may count towards your course at Brighton, and could mean that you do not have to take some elements of the course or can start in year 2 or 3. 

English language requirements
IELTS 6.0 overall with a minimum of 5.5 in each element. Find out more about the other English qualifications that we accept.

International requirements and visas

International requirements by country
Country name
Albania
Algeria
Argentina
Australia
Austria
Bahrain
Bangladesh
Belarus
Belgium
Bermuda
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Botswana
Brazil
Bulgaria
Burma (Myanmar)
Cameroon
Canada
Chile
China
Colombia
Croatia
Cyprus
Czech Republic
Denmark
Ecuador
Egypt
Estonia
Finland
France
Germany
Ghana
Greece
Guyana
Hong Kong
Hungary
Iceland
India
Indonesia
Iran
Iraq
Ireland
Israel
Italy
Jamaica
Japan
Jordan
Kazakhstan
Kenya
Kosovo
Kuwait
Latvia
Lebanon
Liechtenstein
Libya
Lithuania
Luxembourg
Macedonia
Malaysia
Malawi
Malta
Mexico
Moldova
Montenegro
Morocco
Namibia
Nepal
Netherlands
New Zealand
Nigeria
Norway
Oman
Pakistan
Palestinian National Authority
Philippines
Poland
Portugal
Qatar
Romania
Russian Federation
Saudi Arabia
Serbia
Sierra Leone
Singapore
Slovakia
Slovenia
South Africa
South Korea
Spain
Sri Lanka
Syria
Sweden
Switzerland
Taiwan
Tanzania
Thailand
Tunisia
Turkey
Uganda
Ukraine
United Arab Emirates
United States
Uzbekistan
Venezuela
Vietnam
Yemen
Zambia
Zimbabwe

We can help you meet our English language or academic entry requirements.

Visit our language centre

For English language preparation courses.

Visit our International College

For degree preparation courses.

Visas and immigration advice

Applying for a student visa

Check out our step-by-step guidance.

Fees

Course fees

UK (full-time) 9,250 GBP

International (full-time) 15,300 GBP

If you choose to take the professional placement (sandwich) year offered on this course you will pay a reduced fee during this year. Our fee for the professional placement year is £1,410 for UK students and £2,180 for international students. This fee may be subject to small increases, in line with inflation.

What's included

You may have to pay additional costs during your studies. The cost of optional activities is not included in your tuition fee and you will need to meet this cost in addition to your fees. A summary of the costs that you may be expected to pay, and what is included in your fees, while studying a course in the School of Architecture, Technology and Engineering in the 2022–23 academic year are listed here.

  • Travel and accommodation costs are included for all mandatory taught residential field trips, but you’ll need to provide your own food and drink.
  • There will be opportunities to attend additional study trips or optional taught residential field trips throughout the school, but these are not required to pass your course. Normally, a contribution will be required towards expenses such as travel, entrance fees and accommodation. This will vary depending on where and how long the trip is, but you should budget around £1,500.
  • Where optional international field trips are offered, these are not required to pass your course. You should expect to budget £300–£500 for these, to cover flight, accommodation, food and entrance to museums. The total amount spent would be based on location and number of trips taken.
  • If you choose to take an optional paid placement, you’ll be expected to cover your own travel, accommodation, food and drink.
  • Some students require specialist outdoor equipment and/or personal protective equipment (PPE) and should budget up to £150.
  • You will have access to computers and necessary software; however, many students choose to buy their own hardware, software and accessories. The amount spent will depend on your individual choices, but this expenditure is not essential to pass any of our courses. Find out what free software is available from the University of Brighton.
  • Course books are available from the university, but you may wish to budget from £15 to £100 per year to buy your own copies and subscribe to design magazines.
  • In most cases coursework submissions are electronic but students may wish to print notes which would involve an extra cost.
  • Costs of up to £50 are included in the fees for students on engineering courses to pay for materials for their final year projects. On rare occasions where material costs exceed £50, they will need to be paid for by the student.

For architecture, interior architecture, design and product design, additional costs are as follow

  • Students should budget around £25 for printing and binding dissertations in their final year.
  • In your first year of studies, you will need to buy a drawing and modelling toolkit. Each course will suggest a list of items of which some will be essential, and others optional. You should budget around £100–£250 for these.
  • For most courses you will need to budget between £100 to £300 per year for printing and portfolio costs. Costs will vary depending on type of printer and type and size of paper used. Some students tend to work digitally, spending more on printing and some by hand, spending more on materials so these costs vary widely between students.
  • For most courses you will need to budget between £10 and £100 for material costs per design project. Costs will vary depending on how and what you use to make models. You are encouraged to recycle used materials where possible.
  • You will need to budget between £5–£50 to exhibit work for the end-of-year show. Fundraising by the student society, BIAAS, normally helps towards this cost.

You can chat with our enquiries team if you have a question or need more information. Or check our finance pages for advice about funding and scholarships as well as more information about fees and advice on international and island fee-paying status.

Info

The fees listed here are for full-time courses beginning in the academic year 2023–24.

Further tuition fees are payable for each subsequent year of study and are subject to an annual increase of no more than 5% or RPI (whichever is the greater). The annual increase for UK students, who are subject to regulated fees, will increase no more than the statutory maximum fee.

You can find out more about our fees in the university's student contract and tuition fee policy (pdf).

The tuition fee you have to pay depends on a number of factors including the kind of course you take, and whether you study full-time or part-time. If you are studying part-time you will normally be charged on a pro rata basis depending on the number of modules you take.

Location and student life

Campus where this course is taught

Moulsecoomb campus

Two miles north of Brighton seafront, Moulsecoomb is our largest campus and student village. Over the last four years Moulsecoomb has undergone a major transformation, planned with accessibility, inclusivity and sustainability in mind.

Over 900 students live here in our halls, Moulsecoomb Place and the new Mithras halls – Brunswick, Goldstone, Hanover, Preston and Regency.

On campus you’ll find professional-standard facilities and learning resources for all of our subjects and a brand new academic building Elm House, alongside the library, student centre, fitness facilities and the Students’ Union.

Moulsecoomb has easy access to buses and trains and to all the exciting things happening in our home city.

Two people walking past Mithras halls

Accommodation

Brighton: Moulsecoomb

We guarantee an offer of a place in halls of residence to all eligible students.

Halls of residence
We have halls of residence across Brighton in the city centre, Moulsecoomb, Varley Park and Falmer.

  • Moulsecoomb campus is linked to Mithras halls and Varley Park. All halls are self-catered.
  • Varley Park offers a mix of rooms. It is around two miles from Moulsecoomb campus and four miles from the city centre. Public transport in the city is excellent, and there’s a shuttle bus between our Brighton campuses during term time.

Want to live independently? We can help – find out more about private renting.

Modern accommodation at nearby Varley Halls

Modern accommodation at nearby Varley Park

Relaxing in halls near the campus

Relaxing in halls near the campus

Students eating at the Hub

Students eating at the Hub

Local area

About Brighton

The city of Brighton & Hove is a forward-thinking place which leads the way in the arts, technology, sustainability and creativity. You'll find living here plays a key role in your learning experience.

Brighton is a leading centre for creative media technology, recently named the startup capital of the UK.

The city is home to a national 5G testbed and over 1,000 tech businesses. The digital sector is worth over £1bn a year to the local economy - as much as tourism.

All of our full-time undergraduate courses involve work-based learning - this could be through placements, live briefs and guest lectures. Many of these opportunities are provided by local businesses and organisations.

It's only 50 minutes by train from Brighton to central London and less than 40 minutes to Eastbourne. There are also daily direct trains to Bristol, Bedford, Cambridge, Gatwick Airport, Portsmouth and Southampton.

Map showing distance to London from Brighton
Brighton Beach sunset

Maps

Moulsecoomb campus map

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Support and wellbeing

Your course team

Your personal academic tutor, course leader and other tutors are all there to help you with your personal and academic progress. You'll also have a student support and guidance tutor (SSGT) who can help with everything from homesickness, managing stress or accommodation issues.

Your academic skills

Our Brighton Student Skills Hub gives you extra support and resources to develop the skills you'll need for university study, whatever your level of experience so far.

Your mental health and wellbeing

As well as being supported to succeed, we want you to feel good too. You'll be part of a community that builds you up, with lots of ways to connect with one another, as well having access to dedicated experts if you need them. Find out more.

Students talking in a social area

Sport at Brighton

Sport Brighton

Sport Brighton brings together our sport and recreation services. As a Brighton student you'll have use of sport and fitness facilities across all our campuses and there are opportunities to play for fun, fitness or take part in serious competition. 

Find out more about Sport Brighton.

Sports scholarships

Our sports scholarship scheme is designed to help students develop their full sporting potential to train and compete at the highest level. We offer scholarships for elite athletes, elite disabled athletes and talented sports performers.

Find out more about sport scholarships.

Students playing frisbee

Stay in touch

See our upcoming events

Ask a question about this course

If you have a question about this course, our enquiries team will be happy to help.

01273 644644

Statistics

Find out more about how the academic year and degree courses are organised, and about learning and assessment activities you might get to grips with at Brighton. More specific information about this course is detailed in the programme specification (linked below). You can find out also about the support we offer to help you adjust to university life.

Course and module descriptions on this page were accurate when first published and are the basis of the course. Detailed information on any changes we make to modules and learning and assessment activities will be sent to all students by email before enrolment, so that you have all the information before you come to Brighton.

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Programme specification

The programme specification is the approved description of each course. They give a detailed breakdown of the content and structure of the course, and are updated following course changes.

Programme specification

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