Course name
University name or location
Topic or category
Find a course
Search, shortlist and compare thousands of courses to find that perfect one.
Where to study
See what makes a university special and discover where you belong.
Find a university
Search by name or city.
Get Advice
Get tips, tricks and wise words from students and experts at each stage.
Browse advice
A-level choices
Accounting personal statement examples
Law degree
Revision help
Oxbridge applications
Ucas application
Student life
Student finance
Browse all advice
Popular right now
A-level results day 2026: what to expect
Btec results day 2026: what to expect
Clearing and results day 2025: prepare your back-up plan
Clearing 2025: four things you might not know about Clearing and results day
Finding accommodation after getting a university place in Clearing 2025
A guide to Ucas Clearing 2025: how to find your university place
Clearing 2025: how to call universities
What happens if you miss the grades for your university offer?
Bachelor of Engineering (with Honours) - BEng (Hon)
Engineering and Physical Sciences Foundation Programme: Design Engineering
Aston University, Birmingham
Entry requirements
Here's what you will need to get a place on the Engineering and Physical Sciences Foundation Programme: Design Engineering course at Aston University, Birmingham.
Select a qualification to see required grades
A level
C,C,D
In any subject CCD: Standard offer CDD: if the student is also presenting either Core Maths or Extended Project Qualification (EPQ) grade B DDD: Contextual offer
Tuition fees
| Location | Fees |
|---|---|
| England | £9,535 per year |
| Scotland | £9,535 per year |
| Wales | £9,535 per year |
| Northern Ireland | £9,535 per year |
Course summary
What this course is about
UCAS code: H15F
Here's what Aston University, Birmingham says about its Engineering and Physical Sciences Foundation Programme: Design Engineering course.
Our foundation programme paves the way to a degree programme in BEng Design Engineering at the College of Engineering and Physical Sciences.
Course outline
In our Design Engineering foundation programme, you will be equipped with the essential groundwork for your future undergraduate studies, offering a clear path towards BEng Design Engineering.
On this programme, you will learn, collaborate, and flourish through a blend of academic modules, specific subject knowledge, and project-based learning with students in other engineering areas and foundation students across different frameworks. This approach mimics the real-life working world, where your career will be enriched by working alongside people with different skill sets, viewpoints, and approaches, while also supporting a wider community of learning and building the specific skills for your progression.
Key benefits
-
Supporting progression – Opportunity to progress onto an Aston University degree programme by learning fundamental subject knowledge.
-
Gold standard teaching – Aston University was awarded Gold – the highest possible rating for the Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF, 2023)
Where can this degree take me?
Successful completion of this foundation programme enables progression onto our full-time BEng (Hons) Design Engineering degree course.
The transferable skills that our design engineering programmes provide mean that our graduates are successful in finding employment in a wide range of roles such as:
-
Application engineer
-
Research and development graduate engineer
-
Head of curriculum
-
Assistant digital engineer
-
Tax associate
-
Graduate project manager
-
Graduate quality engineer
Our graduates have gone on to work at companies such as Balfour Beatty, PricewaterhouseCoopers (PWC), Leonardo, Fabrio Design, Technical Services (UK), Faurecia Group, and Laing O'Rourke.
Source: Aston University, Birmingham
Course details
Qualification
Bachelor of Engineering (with Honours) - BEng (Hon)
Department
Aston Foundation Centre
Location
Main Site | Birmingham
Duration
4-5 Years
Study mode
Full-time
Subjects
• Engineering design
Start date
14 September 2026
Application deadline
14 January 2026
The modules you will study
For a full list of modules and course objectives, visit the course page on Aston University's website: https://www.aston.ac.uk/study/courses/design-engineering-foundation
How you will be assessed
For more information on how this course is assessed, visit the course page on Aston University's website: https://www.aston.ac.uk/study/courses/design-engineering-foundation
Aston University, Birmingham student reviews
Showing 124 reviews
3rd year student
It is accessible
1 year ago
3rd year student
It’s a wonderful environment to be a part of
1 year ago
3rd year student
I have been responsible with finances
1 year ago
3rd year student
The support has been excellent
1 year ago
3rd year student
There is a wide range of facilities available
1 year ago
3rd year student
It’s a well detailed course
1 year ago
National Student Survey (NSS) scores at Aston University, Birmingham
The NSS is an annual survey where final-year students are asked to rate different aspects of their course and university experience.
Here you can see ratings from Aston University, Birmingham students who took the Engineering and Physical Sciences Foundation Programme: Design Engineering course - or another course in the same subject area.
Select an option to see a detailed breakdown
Teaching on my course
83%
med
Teaching on my course
83%
med
How often does your course challenge you to achieve your best work?
89%
med
How good are teaching staff at explaining things?
86%
med
How often do teaching staff make the subject engaging?
73%
med
How often is the course intellectually stimulating?
84%
med
Learning opportunities
82%
med
Learning opportunities
82%
med
To what extent have you had the chance to bring together information and ideas from different topics?
84%
med
How well does your course introduce subjects and skills in a way that builds on what you have already learned?
87%
med
How well has your course developed your knowledge and skills that you think you will need for your future?
85%
med
To what extent have you had the chance to explore ideas and concepts in depth?
76%
med
To what extent does your course have the right balance of directed and independent study?
77%
med
Assessment and feedback
76%
med
Assessment and feedback
76%
med
How well have assessments allowed you to demonstrate what you have learned?
86%
med
How fair has the marking and assessment been on your course?
80%
med
How often does feedback help you to improve your work?
69%
med
How often have you received assessment feedback on time?
76%
med
How clear were the marking criteria used to assess your work?
71%
med
Academic support
84%
low
Academic support
84%
low
How easy was it to contact teaching staff when you needed to?
82%
low
How well have teaching staff supported your learning?
86%
med
Organisation and management
68%
low
Organisation and management
68%
low
How well were any changes to teaching on your course communicated?
69%
low
How well organised is your course?
67%
med
Learning resources
83%
med
Learning resources
83%
med
How well have the IT resources and facilities supported your learning?
81%
low
How well have the library resources (e.g., books, online services and learning spaces) supported your learning?
87%
med
How easy is it to access subject specific resources (e.g., equipment, facilities, software) when you need them?
82%
med
Student voice
69%
med
Student voice
69%
med
How clear is it that students' feedback on the course is acted on?
57%
med
To what extent do you get the right opportunities to give feedback on your course?
80%
med
To what extent are students' opinions about the course valued by staff?
70%
med
How well does the students' union (association or guild) represent students' academic interests?
69%
med
Other NSS questions
Other NSS questions
During your studies, how free did you feel to express your ideas, opinions, and beliefs?
86%
low
How well communicated was information about your university/college's mental wellbeing support services?
73%
low
Student information
See who's studying at Aston University, Birmingham. These students are taking Engineering and Physical Sciences Foundation Programme: Design Engineering or another course from the same subject area.
| Most popular A-levels studied | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Subject | Grade | |||||
| Mathematics | D | |||||
| Physics | D | |||||
| Product Design | A | |||||
| Psychology | B | |||||
| Biology | B | |||||
Graduate prospects
What graduates do next
Facts and figures about Aston University, Birmingham graduates who took Engineering and Physical Sciences Foundation Programme: Design Engineering - or another course in the same subject area.
Graduate statistics
80%
Say it fits with future plans
80%
Are utilising studies
Graduate statistics percentages are determined 15 months after a student graduates
Earnings after graduation
Earnings from Aston University, Birmingham graduates who took Engineering and Physical Sciences Foundation Programme: Design Engineering - or another course in the same subject area.
Earnings
£29.2k
First year after graduation
£34.7k
Third year after graduation
£39.8k
Fifth year after graduation
Shown here are the median earnings of graduates at one, three and five years after they completed a course related to Engineering and Physical Sciences Foundation Programme: Design Engineering.
Note: this data only looks at employees (and not those who are self-employed or also studying) and covers a broad sample of graduates and the various paths they've taken, which might not always be a direct result of their degree
Discussions
Discussions
Students are talking about Aston University, Birmingham on The Student Room.
Aston University, Birmingham open days
Are you thinking of applying to this university?
Before you do, it's a good idea to go to an open day. You can have a good look around campus, getting a better idea of what it's like to study there. You'll meet current students and staff and get the chance to ask them questions.
Universities will list upcoming open days on their websites. Most will also have virtual open days; these are a great alternative if you really can't get there in person. For tips on preparing for open days, check the advice section here on The Uni Guide.
