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Southampton, Solent University

UCAS Code: H303 | Bachelor of Engineering (with Honours) - BEng (Hon)

Entry requirements

104-120 from a minimum of 2 A Levels

Accepted when studied alongside other Level 3 qualifications

Pass in Access course with 60 credits overall including 45 Level 3 credits passed with a minimum of Merit, or 102-118 UCAS Tariff points with any combination of Distinction, Merit or Pass Grades

This qualification is considered as part of the overall tariff (104-120 UCAS Tariff Points)

HNC (BTEC)

P-D

HND (BTEC)

P-M

International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme

28-31

This qualification is accepted when taken alongside other qualifications.

OCR Cambridge Technical Diploma

D*D

D*D (104 UCAS Tariff Points)

This qualification is accepted when taken alongside other qualifications.

OCR Cambridge Technical Extended Diploma

DMM

DMM (112 UCAS Tariff Points)

This qualification is accepted when taken alongside other qualifications.

This qualification is considered as part of the overall tariff (104-120 UCAS Tariff Points)

This qualification is accepted when taken alongside other qualifications.

This qualification is accepted when taken alongside other qualifications.

Pearson BTEC Diploma (QCF)

D*D*

Pearson BTEC Extended Diploma (QCF)

DMM

This qualification is considered as part of the overall tariff (104-120 UCAS Tariff Points)

Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Diploma (first teaching from September 2016)

D*D

D*D (104 UCAS Tariff Points)

This qualification is considered as part of the overall tariff (104-120 UCAS Tariff Points)

Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Extended Diploma (first teaching from September 2016)

DMM

DMM (112 UCAS Tariff Points)

This qualification is considered as part of the overall tariff (104-120 UCAS Tariff Points)

This qualification is considered as part of the overall tariff (104-120 UCAS Tariff Points)

104-120 UCAS Tariff Points from a minimum of 2 Scottish Advanced Highers

104-120 UCAS Tariff Points from a minimum of 4 Scottish Highers

T Level

M

Merit (120 UCAS Tariff Points)

UCAS Tariff

104-120

This qualification is considered as part of the overall tariff (104-120 UCAS Tariff Points)

About this course

Course option

3years

Full-time | 2025

Subject

Mechanical engineering

Are you fascinated by how things work? Do you find yourself thinking about how products could be improved? A degree in mechanical engineering can help you to develop these interests into valuable practical skills.

Solent University’s mechanical engineering programme focuses on applied engineering principles and places a strong emphasis on employability. Our experienced course team will help you to develop the range of theory based, professional and hands-on skills that employers in the industry are looking for.

The engineering academic group’s extensive network of industry contacts has provided past students with the opportunity to work on live briefs, helping them to develop analytical, problem solving, team working and business and management skills. These elements can help students develop a range of transferable skills and help to ensure they are well prepared for a professional working environment.

This course aims to provide students with the knowledge employers will require, from essential engineering concepts to mechanics, drawing, CAD and manufacturing skills. Critically, past students have been able to gain an insight into real-life engineering problems, tackling projects defined for them by our network of industry contacts.

This course has a strong focus on practical, hands-on experience, enabling students to put the theory they have learnt into practice.

**What does this course lead to?**
This course could lead to careers in a wide variety of mechanical engineering disciplines, such as aerospace, automotive engineering, design engineering, component manufacture, nano-technology, management of engineering departments or production planning. Particularly if you further your professional development and become a fully chartered engineer, you could work on anything from prosthetics and medical technology to large-scale engineering projects. Whether your preference is for research and development of new products, turning ideas into practical designs or producing final products and projects, you’ll have a huge range of career options and opportunities. Course graduates have gone on to roles including mechanical design engineer, graduate research engineer and production engineer.

**Who is this course for?**
Ideal for those looking to pursue a career in engineering in roles such as design or research engineer, mechanical design engineer or junior engineering manager, this course teaches students theoretical and practical mechanical engineering skills alongside business skills to be able to take the first step into a career in engineering.

Modules

YEAR 1 - CORE MODULES
CAD and the Design Process
Manufacturing Principles
Applied Mathematics
Introduction to Electronics
Manufacturing Principles

YEAR 2 - CORE MODULES
Applied Maths for Mechanical Systems
Engineering Materials
Quality and Product Development
Automation and Control Systems
Modelling and Mechanics of Products
Competition and Contracts in Engineering

YEAR 3 - CORE MODULES
Analysis and Design Optimisation
Analysis of Materials and Structures
Manufacturing Operations
Final Year Project

YEAR 3 - OPTIONS (Please note that not all options are guaranteed to run each academic year)
Business Strategy
Entrepreneurship

Assessment methods

You will learn by:

Collaborative Learning
Guided Learning
Directed Learning

You may be assessed by a combination of:

Written exams
Group presentations
Individual presentations
Coursework
Portfolios
Log books
In-class tests
Formal time assessments

Solent’s curriculum framework builds on our unique, creative and applied approach to teaching. The transformation of students’ lives is at the heart of our mission as a university, and our curriculum – informed by the latest theory – reflects this shared educational vision.

Tuition fees

Select where you currently live to see what you'll pay:

Channel Islands
£9,250
per year
England
£9,250
per year
EU
£17,750
per year
International
£17,750
per year
Northern Ireland
£9,250
per year
Republic of Ireland
£9,250
per year
Scotland
£9,250
per year
Wales
£9,250
per year

Extra funding

Solent University offers a number of bursaries, grants and scholarships. For more information, please visit https://www.solent.ac.uk/finance/grants-bursaries-scholarships/bursaries

The Uni

Course location:

Southampton, Solent University

Department:

Department of Science and Engineering

Read full university profile

What students say

We've crunched the numbers to see if overall student satisfaction here is high, medium or low compared to students studying this subject(s) at other universities.

91%
Mechanical engineering

How do students rate their degree experience?

The stats below relate to the general subject area/s at this university, not this specific course. We show this where there isn’t enough data about the course, or where this is the most detailed info available to us.

Mechanical engineering

Teaching and learning

91%
Staff make the subject interesting
91%
Staff are good at explaining things
82%
Ideas and concepts are explored in-depth
64%
Opportunities to apply what I've learned

Assessment and feedback

Feedback on work has been timely
Feedback on work has been helpful
Staff are contactable when needed
Good advice available when making study choices

Resources and organisation

91%
Library resources
82%
IT resources
82%
Course specific equipment and facilities
64%
Course is well organised and has run smoothly

Student voice

Staff value students' opinions
Feel part of a community on my course

Who studies this subject and how do they get on?

84%
UK students
16%
International students
83%
Male students
17%
Female students
69%
2:1 or above
19%
First year drop out rate

Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)

C
D
C

After graduation

The stats in this section relate to the general subject area/s at this university – not this specific course. We show this where there isn't enough data about the course, or where this is the most detailed info available to us.

Mechanical engineering

What are graduates doing after six months?

This is what graduates told us they were doing (and earning), shortly after completing their course. We've crunched the numbers to show you if these immediate prospects are high, medium or low, compared to those studying this subject/s at other universities.

£23,000
low
Average annual salary
88%
low
Employed or in further education

Top job areas of graduates

31%
Engineering professionals
27%
Artistic, literary and media occupations
12%
Other elementary services occupations

We're short of engineers in a lot of areas and mechanical engineering is no exception. Mechanical engineers are in demand across multiple industries, with vehicle manufacturing most popular, with roles especially common in design and manufacturing. Other important sectors include aerospace, the oil and gas industry, consultancy and defence. Jobs are all around the country, with London, the Midlands, Scotland and the South East the most likely places for a new mechanical engineer to find work at the moment, and starting salaries are good. Although large employers are much the most likely place to get work, some of the most challenging, cutting edge jobs are with small niche engineering firms, so keep your eyes peeled if you want something a little different. Bear in mind that a lot of courses are four years long, and lead to an MEng qualification — this is necessary if you want to become a Chartered Engineer.

What about your long term prospects?

Looking further ahead, below is a rough guide for what graduates went on to earn.

Mechanical engineering

The graph shows median earnings of graduates who achieved a degree in this subject area one, three and five years after graduating from here.

£28k

£28k

£30k

£30k

£30k

£30k

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.

This is what the university has told Ucas about the criteria they expect applicants to satisfy; some may be compulsory, others may be preferable.

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This is the percentage of applicants to this course who received an offer last year, through Ucas.

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This is what the university has told Ucas about the course. Use it to get a quick idea about what makes it unique compared to similar courses, elsewhere.

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Course location and department:

This is what the university has told Ucas about the course. Use it to get a quick idea about what makes it unique compared to similar courses, elsewhere.

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Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF):

We've received this information from the Department for Education, via Ucas. This is how the university as a whole has been rated for its quality of teaching: gold silver or bronze. Note, not all universities have taken part in the TEF.

Have a question about this info? Learn more here

This information comes from the National Student Survey, an annual student survey of final-year students. You can use this to see how satisfied students studying this subject area at this university, are (not the individual course).

This is the percentage of final-year students at this university who were "definitely" or "mostly" satisfied with their course. We've analysed this figure against other universities so you can see whether this is high, medium or low.

Have a question about this info? Learn more here

This information is from the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA), for undergraduate students only.

You can use this to get an idea of who you might share a lecture with and how they progressed in this subject, here. It's also worth comparing typical A-level subjects and grades students achieved with the current course entry requirements; similarities or differences here could indicate how flexible (or not) a university might be.

Have a question about this info? Learn more here

Post-six month graduation stats:

This is from the Destinations of Leavers from Higher Education Survey, based on responses from graduates who studied the same subject area here.

It offers a snapshot of what grads went on to do six months later, what they were earning on average, and whether they felt their degree helped them obtain a 'graduate role'. We calculate a mean rating to indicate if this is high, medium or low compared to other universities.

Have a question about this info? Learn more here

Graduate field commentary:

The Higher Education Careers Services Unit have provided some further context for all graduates in this subject area, including details that numbers alone might not show

Have a question about this info? Learn more here

The Longitudinal Educational Outcomes dataset combines HRMC earnings data with student records from the Higher Education Statistics Agency.

While there are lots of factors at play when it comes to your future earnings, use this as a rough timeline of what graduates in this subject area were earning on average one, three and five years later. Can you see a steady increase in salary, or did grads need some experience under their belt before seeing a nice bump up in their pay packet?

Have a question about this info? Learn more here