University of Derby
UCAS Code: H301 | Bachelor of Engineering (with Honours) - BEng (Hon)
Entry requirements
A level
Access to HE Diploma
GCSE/National 4/National 5
GCSE Maths and English Grade 4/Grade C (or above) or equivalent qualification
Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Extended Diploma (first teaching from September 2016)
T Level
UCAS Tariff
We encourage you to outline all your qualifications and achievements in your application to provide us a full picture. Your offer will typically be based on your predicted and/or achieved grades from full level 3 qualifications or above e.g. A levels, BTEC Ext Diploma, Access to HE, etc. Any subject specifics are outlined below in the Further Information section, and these specifics are applicable across all equivalent qualifications. A strong application/performance and appropriate experience will be taken into account where typical criteria is not met.
About this course
Develop the skills all modern mechanical engineers need on this mechanical engineering degree. A city of technology that’s home to Rolls-Royce, Bombardier and Toyota: Derby is the perfect choice.
Our foundation year offers the chance to strengthen your skills, knowledge and confidence – with extensive support from our expert staff – before you advance to stage one of your honours degree. It could also be beneficial if you are planning a career change and want to get to grips with aspects of subjects which are new to you.
**KEY FEATURES OF THIS COURSE**
- **EMPLOYER LINKS:** You'll benefit from our close links with world-famous companies likes Rolls-Royce, Alstom and Toyota.
- **ACCREDITATION:** Our BEng (Hons) Mechanical Engineering degree is professionally accredited by the Institution of Mechanical Engineers on behalf of the Engineering Council – this recognition means you can be sure our courses meet professional standards
- **FACILITIES:** You'll have access to excellent labs and facilities whilst studying this degree. Spaces include our Additive Manufacturing Lab with various 3D printed technology, Wind tunnel and Thermodynamics area that includes a jet engine and test engine, and our Mechanical Workshop with both traditional lathes and milling machines, alongside more modern CNC equipment
- **EXTRA-CURRICULAR ACTIVITIES:** Challenge yourself on one of the many competitions we take part in. In the British Model Flying Association Payload Challenge, you will design, build, test and compete a radio-controlled aircraft against other national and international teams
- **PLACEMENT YEAR:** Gain valuable experience in industry by taking an optional placement year between years two and three.
- **FLEXIBILITY:** Not sure on the type of engineering you want to study? Spend the foundation year and year one of the degree covering all aspects of engineering and gain the multi-disciplinary skills and knowledge that employers are looking for. In year two, you have the option to switch your degree to either BEng (Hons) Electrical and Electronic Engineering or BEng (Hons) Motorsport Engineering or continue studying on BEng (Hons) Mechanical Engineering
**WHAT YOU'LL COVER**
You'll gain the essential foundation of engineering in your first year before studying the areas of thermodynamics, engineering design, automation, and computational mechanics in your second and third year.
**HOW YOU WILL LEARN**
There’s a mixture of lectures, research projects, seminars and workshops as well as industrial visits and guest lectures from the Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE).
**YOUR CAREER**
This degree prepares you for careers in mechanical engineering design, motorsport or automotive design and in applications of advanced materials. You can also progress to our MSc which meets all the academic requirements for Chartered Engineer status.
**STUDY OPTIONS:**
This course is also available without a Placement Year option.
Tuition fees
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The Uni
University of Derby
Department of Engineering
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.
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
Assessment and feedback
Resources and organisation
Student voice
Who studies this subject and how do they get on?
Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)
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.
Top job areas of graduates
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.
£27k
£31k
£36k
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.
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Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF):
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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
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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?
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