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Mechanical Engineering with a Foundation Year

Entry requirements


Must include minimum grade E in A-Level Mathematics.

Pass with 64 UCAS points from a QAA-approved Engineering or Science programme.

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

MPP

MPP for Engineering or science subjects, to include Merits in Mathematics modules.

Must include Mathematics, grade E at Advanced Higher Level or D at Higher Level.

UCAS Tariff

64

About this course


Course option

4years

Full-time | 2024

Subject

Mechanical engineering

**Mechanical engineers shape the systems and infrastructure that supports our daily life. As automation and robotics expands into new industries, open up future careers in this field with a BEng (Hons) Mechanical Engineering with Foundation Year degree.**

Mechanical engineers manage a wide range of processes, heating systems to refrigerators to cars, from the production of silicone chips to creating jet aircrafts - yet across the world they are in short supply. Designed around real-world problem solving, our will take your engineering knowledge to the next level, so you are ready for exciting career opportunities.

**Develop in-demand engineering knowledge and skills**
The introductory foundation year is designed to provide a broad introduction to engineering and build your understanding of engineering situations and solving problems. With a focus on ensuring your academic progression, it builds core skills in communication and teamwork that are needed to succeed at an advanced study level. Once you successfully complete and pass the foundation year, you will progress on to our full BEng (Hons) Mechanical Engineering degree.

Learning takes place at our Peel Park campus, minutes from central Manchester. Across three further years of study - or four, if you choose to include an industry placement year, you’ll develop practical problem-solving skills in our specialist mechanical, aerodynamics, composite material and control and dynamic laboratories, and our Morson Makerspace additive manufacturing and digital fabrication industry facility.

You will study engineering in relation to mathematics, electrical systems, thermodynamics, fluid mechanics, engineering structures and dynamics. You’ll explore elements such as engineering dynamics and control engineering and take part in a mechanical group design project. Collaboration is core to our values, so we strive to embed this throughout your studies.

Mechanical Engineering degree courses at Salford are designed to equip you with technical knowledge and transferable skills, and a commitment to the highest professional standards.

**Get closer to industry**
The course team has long-standing connections with industry, both in the North West and beyond. With a strong management themes running throughout, you will benefit stimulating range of external guest lecturers, industry competitions, projects, and engagement with professional networks. You might even choose to follow in the footsteps of other mechanical engineering alumni and join the Formula Salford society designing a car to race at Silverstone.

Once you join the BEng (Hons) degree, you can also choose to take an industrial placement year, developing your workplace skills and adding ‘with Professional experience’ to your degree award.

**Our new home for engineering**
In Autumn 2022, we opened our new £65 million hub for science, engineering and the environment - and our new home for engineering. Sustainability-designed and 100% electric powered, the building offers unrivalled teaching, learning and research facilities and provides exciting new spaces for industry collaboration.

**Features**
• Initially study a foundation year to strengthen your maths, physics and study skills, ready to progress to the BEng (Hons) Mechanical Engineering degree
• Learn about the relationship between micro-structure and mechanical properties of materials, mechanisms of corrosion and corrosion protection
• Explore specialist modules such as dynamics and control engineering, structural mechanics and Finite Element analysis
• Write concise specifications, present concepts, perform appropriate calculations and select appropriate manufacturing processes
• Gain an understanding of the concepts of engineering thermodynamics and fluid mechanics
• Understand project timings, resource allocation and decision-making methodology used by industry

This course is not open to international students.

Modules

This course is an effective bridging programme for applicants who do not meet the entry requirements for the BSc/BEng (Hons) and so can take this foundation year to bring thier Maths and Physics knowledge up to the academic level required for the BSc/BEng. This course will develop your professional knowledge as well as design and analytical skills. You will gain awareness of social, legal and environmental issues that are all associated with the role of a senior engineer. You will study a broad range of engineering subjects that will give you the knowledge and skills to prepare you for a wide variety of engineering careers.

The Uni


Course location:

University of Salford

Department:

School of Science, Engineering and Environment

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.

41%
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

32%
Staff make the subject interesting
45%
Staff are good at explaining things
41%
Ideas and concepts are explored in-depth
50%
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

76%
Library resources
83%
IT resources
61%
Course specific equipment and facilities
25%
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?

89%
UK students
11%
International students
89%
Male students
11%
Female students
67%
2:1 or above
12%
First year drop out rate

Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)

C
D
D

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.

£24,000
low
Average annual salary
92%
med
Employed or in further education
66%
low
Employed in a role where degree was essential or beneficial

Top job areas of graduates

44%
Engineering professionals
10%
Science, engineering and production technicians
8%
Elementary security 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.

£23k

£23k

£27k

£27k

£29k

£29k

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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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?

Have a question about this info? Learn more here