Mechanical Engineering with an Industrial Placement Year
Entry requirements
A level
including Maths and at least one of Physics, Chemistry or Biology
Access to HE Diploma
Award of Access to HE Diploma in a relevant subject, with 45 credits at Level 3, including 42 at Distinction (to include Maths and Physics units), and 3 at Merit + Grade A in A Level Maths
International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme
with 6 in Higher Level Maths and at least one of Physics, Chemistry or Biology
Leaving Certificate - Higher Level (Ireland) (first awarded in 2017)
including Maths and at least one of Physics, Chemistry or Biology
Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Diploma (first teaching from September 2016)
in Engineering or Applied Science + A in A Level Maths
Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Extended Diploma (first teaching from September 2016)
in Engineering or Applied Science + A in A Level Maths
Scottish Advanced Higher
in Maths and either Physics, Chemistry or Biology + AAAAB in Scottish Highers
Welsh Baccalaureate - Advanced Skills Challenge Certificate (first teaching September 2015)
+ A*A in Maths and either Physics, Chemistry or Biology
UCAS Tariff
We've calculated how many Ucas points you'll need for this course.
About this course
This degree follows the same syllabus as the BEng Mechanical Engineering. Your learning is complemented with a year working in a mechanical engineering company, which will put your academic studies into context and improve your skills and employability.
The course gives you a solid grounding in mechanical engineering. It covers all the essentials, with an emphasis on modelling and design. You'll be introduced to the business and management context of engineering, and you'll also complete an individual project in an area that interests you.
In your first two years, you'll follow a core syllabus in the fundamentals of mechanical engineering, mathematics and management. Modules cover mathematics, applied dynamics, mechanics of fluids, mechanics of solids, applied thermodynamics, mechanical behaviour of materials, and electrical and electronic engineering.
Year three is your placement in industry. A year in industry is an excellent opportunity to build a work profile, learn more about your own career interests, and start your journey towards being a professionally recognised engineer.
You'll be responsible for finding your own placement but the departmental and faculty careers and employability teams will help you find the right position and get the most out of your experience. Salaries for placement students typically range between £11,000 and £21,000.
When you return to Sheffield for your final year, you'll carry out an extended individual project and build on your interests by choosing from a wide selection of engineering modules.
This is a practical course: our students learn by doing. You'll apply what you've learnt in the lecture theatre to engineering problems and experiments. You'll have the chance to manufacture and prototype your designs. You'll also develop the transferable skills employers look for, such as communication, project management and time management skills.
Depending on your performance during the degree, you may be able to switch between our degrees. For example, you may be able to switch to the BEng Mechanical Engineering at the end of your first year, or to one of our MEng courses at the end of your second year (depending on course requirements and availability).
All our students get involved in week-long projects that develop the skills you'll need as a successful engineer. There's the Global Engineering Challenge in your first year, where you'll find creative solutions to real-world problems with engineers of different disciplines, and Engineering You're Hired! during your second year.
**This course is accredited by the Institution of Mechanical Engineers. The BEng meets, in part, the academic requirements for Chartered Engineer status. Students will need to complete some further learning to meet them in full.**
Tuition fees
Select where you currently live to see what you'll pay:
The Uni
University of Sheffield
Mechanical 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
£33k
£35k
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.
Explore these similar courses...
This is what the university has told Ucas about the criteria they expect applicants to satisfy; some may be compulsory, others may be preferable.
Have a question about this info? Learn more here
This is the percentage of applicants to this course who received an offer last year, through Ucas.
Have a question about this info? Learn more here
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.
Have a question about this info? Learn more here
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.
Have a question about this info? Learn more here
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