BEng (Hons) Mechanical Engineering with a Year in Industry
Course options
Key Details
- Award
- Degree of Bachelor of Engineering
- UCAS Course Code
- H12M
- Typical Offer
- ABB (specific subjects required)
- Contextual Offer
- BBC (specific subjects required)
- Course Length
- 4 years
- Course Start Date
- September 2025
Course Overview
Engineering is all about the pursuit of solutions. Mechanical engineers play a vital role in the design and manufacture of almost anything with moving parts, from household appliances to renewable energy systems. This three-year course will foster your curiosity about how things work, refine your problem-solving skills and equip you for a rewarding career in a range of engineering sectors.
You’ll follow an integrated programme in your first year, building the knowledge, skills, and industrial connections you need to excel as an engineer. From Year Two, you’ll specialise in mechanical engineering, studying solid and fluid mechanics, control systems, and thermodynamics alongside design and manufacturing. You’ll spend your third year on an industrial placement before returning to UEA to complete your studies.
Your course culminates in a major individual project on a topic of your choice. This could be in collaboration with an industrial partner or related to the research of your supervisor. Building on your technical learning from previous years, you’ll develop essential skills like project management, risk assessment, and communication.
As an engineering student at UEA you’ll have access to our industry-standard facilities in Productivity East, including computer aided design (CAD) stations, 3D printers, subtractive manufacturing technology, and collaborative robots. You’ll also be able to demonstrate your knowledge and potential to industry professionals through events like our annual Select Partnership Scheme.
Studying mechanical engineering at UEA means you’ll graduate with a rounded skillset and a deep-rooted understanding of your chosen discipline. You’ll be equipped to enter a fulfilling career in engineering or to enhance your learning with further study. What’s more, our award-winning careers service will offer support throughout your course and for three years after graduation.
Placement Year and Study Abroad
On this course, you’ll graduate with the added advantage of a year’s work experience. You’ll study the same topics as our BEng Mechanical Engineering students, but you’ll spend your third year working in a company related to your discipline of interest before returning to complete your degree in your fourth year.
A year in industry is a great way to test out career options, hone your skills, gain real-world experience, and make valuable professional contacts.
During your placement year, you’ll be supported by an industrial supervisor and a mentor from the University. You and your industrial supervisor will keep in touch during the placement to ensure that it is progressing well, and your UEA mentor will visit you during the year.
Accreditations
This course is professionally accredited by the Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE) and the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET). It fully meets the academic requirements for the award of Incorporated Engineer (IEng) status, which may be achieved following a period of experiential learning in employment (also known as initial professional development or IPD). Further Master’s level study will be required to register for Chartered Engineer (CEng) status.
Completing an accredited course enables you to demonstrate to employers your knowledge, abilities, skills, and competencies as specified in the Engineering Council's UK-SPEC4.0.
Professionally recognised engineers can benefit from improved career prospects and higher earning potential. This accreditation is an international recognition and can also pave the way to further career opportunities abroad.
Study and Modules
Structure
In your first year, you’ll learn about core engineering principles including fluids, thermodynamics, materials, electrical and electronics. You’ll collaborate in group activities with students in other engineering disciplines like energy, electrical and electronics. These activities will be delivered through active learning involving experimentation, laboratory work and regular group design exercises. In these design exercises, you’ll apply your problem-solving skills and engineering knowledge to real-world challenges and issues. You may have the opportunity to participate in an inter-university competition with Engineers Without Borders, where our students regularly excel.
Compulsory Modules
Whilst the University will make every effort to offer the modules listed, changes may sometimes be made arising from the annual monitoring, review and update of modules. Where this activity leads to significant (but not minor) changes to programmes and their constituent modules, the University will endeavour to consult with students and others. It is also possible that the University may not be able to offer a module for reasons outside of its control, such as the illness of a member of staff. In some cases optional modules can have limited places available and so you may be asked to make additional module choices in the event you do not gain a place on your first choice. Where this is the case, the University will inform students.
Teaching and Learning
From day one, you’ll encounter modern engineering concerns, and the pivotal role mechanical engineers play in shaping society’s response to contemporary challenges. You’ll participate in an inter-university competition in partnership with Engineers Without Borders and understand how engineers critically serve society by contributing to national economies while working to protect the environment.
Assessment
Our assessment strategies are as varied as our teaching. We're aware that you might prefer to demonstrate your learning in different ways, so our variety of assessment methods are designed to give you opportunities to shine, whatever your preference. These methods include continuous assessment in the form of frequent coursework across each term, as well as written work, poster presentations, illustrative sketches, and traditional examinations.
The marks you receive in your first year will not contribute to your final degree classification. We therefore use this first year to expose you to a range of assessment types and to instruct you in assessment-based skills like report writing and presentations. You’ll use these skills in the group work assessments and competition opportunities presented to you in this initial year of study.
Structure
Building on your progress from the first year, you’ll deepen your study of mechanical engineering with advanced concepts like solid mechanics, fluid dynamics, vibration and heat transfer.
Your second-year engineering design project will allow you to flex your mechanical engineering skills in solving complex multidisciplinary problems. For example, you may take on the Greenpower car challenge to design and build an electric car, with the ambition of participating in Formula 24+, a national championship run by the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET).
You’ll also have the flexibility to choose additional modules on renewable energy, electrical power engineering and programming, depending on your interests.
At this point in your course, you may be eligible to transfer to our four-year MEng Mechanical Engineering course, subject to your academic performance. This is an ideal route for anyone seeking Chartered Engineer status. You may also choose to transfer to one of our Year in Industry courses, which offer first-hand experience in industry and enhanced career prospects.
Compulsory Modules
Optional A Modules
(Credits: 20)Whilst the University will make every effort to offer the modules listed, changes may sometimes be made arising from the annual monitoring, review and update of modules. Where this activity leads to significant (but not minor) changes to programmes and their constituent modules, the University will endeavour to consult with students and others. It is also possible that the University may not be able to offer a module for reasons outside of its control, such as the illness of a member of staff. In some cases optional modules can have limited places available and so you may be asked to make additional module choices in the event you do not gain a place on your first choice. Where this is the case, the University will inform students.
Teaching and Learning
Following the integrated first year, you’ll commence a more specialised study of mechanical engineering in Year Two. You’ll also develop your collaborative skills by working as a small engineering consultancy company to solve a specific design challenge. The breadth of this project will require you to integrate your design solutions across multiple engineering disciplines in order to ensure success.
Assessment
In Year Two, you’ll form a small design consultancy team with your fellow students to present assessed design reports. This design module also lets you demonstrate your problem-solving strength as an individual engineer. For example, you might choose to utilise your mechanical engineering skills within your consultancy group to focus on increasing components’ stress resistance and optimising the aerodynamics of the car to reduce drag. Other module assessments will involve traditional examinations, small regular tests, and tailored coursework problems.
Structure
You’ll spend your third year on a placement in an industrial organisation of your choice. You’ll have the opportunity to connect with working engineers and contribute to real engineering projects as you dive into the dynamic world of modern engineering. You’ll apply and synthesize the knowledge you’ve learned at UEA, picking up new employability skills as you go. A year in industry gives you invaluable insight into your chosen sector and sets you apart from other mechanical engineering graduates. Recent students have undertaken placements in motorsport companies, control system providers and renewable energy companies.
Compulsory Modules
Whilst the University will make every effort to offer the modules listed, changes may sometimes be made arising from the annual monitoring, review and update of modules. Where this activity leads to significant (but not minor) changes to programmes and their constituent modules, the University will endeavour to consult with students and others. It is also possible that the University may not be able to offer a module for reasons outside of its control, such as the illness of a member of staff. In some cases optional modules can have limited places available and so you may be asked to make additional module choices in the event you do not gain a place on your first choice. Where this is the case, the University will inform students.
Teaching and Learning
While your specific experience during this year will depend on the organisation in which you have your placement, you’ll end your third year with an increased understanding of the application of all of the theory you’ve learned in your academic experiences to date.
Assessment
You’ll be asked to document your progress through your placement year and submit this as an assessed final report. You’ll be assessed both on the content of your reflection and on how you articulate your learning journey.
Structure
In your final year, you’ll study advanced concepts of stress analysis, control systems, manufacturing technologies, and Industry 4.0 principles. The pinnacle of your studies will be your individual project based on your specific interests and skills. This is a significant piece of research and could involve experimentation, computational/numerical modelling, practical prototyping and construction or circuit assembly. There may be opportunities to link your individual project to a real engineering challenge experienced in industry. For example, recent students have carried out projects on the applications of robotics in agriculture and health care, designing and developing vertical farms, geothermal energy systems optimisation, and electric vehicle battery pack thermal management.
We emphasise employability across the years, embedding project management, teamworking, communication and other soft skills throughout our modules. This combination of soft skills, teaching excellence and commercial awareness means you’ll leave UEA ready to launch your career as a graduate mechanical engineer.
Compulsory Modules
Optional A Modules
(Credits: 40)Whilst the University will make every effort to offer the modules listed, changes may sometimes be made arising from the annual monitoring, review and update of modules. Where this activity leads to significant (but not minor) changes to programmes and their constituent modules, the University will endeavour to consult with students and others. It is also possible that the University may not be able to offer a module for reasons outside of its control, such as the illness of a member of staff. In some cases optional modules can have limited places available and so you may be asked to make additional module choices in the event you do not gain a place on your first choice. Where this is the case, the University will inform students.
Teaching and Learning
In your final year, we’ll encourage you to explore all the options available to you to define your engineering credentials. You’ll also deepen your learning experience through an independent study based in an area of particular interest or relevance to you. You’ll choose what you want to study and define how you wish to study it, with the support of academic staff.
Assessment
Year Four assessment will be largely focused on your year-long engineering project. You’ll apply your skill set to projects which might pull from your computational, software, data analysis and laboratory skills, depending on the proposal you formulate. You’ll also demonstrate the practical and applied aspects of your learning as you design control systems. The remainder of your assessment types will be determined by the modules you select. By this stage in your academic journey, you’ll understand what type of learner you are and be able to identify your preferred methods of assessment. With this insight, you’ll be free to select the optional modules that allow you to excel.
Entry Requirements
- This course is open to
UK and International fee-paying students. Choose UK or International above to see relevant information. The entry point is in September each year.
We welcome and value a wide range of qualifications, and we recognise that some students might take a mixture of different qualifications. We have listed typical examples that we accept for entry.
You should hold or be working towards the specified English and Mathematics requirements and one of the examples of typical entry qualifications listed below. If your qualifications aren’t listed, or if you are taking a combination of qualifications that isn’t specified, please contact Admissions.
- English and Mathematics
All applicants must hold or be working towards GCSEs in English Language at minimum grade 4 or grade C and Mathematics at minimum grade 5 or grade B.
We accept a wide range of English Language qualifications, please see our English Language equivalencies page.
- Contextual Offers
UEA are committed to ensuring that Higher Education is accessible to all, regardless of their background or experiences. One of the ways we do this is through our contextual admissions schemes.
- Typical UK Entry Requirements
A levels
ABB including grade A in Mathematics and grade B in either Physics, Further Mathematics, Design Technology, Computing Science, Electronics, Chemistry, Geology or Biology.
Contextual offer: BBC including grade B in Mathematics and grade B in either Physics, Further Mathematics, Design Technology, Computing Science, Electronics, Chemistry, Geology or Biology.
Where applicable Science A levels awarded by an English Exam board require a pass in the practical element. Not accepted: Critical Thinking and General Studies.
BTEC
Level 3 Extended Diploma: DDM in Engineering. Modules to include either Calculus to Solve Engineering Problems and Further Mathematics OR Maths for Engineering Technicians and Further Maths for Engineering Technicians. A Distinction will be required in both modules or A level Mathematics at grade A.
Contextual offer: DMM in Engineering. Modules to include either Calculus to Solve Engineering Problems and Further Mathematics OR Maths for Engineering Technicians and Further Maths for Engineering Technicians. A Distinction will be required in both modules or A level Mathematics at grade B.
Combinations of BTEC and A levels
Extended Diploma: DDM in Engineering. Modules to include either Calculus to Solve Engineering Problems and Further Mathematics OR Maths for Engineering Technicians and Further Maths for Engineering Technicians. A Distinction will be required in both modules or A level Mathematics at grade A.
Diploma: DD in Engineering plus A level Mathematics at grade A.
Extended Certificate: D plus A level grade A in Mathematics and A level grade B in either Physics, Further Mathematics, Design Technology, Computing Science, Electronics, Chemistry, Geology or Biology.
BTEC in Public Services, Uniformed Services and Business Administration are all excluded from our BTEC offers
Access to HE Diploma
Pass Access to HE Diploma with Distinction in 30 credits at Level 3 and Merit in 15 credits at Level 3, including 12 credits in Mathematics and 12 credits in one other Science.
T levels
Obtain an overall Pass including a B in the core of the T Level and a Distinction in the Occupational Specialism. Accepted subjects: Maintenance, Installation and Repair for Engineering and Manufacturing, Engineering, Manufacturing, Processing and Control, Design and Development for Engineering and Manufacturing.
Foundation Year options:
If you do not meet the academic requirements for direct entry, you may be interested in one of our Foundation Year programmes such as - BEng Engineering with a Foundation Year
- Further Examples of Typical Entry Requirements
International Baccalaureate
32 points overall including HL6 in Mathematics (Applications and Interpretation or Analysis and Approaches) and HL5 in Further Mathematics, Physics, Biology, Chemistry, Geology, Design Technology or Computing Science.
Irish Leaving Certificate
3 subjects at H2 including Mathematics and 3 subjects at H3 including either Further Mathematics, Physics, Biology, Chemistry, Geology, Design Technology or Computing Science.
Scottish Highers
AAABB including grade A in either Physics, Further Mathematics, Design Technology, Computing Science, Electronics, Chemistry, Geology or Biology. Only accepted in combination with Scottish Advanced Higher grade B in Mathematics.
Scottish Advanced Highers
BCC including grade B in Mathematics and grade C or above from either Physics, Further Mathematics, Design Technology, Computing Science, Electronics, Chemistry, Geology or Biology. A combination of Advanced Highers and Highers may be acceptable.
- Deferred Entry
We welcome applications from students who have already taken or intend to take a gap year. We believe that a year between school and university can be of substantial benefit. You are advised to indicate your reason for wishing to defer entry on your UCAS application.
- Admissions Policy
Our Admissions Policy applies to the admissions of all undergraduate applicants.
- Recent Study
We would prefer you to be able to demonstrate evidence of recent academic study within 5 years of the start of the course. If your last qualification will have been completed more than 5 years ago by the time the course starts, please contact Admissions.
- This course is open to
UK and International fee-paying students. Choose UK or International above to see relevant information. The entry point is in September each year.
We welcome and value a wide range of qualifications, and we recognise that some students might take a mixture of different qualifications. We have listed typical examples that we accept for entry.
You should hold or be working towards the specified English and Mathematics requirements and one of the examples of typical entry qualifications listed below. If your qualifications aren’t listed, or if you are taking a combination of qualifications that isn’t specified, please contact Admissions.
- English and Mathematics
All applicants must hold or be working towards GCSEs in English Language at minimum grade 4 or grade C and Mathematics at minimum grade 5 or grade B.
We accept a wide range of English Language qualifications, please see our English Language equivalencies page.
- Typical International Entry Requirements
A levels
ABB including grade A in Mathematics and grade B in either Physics, Further Mathematics, Design Technology, Computing Science, Electronics, Chemistry, Geology or Biology.
Where applicable Science A levels awarded by an English Exam board require a pass in the practical element. Not accepted: Critical Thinking and General Studies.
International Baccalaureate
32 points overall including HL6 in Mathematics (Applications and Interpretation or Analysis and Approaches) and HL5 in Further Mathematics, Physics, Biology, Chemistry, Geology, Design Technology or Computing Science.
We accept many international qualifications for entry to this course. For specific details about your country, view our information for International Students.
- INTO UEA
If you do not meet the academic and/or English language requirements for direct entry our partner, INTO UEA offers progression on to this undergraduate degree upon successful completion of a preparation programme. Depending on your interests, and your qualifications you can take a variety of routes to this degree.
- English Foreign Language
Applications from students whose first language is not English are welcome. We require evidence of proficiency in English (including writing, speaking, listening and reading):
-
IELTS: 6.0 overall (minimum 5.5 in all components)
We also accept a number of other English language tests. Review our English Language Equivalencies for a list of example qualifications that we may accept to meet this requirement.
Test dates should be within two years of the course start date.
If you do not yet meet the English language requirements for this course, INTO UEA offer a variety of English language programmes which are designed to help you develop the English skills necessary for successful undergraduate study.
-
- Deferred Entry
We welcome applications from students who have already taken or intend to take a gap year. We believe that a year between school and university can be of substantial benefit. You are advised to indicate your reason for wishing to defer entry on your UCAS application.
- Admissions Policy
Our Admissions Policy applies to the admissions of all undergraduate applicants.
- Recent Study
We would prefer you to be able to demonstrate evidence of recent academic study within 5 years of the start of the course. If your last qualification will have been completed more than 5 years ago by the time the course starts, please contact Admissions.
Fees and Funding
Tuition Fees
View our information for Tuition Fees.
Scholarships and Bursaries
We are committed to ensuring that costs do not act as a barrier to those aspiring to come to a world leading university and have developed a funding package to reward those with excellent qualifications and assist those from lower income backgrounds. View our range of Scholarships for eligibility, details of how to apply and closing dates.
Course Related Costs
Please see Additional Course Fees for details of course-related costs.
How to Apply
UCAS Hub is a secure online application system that allows you to apply for full-time undergraduate courses at universities and colleges in the United Kingdom.
Your application does not have to be completed all at once. Register or sign in to UCAS to get started.
Once you submit your completed application, UCAS will process it and send it to your chosen universities and colleges.
The Institution code for the University of East Anglia is E14.
View our guide to applying through UCAS for useful tips, key dates and further information:
Employability
After the Course
As a UEA Mechanical Engineering graduate, you’ll enjoy excellent career prospects in mechanical engineering as well as a breadth of other industries. Your continuous contact with industrial partners throughout your degree will unlock doors for your professional and personal development, giving you the confidence and resources to pursue your career goals.
Our industry partners recognise the potential that our students bring to their organisations and will be at hand to support your growth throughout your studies. In several key sectors, mechanical engineers are in especially high demand – particularly those with the digital skills and industry insight to navigate the challenges of our time.
Upon completion of this course, you may choose to continue your academic studies by joining a Master’s degree programme or studying for a PhD. Your Mechanical Engineering degree could also support a career beyond engineering in accountancy, law, STEM teaching.
Careers
Examples of careers that you could enter include:
- Mechanical engineering
- Manufacturing
- Renewable energy
- Design Engineering
- STEM teaching
Discover more on our Careers webpages.