Mechanical Engineering with Foundation Year

Do you love to innovate, design and solve problems? Our BEng (Hons) Mechanical Engineering with a Foundation Year degree, with applied Automotive and applied Manufacturing pathways, will enable you to apply your passion and skills to become an engineer of the future.

Our approach to Engineering is unique. You will not have traditional lectures or be assessed by exams, instead you will learn through practical-based tasks that respond to real-life engineering problems across industries including automotive and transport, manufacturing, technology, energy and construction. This course has been carefully designed in collaboration with industry to ensure that you graduate ready for employment, with core technical skills and knowledge as well as employability skills such as communication, leadership and collaboration.

The foundation year

This foundation year is a preparatory year designed for students who are passionate about engineering but may not yet meet the entry requirements for our degree programmes. Over the course of a year, you’ll build a solid grounding in key subjects such as mathematics, engineering principles, and problem-solving, while developing practical skills through hands-on projects and lab work. The foundation year will provide you with a smooth transition to progress on to one of our engineering degrees and set you up for a successful educational journey.

The second year is a common year to provide you with a solid understanding of what engineering is. You will also learn about the different types of engineering to enable you to choose a suitable pathway to continue to after your first year. You will have the option to specialise in the following pathways after your second year of study:

Automotive Engineering
If you choose this pathway, you will explore vehicle dynamics, propulsion technologies, and sustainable mobility to address the evolving needs of the transport sector. This pathway is ideal for those wishing to pursue a career in the automotive or transportation industries in jobs such as Powertrain Engineer, Motorsport Engineer and Crash Safety Engineer.

Manufacturing Engineering
This pathway focuses on improving processes and ensuring products maintain high standards. You will learn about advanced manufacturing processes, automation, and Industry 4.0, equipping graduates to lead in modern production environments in sectors like Automation & Robotics Engineering, Quality & Plant Control Engineering, and Supply Chain & Logistics Engineering.

Mechanical Engineering
This pathway continues on the Mechanical Engineering degree through to your final year. This route focuses on core engineering principles, materials science, and thermofluid systems, to prepare you for diverse roles in mechanical system design and development in jobs such as Project Engineer, Energy Engineer, Design Engineer and Systems Engineer.