Mechanical Engineering with Year in Industry

Step into the future of engineering with our BEng (Hons) Mechanical Engineering with Year in Industry.

This professionally focused degree combines academic excellence with valuable industry experience, giving you a competitive edge as you prepare to launch your career. Designed in collaboration with BAE Systems and aligned with real-world industry needs, the programme blends rigorous technical education with practical, project-based learning.

You’ll study in purpose-built facilities equipped with advanced technology—from robotics and 3D printing to CAD and automation systems—and learn from expert academic staff with strong links to industry. The addition of a structured year in industry gives you the opportunity to apply your learning in a real-world context, gaining hands-on experience, building your professional network, and developing the confidence and capabilities to thrive in the engineering sector.

The BEng (Hons) Mechanical Engineering with Year in Industry is a future-focused degree developed in partnership with BAE Systems, one of the UK’s leading engineering organisations. It provides you with a comprehensive foundation in core mechanical engineering principles and engages you with the latest technologies and practices driving the future of manufacturing and design.

You’ll study key areas including mechanics, thermodynamics, fluid dynamics, control systems, and materials science, alongside advanced tools and techniques such as 3D printing, robotics, and computer-aided design (CAD). Learning is brought to life through problem-solving, collaborative projects, and practical laboratory work.

In your second and third years, you’ll explore digital manufacturing, applied mechatronics, and automation, while your integrated engineering project will see you solving real-world challenges as part of a team. Your third year will be spent on a dedicated industrial placement, allowing you to apply your academic knowledge, gain professional experience, and enhance your employability before returning to complete your degree.

On this course you will...

• Study in a brand-new purpose built facility that has been designed to include all of the modern equipment and resources you need to make a success of your course.

• Benefit from engaging with stakeholders from local and national employers.

• Study a degree that was designed in collaboration with BAE so that you can be equipped with all of the knowledge and skills that employers really need.

Year one
In your first year, the emphasis is on helping you become independent in your learning. You will design engineering artefacts through standardised engineering science and mathematics application. You will be introduced to the fundamental principles of engineering science and solve well-defined problems.

• Engineering Design
• Integrated Engineering
• Mathematics and Computing
• Principles of Materials and Manufacturing
• Mechatronic Principles – Electrical
• Mechatronic Principles – Mechanical

Year two
In your second year, the emphasis is on building your confidence. Problems become more broadly defined and can involve various factors and constraints. In performing your analysis, and developing your designs, you will draw on your new knowledge from across your first and second years of study.

• Applied Materials and Manufacturing
• Applied Mechatronics – Electrical
• Applied Mechatronics – Mechanical
• Digital Manufacture
• Integrated Engineering 2
• Mathematics and Modelling

Year three
Year in industry

Year four
In your fourth year, engineering problems become complex. You will be creative and resourceful in applying engineering science and new technologies to resolve wide-ranging problems and conflicting requirements and constraints. You will work on real-world projects, and your solutions will have immediate commercial value.

• Advanced Manufacturing Systems
• Advanced Materials and Manufacturing
• Advanced Instrumentation and Control
• Integrated Engineering Project
• Operations Management

The majority of the assessment is via coursework which includes project work, reports, computer tests and presentations. Some exams are also used.

If you opt to take the year in industry in between years two and three, you will pass or fail this year in industry based on completing 1,200 hours of paid employment, receiving a positive report from your sponsoring company, and completing a portfolio comprising a poster presentation and written report.