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Mechanical Engineering (Automotive) BEng

Start date
September
Duration
3 years
UCAS code
H302
Course Type
Undergraduate, Single Honours
Fees

We charge an annual tuition fee. Fees for 2025/26:
£9,535 (UK)
£29,560 (International)
Further fee information

Our stimulating Mechanical Engineering (Automotive) BEng degree programme is designed to give you a thorough background in Mechanical Engineering and the expertise and knowledge to develop and implement new automotive technologies.

  This course provides you with the skills to deliver results in an ever-changing industry. You will benefit from a research-led culture, which informs our teaching. Our expertise in applying engineering science will equip you with the ability to solve problems of industrial and societal significance. 

You’ll work alongside Civil and Electrical Engineers, this interdisciplinary working reflects industry practices and right from the very start will begin building your teamworking and professional skills alongside your technical knowledge. The opportunity is also open to you to get involved in work on UBRacing – our own Formula Student racing team, which competes throughout the world.

You will be the subject expert on a major project during your Mechanical Engineering (Automotive) degree where you will apply your in-depth technical knowledge. This will provide you with vital employability skills that will give you a competitive edge in applications forms, interviews and assessment tests for graduate jobs.

Why study Mechanical Engineering at the University of Birmingham?

  • Accredited degrees: our programmes are accredited by the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, which provides employers with assurances that you have the qualities they seek. An accredited degree is an important step towards you becoming a chartered engineer.
  • Study in our new state-of-the-art School of Engineering building which includes a 179-capacity Design Centre and 160 drop-in study spaces throughout the building providing flexible learning.
  • You will have the opportunity to take part in a lot of design projects which will be conducted in a multidisciplinary and collaborative environment.
  • You will be working with team members from other disciplines like mechanical, electrical and civil engineering.
  • The course also allows you to interact with a variety of academics from these three different departments.
  • Mechanical engineering is also very well connected with a variety of industries located in West Midlands and you will have the opportunity to take part in industry led design modules and final year projects.
  • UBRacing is the University's Formula Student team and provides a great opportunity to gain hands on experience in an engineering task, building great team working abilities.
  • MEng students get the opportunity to pursue individual interest in engineering allowing them to specialise and gain and deep level of understanding in the chosen area.

Meet Caitlin Caitlin in a lecture theatre

Caitlin is a 5th year Mechanical Engineering student and will be regularly blogging about her experiences studying at Birmingham. During her free time, she enjoys going into the city with her friends, travelling around and seeing some of her favourite bands/artists live.

Read Caitlin's blogs >> 

A degree that’s flexible to you

The programmes within the School of Engineering have been designed to give you choice. This allows you to find out more about the field of engineering that you want to further your studies in. These choices are shown below:

Choice 1: Complete year 1 and then decide which branch of engineering to follow. This also includes Mechanical (Automotive), Mechatronic and Robotic Engineering routes.

Choice 2: Complete year 2 and decide whether to continue onto the BEng or MEng* pathway. *Must achieve minimum grade for MEng pathway.

Choice 3: Complete year 2 and decide whether to take an industrial option, international study (MEng only) or continue with studying at Birmingham.  *Please contact Admissions for specific information about options.

‘I always had a strong passion for maths at school and being able to see its real-life applications through studying mechanical engineering was one of the main reasons I chose to study it. Mechanical Engineering at Birmingham provides all the support needed to succeed.

Laura Green, MEng Mechanical Engineering

Modules

Year 1

Our first year has been designed to provide a contemporary and flexible educational model that builds upon essential engineering fundamentals to develop your broader understanding of behaviour, policy, entrepreneurship, and global perspectives and kindles the passion necessary to address the societal challenge agenda. The first year is shared across the disciplines of Civil Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, and Electronic, Electrical and Systems Engineering.

  • Electrical Engineering 1 - 20 credits
    In this module, the fundamentals of electronic and electrical engineering are covered. It will begin with analogue circuits describing the fundamentals of circuit analysis and the design of analogue devices. The fundamentals of digital systems will then be covered using Boolean algebra and related techniques to analyse digital circuits up to an introduction to flip flops. Finally electrical power and machinery systems will be introduced.
  • Engineering Materials - 10 credits
    The aim of the module is to introduce the range of materials and their key properties used in engineering in order to allow them to select the appropriate materials for a given application. The module also introduces fundamental science that determines the electrical or mechanical properties of materials, such as atomic / molecular structures. In addition students will also be introduced to software which will allow them to model the properties and behaviour of engineering materials and analyse the results of experiments.
  • Engineering Mathematics 1 - 20 credits
    The module aims to enhance student knowledge and understanding of the mathematics used in engineering and to develop the skills of its use.
  • Fluid Mechanics and Energy Transfer - 20 credits
    In this module, the fundamentals of fluid mechanics and energy conservation, and introduce associated engineering applications.
  • Integrated Design Project 1A - 10 credits
    The aim of the module is to introduce students to the design process and the skills employed therein, within an engineering context.
  • Integrated Design Project 1B - 10 credits
    The aim of the module is for students to continue the design process and the skills employed therein, within an engineering context.
  • Introduction to Computing for Engineers - 10 credits
    The aim of this module is to introduce engineers to computers and computer programming using an important modern programming language which has applications from small embedded systems to supercomputers.
  • Mechanics 1 - 20 credits
    In this module, the mathematics and scientific principles related to mechanics in the context and application in engineering. The module covers: general principles, the mechanical properties of material and the basic principles of analysis, all underpinned with essential mathematics. Where relevant, historical examples are embedded into the module in order to provide context for the taught material.

Year 2

You will build on the knowledge gained in Year 1 and begin to specialise your study, covering core Mechanical Engineering subjects designed to develop your learning progressively.

You work on improving your mathematical, statistical and computing techniques, as well as taking on a group project with other students. You will consider the movement of mechanisms, the strength of individual parts, the efficiency and environmental impact of your designs, and the methods that can be employed to make products profitable.

You will carry out a major group design project to develop a new product, looking at all parts of the product development including the legal and business aspects.

  • Integrated Design Project 2 (20 credits)
  • Engineering Mathematics 2 (20 credits)
  • Mechanics 2 (20 credits)
  • Mechanical Design A (20 credits)
  • Thermodynamics and Fluids (20 credits)
  • Mechatronics and Control Engineering (20 credits)

Year 3

You will develop your specialisation further, with an increased problem-solving-based focus. You continue with Mechanical Design where you undertake project work and have the opportunity to attend lectures from companies such as Rolls-Royce, Aston Martin and Jaguar Land Rover to gain an insight into industrial design projects.
You will undertake an automotive individual design project in your third and final year.

  • Integrated Design Project 3 (BEng) (20 credits). Automotive project must be taken.
  • Powertrain and Vehicle Engineering (20 credits)
  • Mechanical Design B (20 credits)
  • Computational Fluid Dynamics and Finite Element Analysis (20 credits)
  • Sustainable Energy and the Environment (10 credits)
  • Individual Project (30 credits). Automotive project must be taken

Please note: The modules listed on the website for this programme are regularly reviewed to ensure they are up-to-date and informed by the latest research and teaching methods. Unless indicated otherwise, the modules listed for this programme are for students starting in 2025. On rare occasions, we may need to make unexpected changes to core modules; in this event we will contact offer holders as soon as possible to inform or consult them as appropriate.

Fees

Annual tuition fees 2025/26

The University will charge the maximum approved tuition fee per year. If your offer is for 2025 year of entry, we expect that the tuition fee for your first year of study will be £9,535. If Parliament agrees on an increase in tuition fees, the University will increase fees for each year of study normally in line with these changes and will communicate any change in the fees to you without delay. If you are applying for 2026 year of entry, you will be advised of the annual tuition fee closer to the time.

  • £9,535
  • £29,560 - International

Visit our tuition fees page for more information. A small charge is also made towards the cost of an optional teamwork course at the University’s Raymond Priestley Centre in the Lake District. This is typically £20.00.

Scholarships

At Birmingham we ensure that fears about finance do not constrain prospective students from considering university and that excellence is rewarded.

 

Tuition fees for placement years (where applicable)

There is a reduced tuition fee for the academic year spent in industry or whilst studying abroad (where available). Fee information and further clarification is available on the University fees and funding page.

How To Apply

Apply through the UCAS website using code H302.

UCAS (Universities and Colleges Admissions Service) is a UK organisation responsible for managing applications to university and college.

View advice on how to apply for undergraduate courses.

Standard offer

International Requirements



Number of A levels required:
3
Typical offer:
AAB
Required subjects and grades:
A level Mathematics (Further Mathematics and Physics are not required but are advantageous).

If you have an alternative qualification to A-level mathematics the Admissions Tutor may wish to assess your mathematical ability during the application process. This will be via a Mathematics Aptitude test.

General Studies not accepted.

International Baccalaureate Diploma

6,6,5 at Higher Level to include Mathematics with a minimum of 32 points overall. 

BTEC

  • BTEC Extended Diploma will be considered for BEng programmes providing there is sufficient Mathematics content and applicant satisfactorily completes our Mathematics aptitude test.
    Grades: BEng; D*D*D* plus Distinction in mathematics and further mathematics, and the applicant must successfully complete our mathematics aptitude test at required level.
  • BTEC Diploma considered in combination with A Level.
    Grades: BEng; D*D* plus B. If the A level taken is not in Mathematics, then the BTEC Diploma must include Maths and Further Maths units, and the applicant must successfully complete our mathematics aptitude test at required level.
  • BTEC Subsidiary Diploma considered in combination with 2 A Levels.
    Grades: BEng; D*plus A B. If A level Mathematics is not taken, then the BTEC Subsidiary Diploma must include Maths and Further Maths units, and the applicant must successfully complete our mathematics aptitude test at required level.

Other qualifications are considered – learn more about entry requirements. 

Foundation Year

Are you a UK student and would like to study for one of our degrees but lack the entry qualifications we require? If you are not studying A Level Mathematics you can consider a Foundation Year programme which can lead to entry onto one of our courses.

Alternative offers through our Pathways to Birmingham programmes and our Contextual Offer scheme

Students who are eligible and successfully complete a Pathways to Birmingham programme will receive special consideration from admissions tutors and an alternative offer (typically two grades below the standard offer). In addition, our Contextual Offer Scheme recognises the potential of students whose personal circumstances may have restricted achievement in school or college. If you are eligible to benefit from the contextual offer scheme, you will receive an offer which is one grade lower than the standard offer.

International Students

We accept a range of international qualifications, please contact the admissions tutor for more information.

 

Standard English language requirements apply, learn more about international entry requirements.

Depending on your chosen course of study, you may also be interested in one of our foundation pathways, which offer specially structured programmes for international students whose qualifications are not accepted for direct entry to UK universities. Further details can be found on Birmingham International Academy web pages.

You will benefit greatly from ongoing and substantial investment in new teaching spaces. Labs are kitted out with brand new, hi-tech equipment and extensive key software through our partnership agreement with Microsoft.

Resources and facilities

Your learning is based around dedicated teaching and research facilities, with Laboratories for teaching and project work. We strive to be as flexible as possible, giving you the opportunity to specialise within your undergraduate study throughout your time at Birmingham. We continue to review our facilities and have exciting new projects to enhance your time spent at the University of Birmingham:

New building and facilities for the School Of Engineering

Work successfully completed on the £46.5M new School of Engineering building in February 2021. The state-of-the-art building is a 12,000 sqm facility, spans five floors and features a double-height atrium.

Makerspace facility

The Makerspace facilities at Birmingham allow students to design, build, and test prototypes for their designs. Hear from current final-year students about how they use the space.

How you will learn

We are a department within a large engineering school – so you get the best of both worlds. You will be taught from a combination of large-scale lecture tuition, small-group teaching, and lab and other practical classes. We make extensive use of online learning tools, too, so you can study even when you’re not on campus.

Laboratory-based work is an integral part of your course, this is vital not only to develop your experimental practical skills, but also to reinforce concepts introduced in lectures. Practical sessions typically last two to three hours, although more advanced experiments and activities may span over several sessions.

All of our undergraduate programmes feature a significant level of project working in each year of study, with individual and group projects designed to prepare our graduates for teamworking, problem solving and project management.

How you will be assessed

Each module is assessed independently and methods may include end-of-year exams, written assignments, oral and poster presentations, computer-based tests, class tests, and laboratory and project reports.
The early years of your course are assessed mostly by examination, whereas in later years this emphasis will shift to continuous assessment in project work. This model reflects your ability to specialise in Years 3 and 4, after undertaking thorough grounding of engineering principles at the start of your studies.

Feedback is an essential part of learning and we use a wide range of methods, such as written feedback on your assessments, class feedback sessions and discussions with your tutor. You'll receive feedback on each assessment, highlighting the positives of your work as well as any areas that need more attention. 

Your personal tutor

At the start of your degree, you'll be assigned a personal tutor who will remain with you throughout your studies to help you in three important areas: supporting your academic progress, developing transferable skills and dealing with any welfare issues.
We also have our own Welfare Tutor/Wellbeing Officer who is able to provide practical and emotional support for you if you are experiencing personal problems that interfere with your academic work.

Seminars and tutorials

Small-group tutorials/personal tutorials run alongside our lectures, addressing any individual problems you may have and allowing you to consolidate lecture material, as well as testing your understanding through problem-solving exercises.

Self study is an essential part of the programme and requires self motivation and enthusiasm for your subject. It also allows you to pursue your own lines of enquiry and become an independent thinker.

Lecturers and world leading researchers

You will be taught by staff who are experts in their research fields: staff with extensive industrial connections, research staff and staff with teaching qualifications. They will provide you with tools to gain the creative, problem-solving and technical skills needed to undertake your final-year individual project.

As well as specialised labs with state-of-the-art facilities, you may also get to work with internationally leading research groups. There are also opportunities to work in industry which will provide real-world experience.

Contact Hours

Throughout your degree, depending on module choice, you can expect about 20 hours of contact time per week on average. This consists of approximately 14 hours of lectures and 6 hours of tutorials/labs.

As one of our Mechanical Engineering students, a huge and exciting array of career opportunities will be open to you when you graduate – both at home and abroad.

Mechanical Engineering at the University of Birmingham has extremely strong links with key employers, such as Aston Martin, BP, Jaguar Land Rover and Rolls-Royce, who provide projects and work placements for our students and regularly recruit our graduates.

You will be actively encouraged to gain industrial experience by undertaking summer placements or studying the programme MEng Mechanical Engineering with Industrial Year. These will help build your confidence and prepare you for graduate employment.

When looking at graduates it is highly important that they are engaged and connected with the working environment and are, for example, aware of the tools that are applied as part of their chosen profession.

The University of Birmingham prepares its students with practical hands-on sessions bridging the gulf between academia and industry very well, which in turn is very helpful to the individual candidate.

Johnny Ojeil, Director, Arup.
 

We have an Industrial Liaison Officer who works with our industrial partners and we also have extensive industrial contact through our research. The Department also benefits from an Industrial Advisory Committee, which ensures that our programmes are industrially relevant and producing graduates with the skills and knowledge industry needs. The committee includes senior engineers from Rolls-Royce, Caterpillar, IMechE, Renishaw, Mazak Intertek and MatOrtho

Where our graduates work:

  • Air Products
  • Albright Patents LLP
  • Amec
  • Arup
  • Aston Martin
  • Atkins
  • Deloitte
  • Exxon Mobil
  • The Guardian
  • Jaguar Land Rover
  • JCB
  • Laing O’Rourke
  • Lloyds
  • Marks & Clerk UK
  • MBDA
  • Mercedes AMG High Performance Engines
  • Prodrive
  • Renishaw
  • Rolls-Royce
  • Yamazaki Mazak

Careers Network

We provide a wealth of opportunities to develop your career. From your first day at Birmingham to after you graduate, the Careers Network  is here to help you identify and achieve your individual career aspirations through its wide range of services.

Our dedicated careers team brings you information, advice and guidance tailored to your specific needs. Careers advisers offer one-to-one advice appointments where you can discuss your career plans and explore your options. In addition, our employer-endorsed award-winning Personal Skills Award (PSA) recognises your extra-curricular activities, and provides an accredited employability programme designed to improve your career prospects.

Visit the Careers Network website for more details

Professional Accreditation