BEng (Hons)
Mechanical Engineering
Meeting the demand for qualified mechanical engineers
Course Overview
Why take this course?
Most of what you see has been made, developed or modified by an engineer. Meeting the challenges of the changing world, there will always be a demand for mechanical engineers.
This course encompasses the design, development, manufacture, installation, operation and maintenance of engineered products.
What will I experience?
On this course you can:
- Create your own designs in our manufacturing workshops
- Put learning into practice by doing a paid work placement, either in the UK or overseas
- Become a Formula 1 student
What opportunities might it lead to?
This course is accredited by the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET), meeting the standards set by the Engineering Council in the UK Standard for Professional Engineering Competence (UK-SPEC). It will lead to eventual Chartered Engineer (CEng) status with further study. It’s a great first step to becoming a professional engineer.
Here are some routes our graduates have pursued:
- design
- research and development
- product manufacture
- project management
The opportunity to go on a placement year and gain some experience in industry is a great bonus.
Damilola Oyinlola, BEng (Hons) Mechanical Engineering student 2012
Key Facts
- UCAS Course Code:
- H300
- Duration
- 3 years full time, 4 years sandwich with work placement
- Entry
240-280 points to include 160 points from a minimum of 2 A levels, or equivalent, including mathematics plus science or technology subjects.
Other qualifications- Fees
UK/EU/Channel Islands and Isle of Man full-time students: £8,750 p/a*
International full-time students: £11,900 p/a*
*Please note that all fees are subject to annual increase.- Contact
- technology.admissions@port.ac.uk
+44 (0)23 9284 2555 - Department
- School of Engineering
Subject:
Engineering
Find out what our students say about studying at Portsmouth, including:
- Hands-on opportunities to gain practical experience by solving real-world problems
- Approachable and passionate lecturers with industrial experience
- Excellent facilities and good employment prospects
Visit us at our open day
Wed 10 Jul
Structure & Teaching
Year one
You will begin the course with the foundations of engineering science and engineering design, including some computer-aided design. You’ll also get the chance to manufacture a product of your own design.
Core units in this year will include:
- Communication and Engineering Technology Appreciation
- Electrical and Electronic Principles
- Introduction to Design
- Mathematical Principles
- Mechanical Engineering Principles
- Introduction to Solid Mechanics and Dynamics
- Tutorial Level 1
Year two
Broaden your knowledge gained in the first year. You’ll study further mathematics and engineering science, engineering materials, manufacturing and business, instrumentation and control, and computer-aided engineering.
Options to choose from in this year include:
- Energy Engineering
- Engineering Programming
Core units from this year will include:
- Computer Aided Engineering and Product Manufacture
- Engineering Design
- Engineering Mathematics, Instrumentation and Control
- Materials and Manufacture (ENG)
- Tutorial Year 2
Year three*
In your final year you will cover solid mechanics, manufacturing systems and sustainable development. There is also a range of topics for you to tailor your studies as well as practical project work.
Core unit options in this year include:
- Design and Sustainable Development
- Individual Project
- Integrated Engineering Group Business Project
- Materials, Solid Mechanics and Dynamics
- Thermofluid Mechanics
- Tutorial Level 3
*This course is also available as a 4-year sandwich (work placement)
Teaching and Assessment
You will be taught through a mixture of lectures, seminars, tutorials (personal and academic), laboratory and project work, CAE system activity and open access study. The course has a strong practical emphasis and we pride ourselves on working at the leading-edge of technology and learning practices.
How are you assessed?
A range of assessment methods encourages a deeper understanding of engineering and allows you to develop your skills. Here’s how we assess your work:
- written examinations
- coursework
- practical tests
- project work
- presentations
Tutor's view
Dr Zhongyi Zhang
Mechanical Engineering
Our teaching provides you with balanced theoretical knowledge of engineering and technology and the ability to resolve engineering and technological problems. This is complemented by a challenging but rewarding MEng project, should you choose this route, which is supported by research active staff and labs equipped with the state-of-the-art facilities.
Visit us open day
Facilities & Features
Laboratories
We offer you a range of well-equipped labs
Formula Student
Design, construct and test a competitive race car
Maths Café
The Maths Café - drop in any time and get one-to-one help
University Library
Our library offers a wealth of information
Laboratories
We offer you a range of labs such as the Analogue Electronics and Control Engineering Laboratory as well as the Telecommunications and Signal Processing Laboratory to name a few. From Digital Signal Processing (DSP) kits to walking robots, all are well-equipped with industry-standard experimental and computational facilities.
Formula Student
Design, construct and test a competitive race car. Prizes to be won and lots of great networking opportunities as you race on the famous Silverstone circuit in competition with 3,000 students from all over the world.
Maths Café
Drop in any time and get one-to-one help with that tricky maths or stats problem. With handouts on key topics to take away and computer aided learning packages, we can get the problem solved and help you improve your numeracy skills.
University Library
Modern, comfortable and a great learning environment, our library offers a wealth of information including 400,000 books, DVDs, maps and thousands of online ejournals and newspapers. Many electronic resources are available anywhere, 24/7 and our friendly staff are always on hand to help.
Careers & Opportunities
Career prospects
It is generally accepted that there is a current shortage of engineers and our courses are aimed at educating engineers for a multitude of different careers in engineering and technology. Not only does this course meet the requirements of the major engineering graduate programmes, it gives you the chance to sample the workplace with a year-long industrial placement. Placement employers may even offer a sponsorship for your remaining years of study, a job offer on graduation, or both.
Roles our graduates have taken on include:
- mechanical engineer
- product design engineer
- aerospace engineer
- application engineer
Work experience
Taking a placement year in industry could be one of the best decisions you make and, more often than not, it leads to further opportunities after graduation. Our Student Placement and Employability Centre (SPEC) not only helps you to arrange your placement but acts as a source of information and guidance throughout the recruitment process and beyond. We help on anything and everything related to your employability as well as assisting you in securing other types of work experience.
Here are some examples of the roles our students have secured for their placements:
- Undergraduate Engineer at Elta Fans
- Trainee Project Engineer at RJM International
- Engineering Graduate at Tulip
Career planning
6.04 minutes
Finding a job is a competitive business, but the statistics show that 89 per cent of our 2011graduates went into employment, further study or training within six months of finishing their degrees.
To make sure you take the right steps on your career path, we’re here to give you help, support and advice throughout your study. Even after you’ve graduated, we continue to give you support for up to five years.
Employers tell us that they want graduates to be able to demonstrate certain skills when they come out of university. Our courses take account of this. We make sure we prepare you for employment through work-related learning, projects, placements and working in simulated environments that are designed to prepare you for the working world.
Open Day
Our next open day is Wed 10 July
VISIT US! Have a look around and get a feel for what it’s like to live and study here. We’ll be on hand to talk to you about your course interests and show you all of our amazing facilities. You’ll also get to meet tutors and other students…
Application, Fees and Funding — find out more