| Program start date | Application deadline |
| 2023-09-23 | 2023-07-04 |
| 2024-01-23 | - |
Program Overview
Specialise in vehicle design, performance, analysis and systems. Develop the engineering skills to work in automotive, transport, mobility and motorsport industries.
Our course is for engineers who want to apply fundamental mechanical engineering knowledge to the challenges of the automotive industry including areas such as cost, emissions, performance and materials. You’ll study vehicle design, manufacturing processes and component analysis in the context of the automotive market.
In your first two years, you’ll learn how to use mechanical engineering, physical science, maths and computing to assess engineering systems. This course structure is the same across our suite of mechanical engineering courses, so you can move between any of our BEng and MEng courses up to the end of your second year.
You’ll complement your engineering knowledge with transferable skills that are valued in industry such as problem solving and critical thinking. You’ll also explore the professional behaviours a responsible engineer needs including ethics, environmental and sustainability awareness, compassion and inclusivity.
Group and individual projects are a big part of your study experience at Bath. They are a great opportunity for you to use your knowledge, initiative and creativity to solve complex engineering problems.
You could join our award-winning Formula student team, Team Bath Racing. As part of the team, you'll contribute to the design and build of a single-seat racing car and enter in the annual International Formula Student competition. The balance of technical, teamwork and enterprise management skills you develop will prepare you for the workplace.
Learn from experts in the field
We are invested in helping you get the most out of your learning experience. You’ll learn from academics with expertise in mechanical engineering and established links with industry. They have knowledge in design, manufacture, biomechanics, materials, automotive and aerospace. Their international collaborations and research activities feed into undergraduate teaching and contribute to your learning experience.
Use specialist facilities
You’ll have access to teaching and research laboratories that support a range of practical activities and project work. We design our facilities to be like industrial workspaces so that you gain insight into what it is like to work in a professional environment. You’ll also have access to our research facilities, which are fitted with the latest technology. This is similar to the equipment you could use in industry when you graduate. Our facilities include:
View our student-led tour of undergraduate laboratories and facilities.
Start your future here
Our graduates have many skills making them attractive to prospective employers, including problem solving, creativity, numeracy and teamwork. They often hold specialist and managerial roles in high technology industries in engineering and manufacturing or pursue academic and research careers with further study.
Some of our graduates have gone on to work at international companies including Jaguar Land Rover, Rolls Royce, Airbus, nPower, Google and Zimmer Biomet.
Find out what our graduates go on to do.Specialise in vehicle design, performance, analysis and systems. Develop the engineering skills to work in automotive, transport, mobility and motorsport industries.
Our course is for engineers who want to apply fundamental mechanical engineering knowledge to the challenges of the automotive industry including areas such as cost, emissions, performance and materials. You’ll study vehicle design, manufacturing processes and component analysis in the context of the automotive market.
In your first two years, you’ll learn how to use mechanical engineering, physical science, maths and computing to assess engineering systems. This course structure is the same across our suite of mechanical engineering courses, so you can move between any of our BEng and MEng courses up to the end of your second year.
You’ll complement your engineering knowledge with transferable skills that are valued in industry such as problem solving and critical thinking. You’ll also explore the professional behaviours a responsible engineer needs including ethics, environmental and sustainability awareness, compassion and inclusivity.
Group and individual projects are a big part of your study experience at Bath. They are a great opportunity for you to use your knowledge, initiative and creativity to solve complex engineering problems.
You could join our award-winning Formula student team, Team Bath Racing. As part of the team, you'll contribute to the design and build of a single-seat racing car and enter in the annual International Formula Student competition. The balance of technical, teamwork and enterprise management skills you develop will prepare you for the workplace.
Learn from experts in the field
We are invested in helping you get the most out of your learning experience. You’ll learn from academics with expertise in mechanical engineering and established links with industry. They have knowledge in design, manufacture, biomechanics, materials, automotive and aerospace. Their international collaborations and research activities feed into undergraduate teaching and contribute to your learning experience.
Use specialist facilities
You’ll have access to teaching and research laboratories that support a range of practical activities and project work. We design our facilities to be like industrial workspaces so that you gain insight into what it is like to work in a professional environment. You’ll also have access to our research facilities, which are fitted with the latest technology. This is similar to the equipment you could use in industry when you graduate. Our facilities include:
View our student-led tour of undergraduate laboratories and facilities.
Start your future here
Our graduates have many skills making them attractive to prospective employers, including problem solving, creativity, numeracy and teamwork. They often hold specialist and managerial roles in high technology industries in engineering and manufacturing or pursue academic and research careers with further study.
Some of our graduates have gone on to work at international companies including Jaguar Land Rover, Rolls Royce, Airbus, nPower, Google and Zimmer Biomet.
Find out what our graduates go on to do.Program Outline
Course structure
This course lasts 4 years. It starts in September 2023 and ends in 2027. Welcome week starts on 25 September 2023.
Occasionally we make changes to our programmes in response to, for example, feedback from students, developments in research and the field of studies, and the requirements of accrediting bodies. You will be advised of any significant changes to the advertised programme, in accordance with our Terms and Conditions.
Units
At Bath, our courses are made up of units of study. Compulsory units cover core concepts that you'll need to understand as part of your degree programme. Some of our courses also offer the opportunity for you to study optional units. These allow you to specialise in particular areas of knowledge that interest you.
As an undergraduate, you will be expected to take 60 credits (ECTS) in each academic year. These are usually split into 30 credits for each semester you study. Sixty credits are the equivalent of 1200 notional hours of study; this includes contact time with staff and your own independent learning.
Year 1
Compulsory units
Design, materials and manufacturing 1
10 credits
Engineering mathematics
10 credits
Mechatronics
10 credits
Responsible engineering practice
10 credits
Solid mechanics 1
10 credits
Thermofluids 1
10 credits
Year 2
Compulsory units
Control and mechatronics
10 credits
Design, materials and manufacturing 2
20 credits
Engineering computation
10 credits
Solid mechanics 2
10 credits
Thermofluids 2
10 credits
Year 3
Compulsory units
Future vehicle and chassis architectures
5 credits
Group design and business project
30 credits
Sustainable thermal and electric propulsion
10 credits
Vehicle dynamics
5 credits
Options
Penultimate year options
10 credits
Year 4
Compulsory units
Digital engineering of automotive systems
15 credits
MEng individual project
30 credits
Project scoping and research methods
5 credits
Options
Final year options
10 credits
Learning and assessment
You’ll be taught and assessed by a variety of methods and it will vary between units. These methods are designed to promote in-depth learning and understanding of the subject.
Learning
Assessment
Learning and teaching
We provide a flexible learning experience delivered online and in person on campus. You should expect to spend around 35 to 40 hours a week studying on your course. These hours consist of structured activities and independent learning.
You can expect to spend between 15 and 20 hours a week on structured learning activities, which are made up of in-person and online sessions. Timetabled sessions on campus include a mix of lectures, seminars, tutorials and laboratories. Online activities might include following a recorded lecture or other learning materials or joining a timetabled live interactive session.
Independent learning
The rest of your time will be spent in independent learning and take up between 15 to 25 hours a week. This includes individual research, reading journal articles and books, working on individual and group projects, preparing coursework assignments, presentations, or revising for exams.
IT requirements
You'll need regular access to a computer with a microphone and camera, and a reliable internet connection. This will allow you to take full advantage of online resources and also prepare you to learn fully online, should it become necessary.
A laptop computer is needed to make the most of your timetabled sessions on campus. Key software for your course will be available to you remotely, including access to MS Teams and Zoom through your university account.
Assessment breakdown
You will be assessed by a range of methods designed to develop and test your skills and knowledge. These include examinations, reports, projects and presentations. The balance of assessment by coursework, exams and practical work will vary throughout your degree, depending on the optional units that you choose.
As a guide, 40-50% of the course will be assessed by coursework and practical work, and 40-60% by examination. In your third year, you’ll complete a group project and in your final year, you’ll complete an individual project or dissertation. You’ll be assessed individually but you may also be assessed as part of a group.
We can make reasonable adjustments to assessment procedures for students with disabilities, take a look at our Disability Service’s pages for information.
Recognition of professional qualifications
As well as being recognised as a higher academic qualification, a number of our degrees are also accredited by professional bodies in the United Kingdom. An accredited degree may entitle you to work in a specific profession within the UK, and abroad (where there are reciprocating arrangements with professional bodies in other countries).
The requirements to practise a profession vary from country to country. If you wish to practise your profession outside the United Kingdom, you are advised to confirm that the UK professional qualification you seek is valid in the country in which you are intending to work.
The United Kingdom currently subscribes to The Mutual Recognition of Professional Qualifications (MRPQ) Directive. The MRPQ Directive provides a reciprocal framework of rules which enables European Economic Area (EEA) and Swiss nationals to have their professional qualifications recognised in a state other than the one in which the qualification was obtained. In the event of a no deal Brexit, from 1 January 2021, the MRPQ Directive will no longer apply to the UK. However, it is anticipated that there will be a new system for recognising professional qualifications between the UK, EEA, and Switzerland.
