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Mechanical Engineering

Entry requirements


A level

A,B,B

ABB including Maths. Two AS-levels considered in place of one A-level.

Accepted alongside Maths and Physics A-Level.

Access to HE Diploma

D:30

Pass Engineering Diploma with 45 credits at level 3, 30 of which are at Distinction. To include all level 3 Maths modules at Distinction.

Cambridge International Pre-U Certificate - Principal

D3,M2,M2

including Maths and Physics.

BBB at A level including Mathematics plus grade B in EPQ.

GCSE/National 4/National 5

Grade C/4 in English Language.

International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme

30

with grade 5 in Maths at HL. Must include minimum of grade 4 in English A or 5 in English B if minimum of grade 4/C not held in English Language at GCSE.

Leaving Certificate - Higher Level (Ireland) (first awarded in 2017)

H1,H2,H2,H2,H2

including Mathematics and a Physical science.

Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Extended Certificate (first teaching from September 2016)

D

Accepted alongside Maths A-Level.

Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Extended Diploma (first teaching from September 2016)

DDM

DDM in Engineering including Further Maths at Distinction.

Scottish Advanced Higher

A,B,B

including Maths and Physics

Scottish Higher

A,A,B,B,B

Including Mathematics and a physical science at grade A.

T Level

D

The following are accepted: Design and Development for Engineering and Manufacturing Engineering Manufacturing, Processing and Control. Please note for this T level qualification you will need to take an additional Maths assessment test if you don't have A-level Maths - please contact Admissions for more information.

Accepted alongside Maths A-Level.

UCAS Tariff

128-152

We've calculated how many Ucas points you'll need for this course.

About this course


Course option

3years

Full-time | 2024

Subject

Mechanical engineering

Spacecraft and satellites. Reactors and robots. Mechanical engineering is at the core of most systems that move. But how is technology improving their performance? To build the future, you need to keep up with it. And this degree will show you how.

Whether you study for the BEng or the MEng, your Mechanical Engineering degree will emphasise how mechanical engineering has been transformed by the use of powerful computer-aided design, prototyping and manufacturing tools and by the use of modern materials such as composites.

Engineers are innovators who bring about change through their ingenuity, experience and curiosity to improve the quality of life for people throughout the world. Their work is central to thriving economies and competitive industries. It is equally important in developing countries where engineers provide appropriate technologies during difficult times of change.

Professional engineers have a high degree of specialist knowledge but increasingly they use a broad approach to problem-solving across a range of engineering disciplines. This is coupled with an awareness of environmental, social, legal, economic and regulatory aspects of the problem at hand.

Mechanical systems are at the core of the manufacturing, process and service industries including:

Advanced engines, traction and braking systems for vehicles
Aircraft, satellites and deep space probes
Biomedical technologies such as imagers, ventilators and prosthetics
Air and water pollution control equipment
Transportation and mass transit systems
Industrial plant for the processing of raw materials and for power generation
Building on a broad foundation of engineering studies in Year 1, you will develop specific expertise and skills in mechanisms and vibrations, structures, mechanical materials, fluid dynamics and thermodynamics.

Successful engineers must be able to analyse and solve complex problems in the industrial context, communicate ideas to others and work effectively in teams and exercise leadership skills. This is why all our Engineering degrees include a selection of management content or specialised modules throughout. Topics covered include business finance, project planning and management, intellectual property, health and safety, motivation theory, marketing, total quality management, ethics and professionalism.

What's the difference?
Each of our Engineering subjects is available in six forms:

BEng (3 years), BEng with Industry (4 years), BEng with Year Abroad (4 years)
MEng (4 years), MEng with Industry (5 years), MEng with Year Abroad (5 years)
The MEng places greater emphasis on industrially-related project work, advanced technical content and leadership, and automatically meets the academic requirements for Chartered Engineer (CEng) status. The MEng shares its first three years with the corresponding BEng.

Modules

For more information on this course and a full list of modules, visit the course information page on our website.

Assessment methods

For more information on the methods of assessment on this course, visit the course information page on our website.

Tuition fees

Select where you currently live to see what you'll pay:

Channel Islands
£9,250
per year
England
£9,250
per year
Northern Ireland
£9,250
per year
Republic of Ireland
£9,250
per year
Scotland
£9,250
per year
Wales
£9,250
per year

The Uni


Course location:

University of Leicester

Department:

School of Engineering

Read full university profile

What students say


We've crunched the numbers to see if overall student satisfaction here is high, medium or low compared to students studying this subject(s) at other universities.

64%
Mechanical engineering

How do students rate their degree experience?

The stats below relate to the general subject area/s at this university, not this specific course. We show this where there isn’t enough data about the course, or where this is the most detailed info available to us.

Mechanical engineering

Teaching and learning

55%
Staff make the subject interesting
85%
Staff are good at explaining things
82%
Ideas and concepts are explored in-depth
67%
Opportunities to apply what I've learned

Assessment and feedback

Feedback on work has been timely
Feedback on work has been helpful
Staff are contactable when needed
Good advice available when making study choices

Resources and organisation

75%
Library resources
79%
IT resources
82%
Course specific equipment and facilities
55%
Course is well organised and has run smoothly

Student voice

Staff value students' opinions
Feel part of a community on my course

Who studies this subject and how do they get on?

85%
UK students
15%
International students
92%
Male students
8%
Female students
89%
2:1 or above
10%
First year drop out rate

Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)

B
C
C

After graduation


The stats in this section relate to the general subject area/s at this university – not this specific course. We show this where there isn't enough data about the course, or where this is the most detailed info available to us.

Mechanical engineering

What are graduates doing after six months?

This is what graduates told us they were doing (and earning), shortly after completing their course. We've crunched the numbers to show you if these immediate prospects are high, medium or low, compared to those studying this subject/s at other universities.

£25,000
med
Average annual salary
85%
low
Employed or in further education
71%
low
Employed in a role where degree was essential or beneficial

Top job areas of graduates

50%
Engineering professionals
10%
Science, engineering and production technicians
6%
Sales, marketing and related associate professionals

We're short of engineers in a lot of areas and mechanical engineering is no exception. Mechanical engineers are in demand across multiple industries, with vehicle manufacturing most popular, with roles especially common in design and manufacturing. Other important sectors include aerospace, the oil and gas industry, consultancy and defence. Jobs are all around the country, with London, the Midlands, Scotland and the South East the most likely places for a new mechanical engineer to find work at the moment, and starting salaries are good. Although large employers are much the most likely place to get work, some of the most challenging, cutting edge jobs are with small niche engineering firms, so keep your eyes peeled if you want something a little different. Bear in mind that a lot of courses are four years long, and lead to an MEng qualification — this is necessary if you want to become a Chartered Engineer.

What about your long term prospects?

Looking further ahead, below is a rough guide for what graduates went on to earn.

Mechanical engineering

The graph shows median earnings of graduates who achieved a degree in this subject area one, three and five years after graduating from here.

£24k

£24k

£31k

£31k

£38k

£38k

Note: this data only looks at employees (and not those who are self-employed or also studying) and covers a broad sample of graduates and the various paths they've taken, which might not always be a direct result of their degree.

Explore these similar courses...

Higher entry requirements
University of East Anglia UEA | Norwich
Mechanical Engineering
BEng (Hon) 3 Years Full-time 2024
UCAS Points: 128-153
Lower entry requirements
Glasgow Caledonian University | Glasgow
Mechanical Engineering
BEng (Hon) 4 Years Full-time 2024
UCAS Points: 88-102
Nearby University
Coventry University | Coventry
Mechanical Engineering
BEng (Hon) 3 Years Full-time 2024
UCAS Points: 120

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This is what the university has told Ucas about the course. Use it to get a quick idea about what makes it unique compared to similar courses, elsewhere.

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Course location and department:

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Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF):

We've received this information from the Department for Education, via Ucas. This is how the university as a whole has been rated for its quality of teaching: gold silver or bronze. Note, not all universities have taken part in the TEF.

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This information comes from the National Student Survey, an annual student survey of final-year students. You can use this to see how satisfied students studying this subject area at this university, are (not the individual course).

This is the percentage of final-year students at this university who were "definitely" or "mostly" satisfied with their course. We've analysed this figure against other universities so you can see whether this is high, medium or low.

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This information is from the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA), for undergraduate students only.

You can use this to get an idea of who you might share a lecture with and how they progressed in this subject, here. It's also worth comparing typical A-level subjects and grades students achieved with the current course entry requirements; similarities or differences here could indicate how flexible (or not) a university might be.

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Post-six month graduation stats:

This is from the Destinations of Leavers from Higher Education Survey, based on responses from graduates who studied the same subject area here.

It offers a snapshot of what grads went on to do six months later, what they were earning on average, and whether they felt their degree helped them obtain a 'graduate role'. We calculate a mean rating to indicate if this is high, medium or low compared to other universities.

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Graduate field commentary:

The Higher Education Careers Services Unit have provided some further context for all graduates in this subject area, including details that numbers alone might not show

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The Longitudinal Educational Outcomes dataset combines HRMC earnings data with student records from the Higher Education Statistics Agency.

While there are lots of factors at play when it comes to your future earnings, use this as a rough timeline of what graduates in this subject area were earning on average one, three and five years later. Can you see a steady increase in salary, or did grads need some experience under their belt before seeing a nice bump up in their pay packet?

Have a question about this info? Learn more here