Get degree ideas using our A level explorer tool

Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering

Entry requirements


A level

B,B,C-B,C,C

104-112 points from 2 or 3 A levels, to include a relevant subject.

106-112 Tariff points from the Access to HE Diploma in a relevant subject.

Cambridge Pre-U score of 50-54, to include a relevant subject.

GCSE/National 4/National 5

GCSE English and Combined Science/Physics at grade C, or equivalent/GCSE English and Combined Science/Physics at grade 4, or equivalent.

International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme

28-29

28 points from the IB Diploma. 654 at Higher Level, to include a Higher Level in a relevant subject. - 29 points from the IB Diploma. 655/754 at Higher Level, to include a Higher Level in a relevant subject.

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

H3,H3,H3,H4,H4-H3,H3,H3,H3,H4


To include a Higher Level in a relevant subject.

Acceptable when combined with other qualifications.

Acceptable when combined with other qualifications.

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

DMM

Must be in a relevant subject.

104-112 Tariff points to include a relevant subject.

T Level

M

Acceptable T Level Subjects: T Level in Construction: Design, Surveying and Planning, T Level in Building Services Engineering, T Level in Engineering and Manufacturing Design and Development, T Level in Maintenance, Installation and Repair for Engineering and Manufacturing, T Level in Engineering, Manufacturing, Processing and Control

UCAS Tariff

104-112

104-112 points from 2 or 3 A levels, or equivalent, to include a relevant subject.

104-112 points from the Advanced Welsh Baccalaureate including 2 A levels one of which must be a relevant subject, plus the Advanced Skills Challenge Certificate.

About this course


This course has alternative study modes. Contact the university to find out how the information below might vary.

Course option

3years

Full-time | 2024

Other options

4 years | Sandwich | 2024

Subjects

Mechanical engineering

Manufacturing engineering

**This is a Connected Degree**

Portsmouth is the only University in the UK with the flexibility to choose when to do an optional paid placement or self-employed year. Either take a placement in your third year, or finish your studies first and complete a placement in your fourth year. You can decide if and when to take a placement after you've started your course.

**Overview**

Create new products, or improve existing ones, that could change people's lives and transform the way businesses operate. Be at the forefront of designing and building products that are smarter, faster, more efficient and more sustainable for industries including healthcare, defence, transport and even aerospace.

On this BEng (Hons) Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering degree , you’ll learn the underlying elements of successful engineering science, manufacturing and design. You'll study solid mechanics and dynamics, and electrical and electronic principles, and specialise in more advanced subjects such as engineering programming and sustainable development.
You'll put everything you learn to practice using our industry-standard facilities, making sure you graduate with the skills you need to succeed in your career.

**Course highlights**

- Specialise in advanced subjects such as computer-aided design (CAD) engineering, sustainable product development and design for quality

- Put your skills to the test by building your own products in our manufacturing workshops

- Have to option to expand your learning and meet potential employers by completing your final-year project in industry

**Accreditation**

This course is accredited by the Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE) and the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET). After the course, you'll be eligible to apply for Incorporated Engineer (IEng) status and progress to Chartered Engineer status (CEng) with further study and experience.

**Careers and opportunities**

With experience, you can expect to get a salary from £25,000 to £35,000 as a mechanical engineer and up to £40,000 as a manufacturing engineer. But you could also apply your skills to any number of roles in industries such as aerospace, oil refinery, machinery manufacture and plastics. All engineering roles are listed in the UK Government’s 'skills shortage list' – which means engineers are currently in high demand.

Graduating with a degree in mechanical and manufacturing engineering gives you all the skills to work in areas such as:

- product design

- manufacturing and installation

- project management

- research development

Graduate destinations

Our graduates have worked for companies such as:

- McLaren Formula One

- Royal Navy

- Cobra Engineering

What jobs can you do with a mechanical and manufacturing degree?

Roles you could go onto include:

- engineering officer

- automotive mechanical engineer

- design engineering

Other graduates have continued their studies at postgraduate level or set up successful businesses with help and support from the University.

After you leave the University, you can get help, advice and support for up to 5 years from our Careers and Employability service as you advance in your career.

"I enjoyed my course, particularly the project based learning, which allowed practical work to be carried out alongside the theory." Sophie Washington, Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering Student

Modules

Year 1

Core modules in this year include:
- Electrical and Electronic Principles – 20 credits
- Introduction to Design – 20 credits
- Introduction to Materials and Manufacture – 20 credits
- Introduction to Solid Mechanics and Dynamics – 20 credits
- Introduction to Thermodynamics and Fluid Mechanics – 20 credits
- Mathematical Principles – 20 credits

Year 2

Core modules in this year include:
- Computer Aided Engineering and Product Manufacture – 20 credits
- Engineering Design – 20 credits
- Solid Mechanics and Dynamics – 20 credits
- Thermodynamics and Fluid Mechanics – 20 credits

Optional modules in this year currently include:
- Robotics and Automation – 20 credits
- Engineering Programming – 20 credits
- Materials and Manufacture – 20 credits
- Engineering Mathematics and Numerical Analysis - 20 credits
- Modern Foreign Language (Institution-wide Language Programme) – 20 credits

Placement year (optional)

After your second year, you can do an optional work placement year to get valuable longer-term work experience in the industry. Previous students have been on placements to companies such as: Rolls-Royce Motor Cars, Renishaw, Eaton.

In your placement year, you can also set up a business on your own or in a group. We’ll help you secure a work placement that fits your aspirations. You’ll get mentoring and support throughout the year.

Year 3

Core modules in this year include:
- BEng Individual Project – 40 credits
- Computer Aided Engineering (Product Realisation) – 20 credits
- Design for Quality – 20 credits
- Manufacturing Systems – 20 credits
- Sustainable Development and Environmental Management – 20 credits

We use the best and most current research and professional practice alongside feedback from our students to make sure course content is relevant to your future career or further studies.

Therefore, some course content may change over time to reflect changes in the discipline or industry and some optional modules may not run every year. If a module doesn’t run, we’ll let you know as soon as possible and help you choose an alternative module.

Assessment methods

You’ll be assessed through:

- examinations
- written coursework
- multiple-choice tests
- presentations
- mini projects
- a major piece of supervised independent work

You’ll be able to test your skills and knowledge informally before you do assessments that count towards your final mark.

You can get feedback on all practice and formal assessments so you can improve in the future.

The way you’re assessed may depend on the modules you select. As a guide, students on this course last year were typically assessed as follows:

- Year 1 students: 84% by written exams and 16% by coursework
- Year 2 students: 56% by written exams, 13% by practical exams and 31% by coursework
- Year 3 students: 40% by written exams and 60% by coursework

Tuition fees

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

Channel Islands
£9,250
per year
England
£9,250
per year
EU
£9,250
per year
International
£19,200
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 Portsmouth

Department:

Faculty of Technology

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.

75%
Mechanical engineering
79%
Manufacturing 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

67%
Staff make the subject interesting
84%
Staff are good at explaining things
75%
Ideas and concepts are explored in-depth
66%
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
83%
IT resources
77%
Course specific equipment and facilities
64%
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?

82%
UK students
18%
International students
89%
Male students
11%
Female students
58%
2:1 or above
10%
First year drop out rate

Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)

C
D
D

Production and manufacturing engineering

Teaching and learning

80%
Staff make the subject interesting
78%
Staff are good at explaining things
73%
Ideas and concepts are explored in-depth
78%
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

64%
Library resources
78%
IT resources
65%
Course specific equipment and facilities
63%
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?

95%
UK students
5%
International students
94%
Male students
6%
Female students
92%
2:1 or above
4%
First year drop out rate

Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)

D
E
B

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
99%
high
Employed or in further education
89%
high
Employed in a role where degree was essential or beneficial

Top job areas of graduates

68%
Engineering professionals
5%
Business, research and administrative professionals
3%
Science, engineering and production technicians

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.

Production and manufacturing 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.

£21,000
low
Average annual salary
97%
med
Employed or in further education
76%
med
Employed in a role where degree was essential or beneficial

Top job areas of graduates

22%
Engineering professionals
20%
Design occupations
12%
Draughtspersons and related architectural technicians

Graduates are in significant demand, so unemployment rates are well below the national graduate average and starting salaries are well above average. Much the most common industries for these graduates are now vehicle manufacture - there are not enough people with these degrees to go round and so the big employers tend to take the lion's share at the moment. But pretty much anywhere there is manufacturing, there are production engineers. 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.

£27k

£27k

£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.

Production and manufacturing 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.

£27k

£27k

£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.

Share this page

This is what the university has told Ucas about the criteria they expect applicants to satisfy; some may be compulsory, others may be preferable.

Have a question about this info? Learn more here

This is the percentage of applicants to this course who received an offer last year, through Ucas.

Have a question about this info? Learn more here

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.

Have a question about this info? Learn more here

Course location and department:

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.

Have a question about this info? Learn more here

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.

Have a question about this info? Learn more here

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.

Have a question about this info? Learn more here

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.

Have a question about this info? Learn more here

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.

Have a question about this info? Learn more here

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

Have a question about this info? Learn more here

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