Mechanical Engineering with an Industrial Placement Year BEng (Hons)

The University of Sheffield

This degree follows the same syllabus as the BEng Mechanical Engineering. Your learning is complemented with a year working in a mechanical engineering company, which will put your academic studies into context and improve your skills and employability.

The course gives you a solid grounding in mechanical engineering. It covers all the essentials, with an emphasis on modelling and design. You'll be introduced to the business and management context of engineering, and you'll also complete an individual project in an area that interests you.

In your first two years, you'll follow a core syllabus in the fundamentals of mechanical engineering, mathematics and management. Modules cover mathematics, applied dynamics, mechanics of fluids, mechanics of solids, applied thermodynamics, mechanical behaviour of materials, and electrical and electronic engineering.

Year three is your placement in industry. A year in industry is an excellent opportunity to build a work profile, learn more about your own career interests, and start your journey towards being a professionally recognised engineer.

You'll be responsible for finding your own placement but the departmental and faculty careers and employability teams will help you find the right position and get the most out of your experience. Salaries for placement students typically range between £11,000 and £21,000.

When you return to Sheffield for your final year, you'll carry out an extended individual project and build on your interests by choosing from a wide selection of engineering modules.

This is a practical course: our students learn by doing. You'll apply what you've learnt in the lecture theatre to engineering problems and experiments. You'll have the chance to manufacture and prototype your designs. You'll also develop the transferable skills employers look for, such as communication, project management and time management skills.

Depending on your performance during the degree, you may be able to switch between our degrees. For example, you may be able to switch to the BEng Mechanical Engineering at the end of your first year, or to one of our MEng courses at the end of your second year (depending on course requirements and availability).

All our students get involved in week-long projects that develop the skills you'll need as a successful engineer. There's the Global Engineering Challenge in your first year, where you'll find creative solutions to real-world problems with engineers of different disciplines, and Engineering You're Hired! during your second year.

This course is accredited by the Institution of Mechanical Engineers. The BEng meets, in part, the academic requirements for Chartered Engineer status. Students will need to complete some further learning to meet them in full.