Engineering (Mechanical)

Program Overview

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Overview

Enter the exciting world of engineering, as you develop the skills to plan, design, and analyze engineering projects. Become a specialist in the field that fascinates you, and respond to new and changing technologies.

Start Dates

• September 2026
• September 2025

Degree Type

BEng

Course Length

3 years full-time

Location

Durham City

UCAS Code

H314

Course Details

This degree is designed to offer you the knowledge and skills necessary to join engineering teams on graduation. It is complementary to the four-year Durham MEng, and transfer is possible between the courses up to the end of the second year.

In the first two years, the BEng covers the same broad base of engineering education as the MEng degree. You then specialize into Mechanical Engineering in your third year. The course structure offers a huge amount of flexibility – you could join us on a mechanical engineering pathway but decide to pursue electrical engineering at the end of your second year. We believe in empowering our students to make informed decisions. The BEng prepares you for an exciting career in modern engineering, with the flexibility to respond to changing technologies.

There may be the opportunity to study at an overseas institution, or spend time in industry as an additional year between second and third year. A course highlight is the individual engineering project in the final year where you will work one-to-one with an academic expert on a technical engineering challenge.

Throughout your studies, you encounter a mixture of core theoretical engineering concepts, underpinning mathematics, practical engineering skills, engineering design, ethics, and professional issues. A combination of group and individual activities and assessments, working alongside both students and staff, will provide you with the opportunity to develop your interpersonal, teamworking, and leadership skills.

Course Structure

Year 1 Modules

• Core Modules:
  • Solid Mechanics and Structures
  • Electronic and Electrical Systems
  • Thermodynamics and Fluid Mechanics
  • Engineering Practice
  • Mathematics for Engineers and Scientists
• Optional Modules:
  • Introduction to Programming
  • Computational Thinking
  • Languages

Year 2 Modules

• Core Modules:
  • Engineering Mathematics
  • Thermodynamics and Fluid Mechanics
  • Solid Mechanics and Structures
  • Electrical Engineering
  • Electronics
  • Engineering Design

Year 3 Modules

• Core Modules:
  • Thermodynamics and Fluid Mechanics
  • Solid Mechanics
  • Materials
  • Electrical Engineering
  • BEng Engineering Project

Additional Pathways

Students can apply to be transferred onto either the with Year Abroad or with Placement pathway. Places on these pathways are in high demand and if you are chosen your studies will extend from three years to four or four to five depending on the course.

Accreditation

Our BEng engineering degrees are fully accredited by:

• The Institution of Civil Engineers (Civil Engineering discipline)
• The Institution of Structural Engineers (Civil Engineering discipline)
• The Chartered Institution of Highways and Transportation (Civil Engineering discipline)
• The Institute of Highway Engineers (Civil Engineering discipline)
• The Institution of Engineering and Technology
• The Institution of Mechanical Engineers

Our BEng programmes fulfill the educational requirements for Chartered Engineer status. A subsequent period of continuing professional development is required to achieve full status.

Learning

Lectures provide you with key information on a particular field of study and allow you to work through practical examples. Practical sessions give you direct experience of practical and interpretative skills through laboratory classes, design activities, and a Professional Engineering Applications Course (PEAC).

The balance of these activities changes over the course of the degree, as you develop your knowledge and independence.

Advancing through the years, tasks in practical sessions become more open-ended, moving towards greater emphasis on independent study and research skills, which is echoed through the Engineering Technical project that you will undertake in Year 3. This project will be supervised by a member of academic staff, and will result in a significant report on technological advances.

Assessment

During the first two years, most modules are assessed primarily by examinations. However, modules typically also include a coursework component, covering subjects such as CAD, programming, and engineering design.

The final year has more of a focus on assessment through coursework, including a technical dissertation project.

Entry Requirements

• A-Level Offer: A*AA including Mathematics and one of either Biology, Chemistry, Geology, or Physics.
• Contextual Offer: AAB including A in Mathematics and one of either Biology, Chemistry, Geology, or Physics.
• BTEC Level 3 National Extended Diploma/OCR Cambridge Technical Extended Diploma: D*DD and Mathematics at grade A at A-Level (or equivalent) are required.
• IB Diploma Score: 38 with 666 in higher-level subjects, including Mathematics and one STEM subject (Biology, Chemistry, or Physics).

Fees and Funding

The fees for this academic year have not been confirmed yet.

The tuition fees shown for home students are for one complete academic year of full-time study and are set according to the academic year of entry. Fees for subsequent years of your course may rise in line with an inflationary uplift as determined by the government.

The tuition fees shown for overseas and EU students are for one complete academic year of full-time study, are set according to the academic year of entry, and will be subject to an annual inflationary increase expected to rise throughout the program of study.

Career Opportunities

We have an outstanding reputation for employability. Our students have a dedicated careers contact who is available to offer advice and carry out mock interviews. Our Industrial Partnership Committee of around 20 local, national, and international companies will ensure you have access to the best employment opportunities.

With subject-specific skills, industry knowledge, and transferable skills, such as problem-solving, information technology, teamwork, presentation, project planning, and management, you will be attractive to employers across many sectors.

Our graduates are employed in many sectors across the world, including roles in civil, mechanical, electronic, electrical, manufacturing, design, aeronautics, and systems engineering, and as consultants, technology analysts, and software developers. Examples of high-profile employers include BP, Rolls-Royce, and BAE Systems.

Department Information

Engineering

Enter the exciting world of engineering and gain the skills you need to plan, design, and analyze engineering projects aligned to the needs of local, national, and global industry.

Engineering at Durham is designed to develop talented, modern engineers who are equipped with the skills to solve problems across traditional discipline boundaries – from offshore wind turbines to electro-mechanical devices manufactured on a microchip.

With an outstanding reputation for excellence in teaching, research, and employability, we are one of only a small number of general engineering departments in the UK. We offer a range of BEng and MEng qualifications with flexible pathways to suit your interests and career goals, including the possibility of a work placement or year abroad.

We consider Engineering as an integrated subject, so whichever degree you choose, you will study common General Engineering for the first two years. After this time, you will have developed enough knowledge to make an informed decision about your future, both in terms of your discipline and the length of your degree, with transfer possible between the courses up to the end of the second year.

All courses are accredited by the relevant professional institution. Our MEng programs fulfill the educational requirements for Chartered Engineer status.

From research-led study to project-based learning, our courses are designed to develop students who will take on the challenges of the twenty-first century.

Rankings

• 4th The Complete University Guide 2025
• 6th The Guardian University Guide 2025
• 6th The Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2025

Staff

For a current list of staff, please see our department web pages.

Facilities

We are located on the main campus at Lower Mountjoy, close to other departments, colleges, the Bill Bryson library, and the Teaching and Learning Centre.