Program Overview

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Engineering

Overview

Engineering research is organised into six main areas which bring together the world-leading research activities of our Engineering academics and researchers. View our staff profiles for more info about our academics and their research.

Contact

Web: Enquire online
Phone: (UK)
+44 (0) (non-UK)

Degrees

• MPhil/PhD Engineering
• MSc by Research Engineering
• PhD Complex Living Systems
• PhD Natural Sciences

Duration

• Home: £5,006 full-time; £pro-rata part time
• International: £29,600 full-time

Start Date

September, January or April

Location

Streatham Campus

Study Modes

Full time and part time

Research Overview

Materials and Manufacturing

• Additive Manufacturing
• Multi-functional Materials
• Low-carbon Manufacturing and Sustainable Technologies
• Biomedical Engineering
• Manufacturing Systems, Supply Chains and Logistics

Civil and Structures

• Civil Engineering
• Biomechanics
• Computational Geomechanics

Dynamics and Control

• Vibration engineering
• Control systems

Nano Engineering Science and Technology

• Graphene and 2D materials and devices
• Metamaterials and metadevices
• Energy harvesting and storage
• Phase-change materials and devices
• Magnetics and spintronics
• Nanomaterials and nanocomposites

Renewable Energy

View the Renewable Energy PhD page for full information on research degrees in this area.

Water and Environment

The internationally-leading Centre for Water Systems provides vital research into water systems planning, design and operation.

How to Apply

You should have at least a 2:1 Honours degree in engineering or science or have an appropriate MSc qualification.

Requirements for International Students

If you are an international student, please visit our international equivalency pages to enable you to see if your existing academic qualifications meet our entry requirements.

English Language Requirements

International students need to show they have the required level of English language to study this course. The required test scores for this course fall under Profile A: view the required test scores and equivalencies from your country.

Fees and Funding

Tuition Fees per Year 2025/26

• Home: £5,006 full-time; £pro-rata part time
• International: £29,600 full-time

Current Funding Opportunities

Our Postgraduate Funding webpage provides links to further information. If you are considering a PhD in the future, in addition to University of Exeter funding, we have been successful at securing postgraduate funding for PhD research through our Funded centres.

Current Available Funding

Award	Value	Application Deadline	Description
2D materials-reinforced multifunctional coatings for built environments (PhD Engineering)	[UK] tuition fees and an annual tax-free stipend of at least £20,780 per year	Mon 30th Jun 2025	The University of Exeter’s Department of Engineering is offering a fully funded PhD studentship funded by the University of Exeter to commence in autumn 2025 or as soon as possible thereafter.
Computational and ML Modelling of Low Temperature Plasmas PhD (Co-Funded with Industry)	UK tuition fees plus an annual tax-free stipend of at least £19,237 for 3.5 years full-time, or pro rata for part-time study.	Mon 30th Jun 2025	UK tuition fees plus an annual tax-free stipend of at least £19,237 for 3.5 years full-time, or pro rata for part-time study.
Digital Twin for Climate Resilience Solutions	UK tuition fees and an annual tax-free stipend of at least £20,780 per year	Mon 30th Jun 2025	UK tuition fees and an annual tax-free stipend of at least £20,780 per year
Quantifying natural flood management through peatland restoration in the upland moorland environment, Physical Geography – PhD (Environment Agency and South West Water Funded).	UK tuition fees and an annual tax-free stipend of at least £20,776 per year	Mon 30th Jun 2025	The University’s Department of Geography invites applications for a PhD studentship funded by the Environment Agency and South West Water and the University of Exeter to commence on 22nd September 2025 or as soon as possible thereafter. For eligible students the studentship will cover Home or International tuition fees plus an annual tax-free stipend of at least £20,776 for 3.5 years full-time, or pro rata for part-time study. Students will be based at the CREWW building on Streatham Campus in Exeter.
Strategic Sizing and Location of Phase Shifting Transformers and their Coordinated Control, [Electrical and Electronic Engineering] – PhD (Funded)	. For eligible students the studentship will cover Home or International tuition fees plus an annual tax-free stipend of at least £19,237 for 3.5 years full-time, or pro rata for part-time study.	Mon 30th Jun 2025	The University of Exeter’s Department of Engineering is inviting applications for a PhD studentship fully-funded by the University of Exeter and National Grid to commence in September 2025 or as soon as possible thereafter. For eligible students the studentship will cover Home or International tuition fees plus an annual tax-free stipend of at least £19,237 for 3.5 years full-time, or pro rata for part-time study. The student would be based in the Centre for Smart Grid in the Faculty of Environment, Science and Economy at the Streatham Campus in Exeter.
3D printed ultrafast optical metamaterials – PhD studentship	UK tuition fees plus an annual tax-free stipend of at least £19,237 for 3.5 years full-time, or pro rata for part-time study.	Fri 4th Jul 2025	This PhD studentship will develop 3D-printed optical metamaterials to control ultrafast laser pulses on femtosecond timescales. Combining nanofabrication, electromagnetic simulation, and pump–probe laser measurements, the project will explore how 3D geometry, and different materials platforms, enable light manipulation for next-generation ultrafast applications in spectroscopy, sensing, and telecomms.
Optimisation of Power Management Circuit for Self-powered Systems[Engineering - PhD (Funded)]	For eligible students the studentship will cover Home or International tuition fees plus an annual tax-free stipend of at least £19,237 for 3.5 years full-time, or pro rata for part-time study	Mon 14th Jul 2025	The University of Exeter’s Department of Engineering is inviting applications for a PhD studentship fully funded by the department to commence on September 2025 or as soon as possible thereafter. For eligible students the studentship will cover Home or International tuition fees plus an annual tax-free stipend of at least £19,237 for 3.5 years full-time, or pro rata for part-time study. The student would be based in the Faculty of Environment, Science and Economy at the Streatham Campus in Exeter.
University of Exeter Alumni Scholarship 2025/26	20% reduction in the first year tuition fee	There is no application for this award. You will be automatically considered.	A tuition fee discount for University of Exeter alumni who start a postgraduate degree with us in 2025/26
University of Exeter Class of 2025 Progression Scholarship	20% reduction in the first year tuition fees	There is no application for this award. You will be automatically considered.	A tuition fee discount for current University of Exeter students completing a degree in 2025 and progressing directly to a standalone postgraduate programme with us in 2025/26

Supervision

You can expect:

• High-quality research supervision to develop and nurture your potential
• A tailored supervision approach to help best suit your requirements
• Accessible supervisors who are enthusiastic about working directly with postgraduate research students
• Regular timetabled meetings with your supervisor
• 'Open door' policy to all postgraduate students - instant access to world-leading researchers who will share their expertise and ideas with you
• Regular meetings with your supervisory team, other members of your research group, and mentors

You will only be able to apply for a PhD when you have received a letter from potential supervisors stating that they are willing to supervise your PhD thesis. You therefore need to initiate contact with faculty who are working on topics that you are interested in and present them with a proposal of no more than 2000 words.

Facilities

Engineering is housed in a purpose-built centre with comprehensive laboratories, workshops and computing facilities. There is an extensive range of equipment and facilities supporting the activities of postgraduates including

• an advanced manufacturing suite
• a class 10,000 clean room
• laser laboratories
• materials characterisation laboratories
• scanning electron and scanning probe microscopes
• DSP and microprocessor laboratories
• wind tunnels
• wave tanks
• geotechnical laboratories
• 3D visualisation suite
• 3D printer

Research students at Exeter are allocated a desk and computing facilities in newly refurbished offices and provided with a PC on arrival.

Careers

Career opportunities for engineers are almost limitless and engineers can be found working in the public sector, in health, construction, defence, communications, education, finance and manufacturing. Engineers have a reputation as being articulate, numerate, problem solvers, who claim great job satisfaction, a good salary and a huge range of career possibilities. Salaries are typically significantly higher for engineering graduates than the average for all other graduates.

Our students directly benefit from the hundreds of links with industry we have established through collaborative research and consultation. Student projects are usually industrially driven and often directly involve a company. This provides an opportunity for you to undertake commercially important projects at the forefront of technology, gain invaluable experience and enhance your employability.

There is a dedicated Careers Adviser who provides specific services such as careers workshops tailored to careers in Engineering and support in matters such as applications and job interview skills.

Below are some examples of initial jobs undertaken by Engineering postgraduates who studied with us in recent years.

Job Title	Organisation
Company Director	WSP Parsons Brinckerhoff
Water Engineer	Atkins
Civil Engineer	University of Oxford
Design Engineer	Water Engineer
Research and Development Engineer	University of Exeter
Marine Renewable Development Specialist	Babcock Marine
Data Scientist	Rolls Royce
Senior Project Engineer	ADvise Ltd
Regional Technical Manager	University of Sheffield
Senior Development Engineer	Manufacturing Technology Centre
Research and Development Engineer	K-water
Engineer	University of Gloucestershire
Stress Team Leader	Dunnhumby
Post Doc	Hydro International
Associate Lecturer and Placement Co-ordinator	Cornwall Development Company
Associate Research Fellow	Bodle Technologies Ltd
Senior Lecturer	Business Research Fellow
Postdoctoral Research Fellow	Research Evaluation & Communication Manager
Technical Manager for Renewable Energy	Lecturer in Cyber Security
Development Infrastructure Engineer