BEng (Honours) Mechanical Engineering with Foundation Year

Program Overview

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BEng (Honours) Mechanical Engineering with Foundation Year

Course Summary

Gain state-of-the-art scientific knowledge, work experience, and professional skills in mechanical engineering, preparing you for diverse career roles that create future-facing solutions in the industry, with a foundation year to prepare you for the course.

How You Learn

This course is designed for you to gain experience as a professional engineer from day one, developing technical and professional skills from the very start. The multidisciplinary nature of mechanical engineering means you’ll work collaboratively with professionals from other engineering disciplines, further enhancing your versatility in the field.

You’ll engage in a variety of learning activities as you progress through the course. The balance of these activities changes at each level of study to encourage you to become increasingly independent learners, developing the ability to take the initiative, plan, organize, and complete programs of work – as an individual, a leader, and a member of a team.

You learn through:

• Diverse lectures emphasizing peer collaboration.
• Tutorials to practice and apply your knowledge ahead of assessments.
• Hands-on lab experience including computational modeling and simulation.
• Q&A and discussions for self-assessment and understanding.
• Support sessions for receiving feedback and preparing for assessments.
• Teamwork activities for collaboration in an innovative environment.
• Project-based learning to apply knowledge, creativity, design, critical analysis, and professional skills to real-world projects.

Course Topics

The course adopts an applied problem-based and research-informed approach, and is based on core subject areas. These include mechanical engineering design, solid mechanics, dynamics, thermofluids, engineering practice, materials, manufacturing, and engineering mathematics.

As you advance in the course, the modules will focus on applying mechanical engineering principles to real-world industrial challenges – emphasizing the strength of mechanical systems through design and advanced computational engineering tools.

Your final-year project is your chance to demonstrate independent learning and establish a foundation for your future career.

Course Support

Throughout the course, feedback is provided through various channels, enabling crucial reflection and action for your continued learning.

You’ll be supported in your learning journey towards highly skilled, graduate-level employment. This includes:

• Access to specialist support services to help with your personal, academic, and career development.
• Access to our Skills Centre with one-to-ones, webinars, and online resources, where you can get help with planning and structuring your assignments.
• The Engineering Café, a weekly drop-in session where you can ask questions and get advice from academics.
• A dedicated Maths and Stats Support drop-in session that runs twice a week.
• Support sessions where you receive advice and feedback.

Applied Learning

Work Placements

You’ll have the opportunity to arrange a year-long work placement in between your second and third years. This gives you valuable work experience to prepare you for your future career – and allows you to graduate with an Applied Professional Diploma to add to your CV.

While you’re on placement, you’ll develop and apply your skills – from mechanical design to manufacturing, the strength of mechanical components, and from the production to the backend design of mechanical systems.

Previous students have worked at organizations such as Rolls-Royce, Airbus UK, Bentley Motors, Lockheed Martin, BMW Manufacturing, and McLaren Racing Limited. Placement years involve an application process to secure your position, which your tutors and our Careers and Employability Team will support you with.

Live Projects

You’ll gain experience of live projects at every level of the course. Projects range from hands-on lab sessions run by external organizations to practical group projects where you’ll present your findings to our industrial partners.

Previous students have worked on real projects like designing a removable connecting system for poured concrete at Build-Lite UK, as well as evaluating the suitability of polystyrene for their materials recycling. They’ve also explored methods to catch and sort number plates using flowstore at Jepson & Co Ltd. And they’ve worked to solve a manufacturing challenge alongside process engineers at the McLaren Composite Technology Centre (MCTC).

Networking Opportunities

Throughout the course, there are numerous opportunities for you to engage with career management, career fairs, and workshops, employer presentations, visits, and professional advisers.

We also arrange on-campus guest lectures and seminars from local employers and relevant professional bodies – such as the Institute of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE) – plus world-class researchers in mechanical engineering science.

Field Trips

You’ll have chances to visit leading engineering companies and local museums, exploring real engineering settings and learning about their operations.

Competitions

We encourage you to get involved in the SHU Racing Team, where you can apply your skills and knowledge to build, test, and design race cars – as well as taking part in racing against other universities at Silverstone.

Modules

Year 1

Year 2

Year 3

Year 4

Final Year

Compulsory Modules

• Engineering And Mathematics In Practice
• Foundation Mathematics, Mechanics And Electronics 1
• Foundation Mathematics, Mechanics And Electronics 2
• Fundamentals Of Materials And Manufacturing
• Mechanical Engineering Design And C.A.D.
• Mechanical Engineering Practice
• Principles Of Dynamics And Thermodynamics, Manufacturing Processes And Mathematics
• Principles Of Mechanics Of Solids And Fluids, Engineering Materials And Mathematics

Elective Modules

• Study Abroad - Engineering And Built Environment

Optional Modules

• Placement Year

Compulsory Modules

• Further Engineering Science And Numerical Analysis
• Project: Implementation
• Project: Management And Scoping

Elective Modules

• Artificial Intelligence And The Internet Of Things
• Computer Aided Design And Computer Aided Manufacture
• Engineering Management And Entrepreneurship

Future Careers

This course prepares you for a career in:

• Mechanical design
• Mechanical system/structural analysis
• Energy/power
• Renewable energy systems
• Manufacturing and production
• Automotive industry
• Aerospace industry

Previous graduates of this course have gone on to work for:

• AgustaWestland
• Airbus UK
• Bentley Motors
• Bosch
• JCB
• Lockheed Martin
• Pirelli Tyres Ltd Carlisle
• Rolls-Royce

Equipment and Facilities

You’ll have access to a wide range of hardware and equipment, including:

• Computer-aided design (CAD) software such as SolidWorks to create accurate prototypes of product designs – plus analysis software such as Fluent, Abaqus, Ansys, and Matlab.
• Industry-standard software and tools
• Finite Element Analysis software
• Computational Fluid Dynamics software
• Engineering laboratories and state-of-the-art equipment
• Additive manufacturing (3D printing)
• Wind tunnels
• Laser scanning
• A flight simulator
• Rapid prototyping equipment
• A robotics and automation laboratory
• An automotive workshop for engine testing
• A structural integrity laboratory
• A materials testing laboratory
• Manufacturing workshops

Where Will I Study?

You study at City Campus through a structured mix of lectures, seminars, and practical sessions as well as access to digital and online resources to support your learning.

Entry Requirements

• All students
• Additional information for EU/International students

All Students

UCAS Points

• 80

This must include at least 32 points from one A level or equivalent BTEC qualifications. For example:

• CDD at A Level.
• MMP in BTEC Extended Diploma.
• Pass overall from a T level qualification with C from core
• A combination of qualifications, which may include a maximum of one AS level, EPQ, and general studies

You can find information on making sense of UCAS tariff points here and use the UCAS tariff calculator to work out your points.

GCSE

• English Language at grade C or 4
• Maths at grade C or 4
• Science at grade C or 4

GCSE Equivalents

• Level 2 Literacy or Functional Skills Level 2 English
• Level 2 Numeracy or Functional Skills Level 2 Maths

Access

• An Access to HE Diploma with at least 45 credits at level 3 and 15 credits at level 2. At least 15 level 3 credits must be at merit grade or above from a QAA-recognized Access to HE course, or an equivalent Access to HE certificate.

We may also accept you, if you have no formal qualifications but can show evidence of ability and a genuine commitment to studying the subject.

Some applicants may be invited to attend an informal interview with the course leader to ensure that the program is suitable for themselves and their aspirations.

UK students may be able to claim financial support for the course.

If English is not your first language, you will need an IELTS score of 6.0 with a minimum of 5.5 in all skills, or equivalent. If your English language skill is currently below IELTS 6.0 we recommend you consider a Sheffield Hallam University Pre-sessional English course which will enable you to achieve an equivalent English score.

Additional Information for EU/International Students

If you are an International or non-UK European student, you can find out more about the country-specific qualifications we accept on our international qualifications page.

For details of English language entry requirements (IELTS), please see the information for 'All students'.

Fees and Funding

• Home students
• International students

Home Students

Our tuition fee for UK students on full-time undergraduate degree courses in 2025/26 is £9,535 per year (capped at a maximum of 20% of this during your placement year). These fees are regulated by the UK government and therefore subject to change in future years.

If you are studying an undergraduate course, postgraduate pre-registration course, or postgraduate research course over more than one academic year then your tuition fees may increase in subsequent years in line with Government regulations or UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) published fees. More information can be found in our terms and conditions under student fees regulations.

International Students

Our tuition fee for International/EU students starting full-time study in 2025/26 is £17,155 per year (capped at a maximum of 20% of this during your placement year)

Financial Support for Home/EU Students

How tuition fees work, student loans, and other financial support available.

Learn more

Additional Course Costs

The links below allow you to view estimated general course additional costs, as well as costs associated with key activities on specific courses. These are estimates and are intended only as an indication of potential additional expenses. Actual costs can vary greatly depending on the choices you make during your course.

General course additional costs

Additional costs for School of Engineering and Built Environment (PDF, 142.7KB)

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Data for Mechanical Engineering (Full time) at Sheffield Hallam University

72% of students say teaching staff have supported their learning well.

Data for Mechanical Engineering (Full time) at Sheffield Hallam University

60% in work or doing further study 15 months after the course.

Data for Mechanical Engineering (Full time) at Sheffield Hallam University

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Legal Information

Any offer of a place to study is subject to your acceptance of the University’s Terms and Conditions and Student Regulations.