Mechanical Engineering BEng

Brunel's state-of-the-art teaching facilities include flight simulators and the Brunel Motorsport Centre. You can join our student racing team and compete in the annual Formula Student and Isle of Man TT competitions.

Mechanical engineering covers the design, development and manufacture of mechanical objects – from large-scale industrial machinery to trains, planes and automobiles to medical devices, mobile phones and millions of consumer goods. In fact, every product, technology or system has probably been touched by a mechanical engineer.   

The Brunel Mechanical Engineering BEng will give you the specialist knowledge and skills needed to get started on a lucrative career in this diverse and challenging profession.

You’ll get a solid grounding in the core principles of engineering science including solid body mechanics, thermodynamics and materials science as well as in the fundamentals of design and manufacturing.

You’ll also get training in related disciplines integral to mechanical engineering such as computing – used in modelling and predicting outcomes; electrical engineering – to gage how much energy is needed to run a machine and how it can be generated and controlled; and electronics - because parts in many machines are electronic as well as mechanical. And, as mechanical engineers not only design many exciting products but venture into managing projects and companies, you’ll study elements of management, ethics, finance and law.

Throughout your studies you’ll have use of our modern, state-of-the-art laboratory facilities and 24-hour access to industry standard engineering design software at dedicated computer clusters on campus, so you’ll have the opportunity and equipment to explore ideas and tackle problems.

At the end of each academic year, engineering and maths students are invited to showcase their project work at Brunel Engineers +, an event that both celebrates their achievements and gives them the chance to network with industry figures and employers. This video shows some of the projects exhibited at the 2024 Brunel Engineers + event, with explanations by the students themselves.

Our mechanical engineering BEng course is accredited by the Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE). (NB: we are seeking accreditation for the with-placement route). We offer two study options. You can choose three years full-time or four years full-time with a one-year work placement between years two and three that will give you the chance to apply what you’ve learned to real-life situations.

If you start on the full-time course, you can transfer to the professional development option at any time before the end of Level 2.

In a global economy where progress depends heavily on technological innovation, graduates with the knowledge and skills to design, develop and improve the machines and processes fuelling growth are in demand. Your Brunel BEng will give you that expertise and help open doors to a career in engineering.

You can explore our campus and facilities for yourself by taking our virtual tour.

The course is designed to give you an in-depth understanding of how mechanical objects work. You’ll study the scientific principles that govern how machines operate and the design and development processes involved in creating or improving mechanical devises.

Your mechanical engineering degree consists of compulsory modules and a major independent project.

This course can be studied undefined undefined, starting in undefined.

Please note that all modules are subject to change.

Read more about the structure of undergraduate degrees at Brunel.

If you opt for a placement course, you will have the added bonus of putting your academic study into practice and developing ideas about future careers. Some graduates are offered full-time graduate posts at the companies where they carried out their work placements.

Our graduates go on to work in exciting industrial, commercial and public sector areas including aviation, automotive design, building services, energy and environmental engineering, gas and water supply, oil production, mining and mineral processing, nuclear power, patent engineering, pharmaceutical engineering, banking, biomedical, the armed forces and the railways.

You will undertake assignments, project work, reports on laboratory practicals, oral presentations and short tests. There are written examinations in May of each year. In Level 3, all students undertake a major individual project. This is worth a third of the overall marks for the year. The final degree classification is calculated from a combination of Level 2 and Level 3 grades. Level 1 does not count towards your final degree, but you must pass the year in order to progress.

Read our guide on how to avoid plagiarism in your assessments at Brunel.