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Design Engineering BEng

Gain the skills in the digital systems you'll need to launch your career.
Clearing is now open!
This course is available through Clearing

Apply now:

Code
H150
Start
October 2023
Duration
3 years full-time
Attendance
Full-time
Fees
£9,250 (UK) *
£15,100 (INT) *
Course leader
Quoc-Tuan Vien

This course is now available in Clearing.
To find out the latest entry requirements, give us a call 0208 411 6565 or Live chat.

The BEng Design Engineering programme offers core design capabilities, engineering design methods, project management techniques, prototypes for different stages of the engineering design process, evaluation and optimisation of design solutions and manufacturing processes.

The latest engineering systems opens opportunities along with challenges. This programme, with design engineering focus, comes up with practice-based learning approaches, problem solving and working methods for the design and implementation of such systems in practical projects.

What does our degree do?

The programme puts emphasis on the design aspect by developing and enhancing problem solving and design skills through a variety of practical projects and hands-on laboratory sessions.

The programme will prepare students with knowledge and skills needed for solving real-world technical engineering problems by providing a solid background of the design, implementation and maintenance of industry-used software and hardware component, as well as evaluation and optimisation techniques being used in practice.

Why study with us

  • The design engineering degree produces professional and competent Design Engineers capable of carrying out engineering projects, playing an active role in formulating, modelling and prototyping to meet the challenges and opportunities in both the industrial and commercial fields of the design engineering.
  • With specialised modules on design engineering, the course gives you knowledge, hands-on skills and project experience to put you at the forefront of the next generation of design engineers. You will get to grips with the latest digital systems and software being in use for design engineering.
  • We are uniquely linked with redLoop, Middlesex’s design and innovation centre, which each year gives a number of student interns the chance to develop their skills and professional competencies by working on live projects for real clients.
  • Guided by guest lecturers and industry professionals, you will receive support to start building your professional portfolio for your career success with a chance to secure a one-year long placement in industry.

Flexible programme design

  • Our suite of Design Engineering courses shares a common first year of study, which enable students to experience all aspects of engineering. Depending on your interests, you can then continue with the BEng Design Engineering degree or transfer to the BEng Mechatronics & Robotics degree.
  • Our weekly guest lectures give you the chance to enhance your industry knowledge and build contacts with some of the industry’s leading experts and companies. They will also give you the help, advice and feedback you need to start building your professional portfolio while you study.
  • Our London location gives you access to industry contacts, work experience opportunities and the chance to showcase your work at design engineering competitions. You will also have the option to get a feel of industry with a paid, year-long work placement.

Course highlights

  • You will be encouraged to enter prestigious design engineering competitions to enhance their experience and career prospects
  • Our dedicated facilities in the new Ritterman Building opened in Autumn 2016 is equipped with industry standard equipment in mechatronics, robotics, electronics and networking solutions.
  • All the essential software needed to study the course is provided, including STEP-7, NX, LabVIEW, MATLAB, SolidWorks etc.
  • A year-long work placement is available as part of the course.
  • You will extend your industry knowledge through our series of weekly guest lectures delivered by some of the UKs leading design experts and companies.
  • You can change your programme onto the BEng Mechatronics & Robotics pathway after your first year, if desired.
  • As a student of this course, you will receive a free electronic textbook for every module.

Professional accreditations

Our BEng Design Engineering along with BEng Mechatronics and BEng Robotics programmes are accredited by the Institution of Engineering Designers (IED). This means that these degrees fully meet the IED’s academic standards of Chartered Engineer (CEng), which enables a student to apply for CEng status after gaining suitable experience in an engineering role.


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What will you study on the BEng Design Engineering?

You will study scientific principles and related engineering disciplines to enable the modelling and analyse complex engineering systems.

The course brings in a more design engineering focus with concepts and principles of the design process. You will learn to model, simulate and develop new products and applications using the latest industrial design technologies and software along with analytical techniques and relevant engineering science.

What skills will you gain?

You will build the confidence to develop and implement modern technologies relevant to products and systems, learning to communicate ideas effectively. You will fully engage with the design process, create Computer-Aided Design (CAD) models and make physical models and prototypes.

The course provides a range of practical skills and knowledge required for design engineering, such as how to apply engineering design techniques to develop innovative systems, components or processes taking into account of a selection of commercial and industrial constraints and requirements.

Active participation in industry-sponsored live projects help you to gain leadership qualities, management skills and confidence in your work, both through individual and group projects.

Modules

  • Year 1

    • Design Engineering Projects 1 (30 credits) - Compulsory

      This module will develop your knowledge and understanding on a range of modelling and prototyping processes and techniques in order for you to successfully complete a number of projects. You will learn to use a range of tools to accomplish this and the projects will require you to develop and use a variety of problem solving skills and to utilise knowledge gained from other taught modules.

    • Fundamentals of Electronics (30 credits) - Compulsory

      The aim of this module is to develop students’ knowledge and understanding of the fundamentals of electronics. Students will develop a range of practical skills, attitudes and techniques required to construct electronic circuits successfully.

    • Programming Paradigms for Physical Computing (30 credits) - Compulsory

      The module aims to expose students to the fundamentals of computing and programming paradigms, and enable students to write computer programmes in response to a given brief which respond to software and physical devices and processes.

    • Engineering Mathematics and its Applications (30 credits) - Compulsory

      The module aims to provide students with the mathematical knowledge and tools to model and understand particular problems in engineering, and to interpret these results to provide information relevant to designs and decisions they will make as engineers.

  • Year 2

    • Engineering in Context (30 credits) - Compulsory

      This module aims to explore and demonstrate the role and responsibilities of engineers in various contexts outside their subject specialism. These would cover issues such as recognising obligations to society, the profession, the environment and commitment to professional standards. The module will also cover other wider issues such as globalisation (global manufacturing, operating in global markets, cultural issues, financial concerns, risk etc) and its impact on business operations.

    • Control Systems (30 credits) - Compulsory

      This module aims to provide you with the knowledge and understanding of control systems and explains the principles of feedback control. The module also develops your ability to analyse techniques for designing and modelling controllers to solve real world problems based on block diagrams and transfer functions, and to use such techniques in the context of engineering design.

    • Computer Aided Engineering (30 credits) - Compulsory

      This module aims to develop student’s skills and knowledge in Computer Aided Engineering by using industry standard computer software to simulate product performance to improve design or help solve related engineering problems in a wide range of applications. This will involve using computer-based analysis tools and techniques for design and manufacture of components and associated manufacturing processes and understanding of business values in Product Lifecyle Management.

    • Design Engineering Projects (30 credits) - Compulsory

      This module aims to provide the student with the knowledge and skills required to carry out engineering projects and will give them the opportunity to apply them, together with knowledge and skills from other modules, in practical projects.

  • Year 3

    • System Design, Validation and Optimisation (30 credits) - Compulsory

      This module aims to develop student’s skills and knowledge in Design of Systems, their validation and optimisation within the context of Design Engineering. This will involve understanding of systems approach to design and using appropriate tools and techniques to validate and optimise design solutions.

    • Engineering Innovation (30 credits) - Compulsory

      This module aims to equip the student with the skills required to understand the process of innovation in an engineering context and be able to appreciate the way it impacts the management of an engineering enterprise.

    • Major Project (60 credits) - Compulsory

      This module provides students with the opportunity to undertake a major piece of self-directed engineering design using the knowledge and skills learnt throughout the programme. Students are expected to provide a significant personal contribution to all phases of the engineering design and development process, appropriate to the goals of their programme.

More information about this course

See the course specification for more information:

Optional modules are usually available at levels 5 and 6, although optional modules are not offered on every course. Where optional modules are available, you will be asked to make your choice during the previous academic year. If we have insufficient numbers of students interested in an optional module, or there are staffing changes which affect the teaching, it may not be offered. If an optional module will not run, we will advise you after the module selection period when numbers are confirmed, or at the earliest time that the programme team make the decision not to run the module, and help you choose an alternative module.

  1. Overview
  2. Teaching and learning
  3. Assessment and feedback
  1. Standard entry requirements
  2. International
  3. How to apply
  1. UK
  2. International
  3. Additional costs

How can the BEng Design Engineering support your career?

This course opens the door to a variety of career options from generic engineering or associated automation industries such as robotics, mechatronics, etc. within the UK, as well as to Europe and the overseas market. We encourage you to develop a commercial approach to engineering via supported live projects with industrial partners. You could be working in a variety of sectors from manufacturing to agriculture, transport healthcare and defence to space exploration.

As a BEng Design Engineering graduate, you will have excellent career prospects; the range of potential employers will be vast across the private, public and not-for-profit sectors. Some of our graduates have gone on to work at Titan Motorsport, Ashridge Engineering, Tevva eTrucks, and so on, or have started their own business in engineering design and/or production and be a part of the automation boom. Some graduates also choose to continue onto further study where this degree will provide a strong foundation.

Below are just a few examples of the types of careers that you could pursue after graduating with us:

Design & Development Engineer A Design Engineer’s role includes researching and developing ideas for new products and systems, and improving those that already exist. Design Engineers work in a wide range of industries on a variety of products and services.

CAD Technician/Officer for BIM or PD
A Computer-Aided-Design (CAD) Technician/Officer uses software to develop design plans such as floor plans, buildings plans and exhibition layouts as part of the Building Information Management (BIM) system. CAD specialists may also work on product designs (PD) which are then sent to engineers to create prototypes.

Electrical Engineer
Electrical Engineers work on designing and developing electrical products and components. This can include electrical machinery, control systems and equipment in a number of industries from transport, to telecommunications, to the armed forces.

Mechanical Engineer
A Mechanical Engineer works on the design, development and maintenance of mechanical components, systems and machinery. A Mechanical Engineer can work in a range of industries where mechanical systems are used.

Work Placements

Work placements increase your success in the job market – as well as being a fantastic experience. You can further develop your interpersonal skills, build your confidence, and make contact with industry leaders. By making a good impression during your placement year, you greatly increase your chances of securing a job with the company after graduation. Research shows that 70% of placements result in a graduate job offer.

What support is available?

Our Employability Service can help you to develop your employability skills and get some valuable work experience. We provide workshops, events and one to one support with job hunting, CVs, covering letters, interviews and networking. We also support you in securing part-time work, placements, internships, and volunteering opportunities, and offer an enterprise support service for those looking to start their own business. Find out more here.

Dr Quoc-Tuan Vien
Programme leader

Quoc-Tuan joined the department in 2013 and is currently the programme leader of BEng Design Engineering/Mechatronics & Robotics programmes. He is actively involved in research areas related to signal processing, wireless communications and networking.

Dr Vaibhav Gandhi
Director of Programme

Dr Gandhi led the programme from 2016 until 2021. His research includes brain-computer interfaces, biomedical signal processing, use-centric graphical user interfaces, assistive robotics and Traffic prediction models to build an Intelligent Transport system.

Dr Aleksandar Zivanovic
Technical tutor

Dr Zivanovic joined the department in 2009 and led the programme until 2016. His main area of research is into how robots and humans can work together better by fostering an emotional bond between them. In particular, he believes that if robots exhibit more “natural” movement, it will enable human operators to predict their behaviour.

  • Eduardo-AbendThumbnail

    Eduardo Abend

    BEng in Design Engineering

    A great aspect of this course was the practical approach to learning, where the theory was put straight away into practice. I really enjoyed the process of transforming a concept into an actual object and the project-based nature of the course means that it is always diverse and fun.

    The facilities that we had access to were great. I often used the laser cutter, putting into practice the Solidworks (CAD software) skills that we learned. I find it very helpful in my projects, especially developing prototypes.


We’ll carefully manage any future changes to courses, or the support and other services available to you, if these are necessary because of things like changes to government health and safety advice, or any changes to the law.

Any decisions will be taken in line with both external advice and the University’s Regulations which include information on this.

Our priority will always be to maintain academic standards and quality so that your learning outcomes are not affected by any adjustments that we may have to make.

At all times we’ll aim to keep you well informed of how we may need to respond to changing circumstances, and about support that we’ll provide to you.

Other courses

Electronic Engineering BEng

Start: October 2023

Duration: 3 years full-time 4 years with placement

Code: H611

Robotics BEng

Start: October 2023

Duration: 3 years full-time

Code: H6R1

Mechatronics BEng

Start: September 2023

Duration: 3 years full-time

Code: H730

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