General Engineering

What courses? Engineering and its many different specialisms, including: civil; chemical; mechanic; automotive; aerospace; software; electronic; design; motorsport.

What do you come out with? BEng or MEng. In some cases, a BSc.

Why do it? "Engineering is about using science to solve problems – how to build a better bridge, make a product in a less environmentally damaging way, or deliver clean water to a rural community. If you would like to combine the excitement of science with the satisfaction of making an impact on people’s lives, an engineering degree is for you. Engineering is also a way of thinking analytically about challenges that can be applied to a wide range of careers, in business, law, and policy making, for example." - Professor Nigel Seaton, senior deputy vice-chancellor at the University of Surrey

What's it all about? The art of using scientific, mathematical, economic, social and practicaily know-how to design and build just about anything. Due to engineering’s application in every area of our everyday lives, it’s no surprise that there are myriad of specialisms, from medical to aerospace engineering, Some universities offer you the possibility to specialize from scratch, with a specific branch of engineering, but all courses include a first broad and more basic year. Depending on the course, you become more specialized from the second year onwards and strengthen the skills acquired in the first or during the foundation year and gear them towards your chosen area of study. Assessments focus on written papers and reports, practical works and group projects.

Study options: Three years for a BEng or four for an MEng, which you’ll need if you want to become an accredited chartered engineer, and which tends to be the most popular option. In Scotland, both courses take a year longer. Oxford allows students to extend the course to five years with a year in Europe and/or industry. Most of institutions offer the option of a sandwich year where students spend a year working in the field.

What will I need to do it? Maths and physics are pretty essential, and many institutions will encourage a third science too. Unsurprisingly, Oxford and Cambridge both ask for A*AA.

What are my job prospects? The BEng course is designed for those students who don’t particularly want to become chartered engineers. If you specialise in a particular area (e.g. mechanical) you’ve got a higher chance of scoring a better job in that field, although it could be said to limit the breadth of positions available to you. Those who don’t specialise generally enter careers in commerce, teaching, the civil service and journalism where an engineering education is a useful preparation. Some students move on to study a MEng in a specialist area. According to The Times' Good University Guide 2012, 47 per cent of general engineers end up in a graduate-level job within six months of graduating, with an average starting salary of £24,937.

Where is best to do it? Oxford leads the rankings in general engineering in the Complete University Guide 2012, followed by Cambridge, Surrey, Nottingham and Cardiff. Cambridge, UCL and Southampton are the top three for electrical & electronic engineering, while Cambridge, Imperial and Bristol offer the best in terms of civil engineering. Surrey, Glasgow, Bath and Greenwich have the most satisfied students in mechanical and civil engineering, while students of general engineering indicated Surrey, Robert Gordon and Cambridge as the best.

Related courses: Mathematics; physics; chemistry; architecture; economics.