BEng in General Engineering

The Bachelor of Engineering degree in Durham is a high-quality three-year degree course designed to offer you the knowledge and skills necessary to join engineering teams. It is complementary to the four-year Durham MEng, and transfer is possible after the first or second year. In the first two years, the course covers a broad base of engineering education, together with a range of practical and project work. In the third year, you choose to specialize in civil, electronic or mechanical engineering. The three-year course prepares you for an exciting career in modern engineering, with the flexibility to respond to changing technologies.

Year 1

You study four modules of engineering, one of mathematics and one optional module. In your engineering courses, you will receive instruction in the use of 3D CAD software (e.g. SolidWorks) using our computer lab, be taught how to program a computer and take part in a number of practical labs. You will also take part in a group design activity where you have to design, build and test a device. Recent examples include a spring-powered dragster and a miniature hydro-electric plant. On the course, you also attend lectures, problem classes and supervisions with academic staff.

The compulsory modules consist of:

• Applied Mechanics I
• Electromagnetism
• Thermodynamics & Fluid Mechanics I
• Electronic Measurement
• Mathematics for Engineers and Scientists

And one free elective.

The optional (free elective) module may be selected from anything that will fit the timetable and for which you meet the necessary prerequisites. Popular choices have previously included ‘Introduction to Programming’, ‘Computational Thinking’ and a range of different language modules but some students have done courses in History or Poetry.

Year 2

You continue with a broad range of engineering courses (with some selection) and mathematics, and you build on your design skills and experience through a major design activity.

Compulsory modules for the BEng are:

• Engineering Mathematics 2
• Thermodynamics and Fluid Mechanics 2
• Mechanics 2
• Electrical Engineering 2
• Electronics 2
• Engineering Design 2.

Year 3

You now specialize in Civil, Electronic or Mechanical Engineering routes, with appropriate technical lecture courses (four modules) plus an individual technical project (two modules). For your project, you will work closely with a project supervisor and will be responsible for the planning, design, and manufacture of equipment, experimentation, analysis, and reporting of your results. Civil students work on identical design exercises to students on the MEng.

The module lists for each route are given below:

Electronic Engineering Route

Compulsory modules of:

• BEng Engineering Project
• Electrical Engineering 3
• Electronics and Communications 3
• Control and Signal Processing 3
• Advanced Computer Systems and Digital Electronics 3.

Mechanical Engineering Route

Compulsory modules of:

• BEng Engineering Project
• Materials 3
• Applied Mechanics 3
• Thermofluids and Fluid Mechanics 3
• Electrical Engineering 3.

Civil Engineering Route

Compulsory modules of:

• BEng Engineering Project
• Geotechnics 3
• Structures and Geomatics 3
• Environmental Engineering 3
• Civil Design 3