Typical projects
As part of their group and individual projects, students have investigated and built:
- Human powered aircraft
- Human powered submarines
- Formula student cars
- Multi-terrain wheelchairs
- Wind energy machines
- Third-world pumps.
“By far the most enjoyable part of the course so far has been the group work. It's a chance to apply all the theoretical knowledge you've picked up to a real-world problem and see how it all fits together.”
— Craig Wells,
MEng (Hons) Aerospace Engineering
Design exhibition
Our annual Design and Project Exhibition gives our students an opportunity to showcase their group and individual project work.
The event includes the Joseph Black Lecture, with speakers including James Dyson and Virgin Galactic’s Jonathan Firth.
Projects
Project and design work is a major part of all our degree programmes.
You will take part in individual and group projects using departmental studios, a well equipped model shop, laboratory teaching labs and state of the art research facilities.
All students undertake the following projects:
- Racing academy computer gaming project
- Spring propelled dragster design project
- Design and build project
- Engineering laboratory investigations
- Group business and design project
- Individual project.
Project and laboratory experiment structure
During the first two years you will learn about:
- Workshop practice
- Experimental methods
- Data analysis
- Prototype build of design projects
- Common engineering machines.
In year three you will put your knowledge into practice. The entire second semester is dedicated to an industrially sponsored group business and design project, which will develop your technical, design, teamwork, financial planning, management and marketing skills.
The second semester of year four is devoted to an individual project, allowing you to work on a specialist topic. Students can suggest subjects themselves, work on industry sponsored research associated with their placement or work with our research centres and postgraduate students on state of the art challenges in engineering.
Facilities
We have exceptionally well-equipped teaching and research laboratories. These include:
- 80 PC stations
- Design activity centre
- Undergraduate model shop
- Undergraduate teaching labs
- Formula Student lab
- Sub-sonic wind tunnel
- Water tunnel
- Engine test cells
- Rolling road dynamometer
- Multi-axis vibration rig
- Manufacturing laboratories.
Our labs are designed to be similar to industrial workspaces, offering you an insight into the way professionals work.
