Information about the undergraduate course in Engineering Science at the University of Oxford: Course Structure

Source: https://eng.ox.ac.uk/study/undergraduate/your-degree/course-structure

The MEng in Engineering Science lasts for four years. Take a look at what you'll be working on.

First Year

Core subjects

You’ll gain new viewpoints on the mathematical and physical basis of engineering that you studied at school. You’ll also encounter new topics, including structures, fluid mechanics and digital systems.

Teaching Styles

You will be taught through a mixture of lectures and practical lab work, working on projects in structural and mechanical engineering, electrical engineering and computing. With a given goal in mind, you’ll be expected to make your own design decisions, then build and test the finished product.

Second Year

Core subjects

Moving into your second year, you’ll continue to study the core subjects that provide a basis for modern engineering. In year two, these are Maths, Electronic and Information Engineering, Structures, Materials and Dynamics and Energy Systems.

These modules will include practical lab work, which focuses on Communications, Instrumentation and Control, Dynamics, Structures and Materials, Thermofluids, Heat Transfer and Electrical Machines.

You will gain an understanding of how your technical knowledge relates to engineering in the wider world. This includes: Technical Writing and Communication Skills; Engineering Ethics; Safety and Risk; Engineering, Sustainability and the Environment.

Practical modules

During the summer term, you’ll study four practical modules. These will include a design module in mechanical or electrical computer aided design, as well as two other modules of your choice.

In recent years, these have included:

• Fluid mechanics - These are key to engineering problems ranging from jet engines to tidal turbines. You’ll explore their role in a variety of different situations.
• Solar racer challenge – Working as part of a team, you’ll design, build, test and race robots which use solar energy to drive their custom-made motor systems and electronic controllers.
• Biomedical Engineering - The application of engineering principles and material technologies to healthcare.
• Industrial Problem-Solving – A chance to work with an external organisation to solve the real-world problems that they’re facing.

Third Year

Specialisation

As you enter your third year, you will begin to specialise into your chosen branch of engineering. You’ll have a choice of papers to write, supported by practical work. These might include:

• Solid Mechanics
• Equilibrium Thermodynamics
• Fluid Flow, Heat & Mass Transfer
• Materials
• Structures and Hydraulics
• Soil Mechanics
• Chemical Processes
• Electronic Devices
• Circuits and Communications
• Information Engineering Systems
• Control Systems
• Software Engineering
• Biomechanics
• Biomedical Modelling and Monitoring
• Fluid Mechanics

You will gain an understanding of how your technical knowledge relates to engineering in the wider world. This includes: Engineering Project Management, Financing Projects and Technology Strategy.

Third-Year Design Project

Your chance to really get to grips with the engineering design process. In teams of 4-5 students, you’ll write the sort of detailed design proposal that could be used as the basis for a new product or engineering project. Recent projects have included:

• Electric and Hybrid Formula Student Race Cars - A vehicle design project based around the Formula Student competition.
• Smart Homes for the Future - A design project which developed ways to provide older people with a safe and comfortable home environment, including energy, communications, and monitoring.
• Fuelling the Hydrogen Economy - A project focussing on small-scale production of hydrogen for transport, using non-Hydrogen fuels such as natural gas, landfill, oil, or biomass.
• Semi-Autonomous Wheelchair - A design project which developed a wheelchair providing assisted autonomy for patients suffering from action tremors caused by Parkinson's disease or multiple sclerosis.
• Marine Renewable Energy System - A project which developed renewable energy devices to extract energy from tidal flow.

You’ll be making economic and design decisions, choosing between conflicting priorities and allocating work amongst the group. This will take place in the project meetings which you'll arrange alongside your weekly classes with an academic.

Additional guidance and technical advice will be provided by visiting Professors of Engineering Design, drawn from their own industrial experience.

Read the full third year course syllabus

Fourth Year

Specialisation

Your fourth and final year will see you choose six specialist options from across engineering science. These change each year, but the current options are:

• Automotive engineering
• Aerothermal engineering
• Materials failure
• Materials modelling
• Advanced Structures
• Geotechnics
• Hydraulics
• Sustainable energy
• Environmental engineering
• Bioprocess engineering
• Chemical engineering
• Production engineering
• Optoelectronics
• Microelectronics
• Advanced Communications
• Power electronics
• Machine Vision and Robotics
• Machine Learning
• Robust and Distributed Control
• Nonlinear and Optimal Control
• Medical Imaging and Informatics
• Cellular Engineering and Therapy
• Probability, Systems and Perturbation Methods
• Mathematical Techniques
• Electrochemical Energy Technology
• Management Practice

Fourth-Year Project

You will carry out a self-led project in your fourth year. It usually involves original research or significant design and construction work, undertaken in close consultation with an academic supervisor.

Our departmental supervisors offer over 100 topics for you to choose from. You may also be able to work on an idea of your own (or one suggested by a sponsoring company), as long as you can find an academic willing to supervise it.

Recent fourth-year projects have included:

• Optimal duct design for marine turbines
• Analysing heart beating in MRI scans
• Miniaturised AUV Glider Design
• Syncing Sound and Vision
• Automatic Annotation of Greek Paintings
• Sealing Jet Engines

Read the full fourth year course syllabus

Downloads

[Handbook for First Years

Link](https://media.eng.ox.ac.uk/30bn3isc/prelims-handbook-2025-26-final.pdf)

[Handbook for Second, Third and Fourth Years

Download](/media/hpgmaxhp/fhs-handbook-2025-26-final.pdf)