BEng (Hons) Design Engineering Bachelor's degree at the University of Brighton
BEng (Hons) Design Engineering at University of Brighton. Design Engineering here focuses on machines that matter in everyday life, from the devices we rely on to the systems that keep things running.
About this course
Want to fix or develop the machines central to our everyday lives? A Design Engineering degree course at university could be your starting point From the provider’s course page.
BEng (Hons) Design Engineering is a Bachelor's degree (BEng (Hons)) at the University of Brighton, based in Moulsecoomb. It runs 3 years, studied full-time.
For Engineering graduates from this provider, 75% were in work or further study 15 months after graduating, 75% in highly skilled roles, typical earnings around £30,000. (HESA Graduate Outcomes / LEO, via Discover Uni.)
For the typical curriculum, specialisations, career paths and graduate earnings for Engineering, see the sections below.
Course evidence score
The arithmetic mean of the official measures available for this course: NSS satisfaction, graduate activity and continuation.
Published threshold met NSS publication requires sufficient responses; small differences are not a rank. NSS mean of 7 published themes (Discover Uni snapshot 2026-06-21)
Limited evidence Published sample: 10; treat comparisons cautiously. Cohort 2022-23. Graduate Outcomes work or further study 75% (2022-23; Discover Uni snapshot 2026-06-21)
Published threshold met Discover Uni suppresses continuation data below its publication threshold. Cohort 2022-23. Continuation 85% (2022-23; Discover Uni snapshot 2026-06-21)
Curriculum & modules
Real modules published for this course, grouped only where the source gives a year, stage or level.
Year 1 4 modules
- Design Practice: Creativity, Prototyping and CommunicationCore
Module details
Fundamental knowledge, skills and abilities needed for product design. Areas covered include 2D, 3D and digital skills; workshop facilities; making practices and prototyping; design for manufacture. Design methods, approaches and ways of thinking for how designers research, develop and communicate ideas.
- Design Engineering: FundamentalsCore
Module details
Fundamental mathematics, statistics and engineering sciences required to become a professional design engineer. Practical, hands-on activities using theoretical principles to solve design engineering problems. Topics triangulated using theoretical/mathematical calculations, experimental data and computational models.
- Design Technologies: Digital ManufacturingCore
Module details
Digital fabrication principles, methods and tools explored and applied practically through mini design exercises and a stretch exercise. Prototypes using CAD/CAM, 3D printing and scanning, electronics design and production, and wired and wireless communications. Examination of underlying theory.
- Design Practice: Inclusive DesignCore
Module details
Work with other students to create solutions to an everyday problem for a real person. Research, develop, test and propose viable human-centred design solutions using research methods, creative techniques, prototyping and testing. Enhancement of 2D, 3D and digital skills. Methods and approaches supporting effective group working.
Year 2 4 modules
- Design Technologies: Interactions and ExperiencesCore
Module details
Technologies enabling development, prototyping and functionality of interactive objects. Objects that behave intelligently, react to stimulus, connect to the internet and other devices. Practical and theoretical understanding of assessing design development technology in an ethical and responsible way.
- Design Practice: Design to MarketCore
Module details
Design and develop prototypes for affordable and useful products produced in batches using accessible materials and processes. Principles of design for manufacturing and assembly, sustainable design approaches, and calculation of production cost and selling price. Identification and communication of product benefits, features and functions.
- Design Practice: Responsible DesignCore
Module details
Exploration of regenerative design, design for the circular economy and disruptive design as approaches to address global challenges. Expansion of understanding of the design process to take on more systemic approaches. Identification of suitable design project themes and opportunities.
- Design Engineering: SystemsCore
Module details
Deeper, more challenging subjects required to become a professional engineer building on year 1 fundamentals. Mechanical and electrical topics through practical, hands-on activities using theoretical principles to solve design engineering problems. Theoretical/mathematical calculations against experimental data.
Final year 2 modules
- Design Engineering: SpecialistCore
Module details
Establishment of expertise in an engineering-related topic, theme or issue of interest. Examination in detail through independent investigation, experimentation, system development and problem-solving, bringing together all learning from previous years.
- Design Practice: Professional PracticesCore
Module details
Work on design briefs to develop as a design practitioner. Self-directed study and tutorial support to build specialist knowledge and skills relevant to design interests, values, principles and career ambitions. Development of abilities to combine research.
Source: provider course page. Modules can change; required/optional status, credits, descriptions and assessment are shown only when explicitly published.
Course in depth
What this course covers, who it suits and where it leads.
What you'll study
This course prepares you to design and develop machines used in everyday life. You'll usually start with engineering mathematics, mechanics, materials and hands-on CAD and workshop skills. In your second year, a course like this normally moves into discipline-specific work, such as thermodynamics and fluids, or circuits and systems, alongside simulation, programming and a group design project reviewed like an industry assignment. By year three, you'll choose specialisations such as mechanical, electrical and electronic, civil and structural, robotics and mechatronics, or energy and sustainability, whilst completing professional engineering practice modules covering safety, ethics and sustainability, and concluding with an individual design or research project as your degree's centrepiece.
Who it's for
You're interested in how things work and how they could work better. You're comfortable with maths and problem-solving, and you want to move from understanding engineering principles to actually building and improving products. You'll enjoy mixing theory with practical work, designing, testing, iterating, and you're ready for three years of full-time study that sits somewhere between pure science and applied creation. This course suits people who want a recognised degree with clear professional direction.
Careers & job market
Across engineering courses nationally, 90% of graduates are in work or further study within 15 months. Of those working, 80% are in highly skilled roles or continuing their education. Starting salaries sit between £29,000 and £35,000; after five years, graduates earn between £33,150 and £46,800. These are national figures from Graduate Outcomes and LEO data, not guarantees, your own path will depend on your choices, location and employer.
University & format
The BEng (Hons) Design Engineering is a full-time, three-year degree studied in English at the University of Brighton, located in Moulsecoomb. It is a recognised UK degree-awarding body with degrees that are nationally recognised. The course carries Silver for teaching quality in the Office for Students' TEF 2023. Most recent accepted students held A-levels or equivalent qualifications, with typical UCAS tariff scores of 80–95 points.
Student satisfaction
How students on this course answered the National Student Survey, by theme.
Share of students responding positively.
Published threshold met NSS publication requires sufficient responses; small differences are not a rank. NSS mean of 7 published themes (Discover Uni snapshot 2026-06-21)
Applicant information
The next application dates for this course, followed by facts the provider publishes.
- 2027 entryCompleted applications can be submitted
Your application needs a reference before you can send it.
- 2026 entryFinal date for 2026 applications
Applications must reach UCAS by 18:00 UK time.
- 2026 entryLast day to add a Clearing choice
Check that this course still has a vacancy before adding it.
- 2027 entryEqual-consideration deadline
18:00 UK time for most undergraduate courses.
Show 5 later dates
- 2027 entryUCAS Extra opens
Applicants who used all five choices and hold no offer may be able to add another choice.
- 2027 entryLast day applications go directly to providers
Applications received after 18:00 UK time are entered into Clearing.
- 2027 entryClearing opens
Eligible applicants can see vacancies and release themselves into Clearing.
- 2027 entryFinal date for 2027 applications
Applications must reach UCAS by 18:00 UK time.
- 2027 entryLast day to add a Clearing choice
Check that this course still has a vacancy before adding it.
Provider-published requirement; check the linked course page before applying.
The provider publishes contextual-offer information. Eligibility and any reduced offer are applicant-specific.
Placement year. Availability, selection and pay can vary.
Entry & how to get in
Who gets in
What recently admitted students actually held, official admissions data, not a stated requirement.
UCAS tariff of entrants
Grades are the A-level equivalent of each points band. Tap a band to check your own chances below.
Qualifications held on entry
| Qualification | Share |
|---|---|
| A-levels or equivalent | 100% |
Entry & your chances
An honest read from the official entry data, plus your personal match.
Accepted students came in with a broad spread of qualifications and UCAS points. If you're worried about grades, this course has historically taken a wide range, and contextual offers may apply.
Will you get in? Plot your grades
Pick your predicted A-levels and watch your UCAS points land on the real spread of students admitted to this course.
Each bar is the share of admitted students in that UCAS-points band (lower → higher). Grades show the A-level equivalent.
Based on the official admitted-student tariff distribution. Many universities make contextual (reduced-grade) offers, so a result below the range doesn’t rule you out.
How to apply
Undergraduate applications go through UCAS. Here’s what matters for this course, the right deadline, the grades to aim for, and the steps in order.
- 1Register on UCAS Hub
Create your UCAS application and add this course (code H150). One application covers up to five choices.
- 2Write your personal statement
A single statement covers all your choices, so keep it broad enough for similar courses while showing genuine interest in this subject.
- 3Submit by 13 January 2027, 18:00 UK time
UCAS equal-consideration deadline for most undergraduate courses. Source: UCAS 2027 dates.
- 4Reply to your offers
When decisions are in, pick a firm (first) choice and an insurance (back-up) choice with slightly lower grades.
- 5Results day & confirmation
On results day (mid-August) your place is confirmed if you meet the offer. Just missed? Talk to the university, or find a place through Clearing.
Fees & funding
What this course costs and how UK student finance covers it.
Tuition per year
Standard capped home fee at English providers (2026/27); Scotland, Wales & NI differ.
Check fees at University of Brighton →For students who normally live in England
2026/27 Student Finance England figures. Maintenance support is means-tested and this two-point view is not an entitlement calculator. The course total uses its published length and home fee where both are available; a missing full-time fee uses the clearly labelled England-cap scenario, while part-time fees and unknown lengths are never guessed. Use the official calculator. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland use separate systems: SAAS, Student Finance Wales, and Student Finance NI.
Starting on or after 1 January 2027?
The Lifelong Learning Entitlement is a separate system. A new learner’s tuition entitlement is currently stated as £39,160 (about 480 credits at 2026/27 fee levels), subject to prior study and eligibility. Check the official LLE guide.
Paying for it
- Tuition Fee Loan: can cover eligible tuition up to the applicable limit and is paid straight to the provider.
- Maintenance Loan: up to £10,830/yr away from home outside London (England, 2026/27), means-tested on household income.
- Repayment: 9% of income above £25,000, nothing below it; written off after 40 years.
- Earn alongside: most students work part-time in term, part-time roles on the StudySmarter job board.
England figures shown; Scotland, Wales & NI run their own schemes, check gov.uk.
Scholarships & bursaries you could qualify for
That does not mean no funding exists. Check the university directory for current amounts, eligibility and application dates.
We only display a named award when its provider source identifies the award and who it is for.
Still deciding what to study?
StudyKit brings course choice, applications and funding together in one place, with a personal AI assistant. Find what really fits you and start your UCAS application step by step.
Careers & earnings
What Engineering graduates actually earn, from real outcome data, 15 months, 3 years and 5 years after graduating.
Graduate earnings: this course
| When | Median | Typical range | Graduates |
|---|---|---|---|
| 15 months after | £30,000 | £28,000 – £34,500 | 10 |
| 3 years after | £31,000 | £24,000 – £36,000 | 210 |
| 5 years after | £38,500 | £30,000 – £46,500 | 215 |
Nominal earnings for graduates of this course/subject at this provider. Limited evidence. Published sample: 10; treat comparisons cautiously. Cohort 2022-23.
Graduate outcomes, 15 months on: this course
- 1Graduate roleFirst role after the degree · 0–2 yrs
- 2Specialist / PractitionerWorking in engineering · 2–5 yrs
- 3Senior / LeadLeading work and people · 5–10 yrs
- 4Head of / ExpertSenior leadership or deep expertise · 10+ yrs
How pay grows: this course vs Engineering nationally
National figures for Engineering graduates, HESA Graduate Outcomes (15 months) and the Longitudinal Education Outcomes (LEO) dataset (3 & 5 years). These are national, not university-specific; actual pay varies by employer, region, role and experience. Different cohorts, so the bars are not one group over time.
Work out your pay
Headline figures hide a lot. Calculate realistic take-home pay for this field by role, region and experience, then check your CV before you apply.
What happened to 100 students?
Choose an outcome to translate the published percentage into a simple 100-person view. Each dot represents one percentage point, not an individual tracked student.
were in work or further study
15 months after graduation
Source: Discover Uni, using Graduate Outcomes and continuation data. Cohorts: 2022-23. Limited evidence. Published sample: 10; treat comparisons cautiously. Cohort 2022-23. Each tab is a separate published measure; categories can overlap and should not be added together.
Value compared with similar courses
How this course’s 5-year median earnings compare with Engineering courses at the same study level.
Compared with 2,256 courses with compatible official earnings data. This is a course-value comparison, not a quality ranking.
UK occupations graduates enter
Published graduate destinations, joined conservatively to UK SOC 2020, ONS pay and Skills England demand.
- Engineering professionalsSOC 2020 212 · 35% of published destinations · ASHE median £50,325
- Science, engineering and technology associate professionalsSOC 2020 31 · 15% of published destinations · ASHE median £34,828
- Process, plant and machine operativesDiscover Uni category · 10% of published destinations
- Managers, directors and senior officialsSOC 2020 1 · 10% of published destinations · ASHE median £51,733
- Business and public service associate professionalsSOC 2020 35 · 10% of published destinations · ASHE median £38,760
Discover Uni JOBLIST/JOBTYPE; ONS ASHE 2025 provisional, all employee jobs; Skills England Occupations in Demand 2025. SOC is shown only for an exact normalised label match; demand is shown only at exact four-digit SOC. Published sample: 50; response rate: 60%. Pay describes the occupation across workers, not a guaranteed graduate salary.
Job market & outlook
How Engineering graduates fare in the labour market, and how AI is reshaping the work.
How AI is changing the work
AI doesn't replace the profession, it shifts it: routine tasks get automated, while judgement, working with people and using AI well become more valuable.
What AI takes off your plate
- Routine information gathering
- First-draft writing and summaries
- Standard analysis and admin
- Repetitive processing tasks
More human than ever
- Judgement and original thinking
- Working with and leading people
- Owning and sense-checking AI output
- Ethics and accountability
The strongest graduates pair subject depth with the ability to use AI tools critically.
Roles & employers
Where Engineering graduates typically go, indicative destinations from graduate career data. Each role links to live openings on the StudySmarter job board.
Roles graduates go into
Where they work
- Engineering & manufacturing firms
- Automotive & aerospace
- Energy & utilities
- Defence & consultancies
Jobs after this course
Current roles from the StudySmarter job board that suit Engineering graduates.
Engineering Surveyor (Machine Control)BAM UK & IrelandEngineering Operations Project ManagerFdo Consulting LimitedEngineering ManagerVerto PeopleEngineering ManagerRobert WaltersEngineering ManagerPremier Technical RecruitmentEngineering ManagerRedline Group LtdIs this course right for you?
The essentials UK applicants ask about: finance, outcomes, entry and quality.
Student finance
For comparison, the standard full-time England tuition cap is up to £9,790 per year in 2026/27; the actual fee varies by course and provider. If you normally live in England, eligible students can apply for a Tuition Fee Loan, plus a Maintenance Loan for living costs. Under Plan 5 you repay 9% of income above £25,000, nothing below that, and the balance is written off after 40 years.
Where graduates go
75% were in work or further study 15 months after graduating, with a median salary of £30,000. See the full breakdown in Careers & earnings above.
Your entry chances
Use the UCAS points calculator above to see how your predicted grades compare with admitted students, and whether a contextual offer could apply.
Official-data snapshot
Averaging the official measures published for it, this course scores 8.0 out of 10: NSS 79.7% · in work or study 75% · continued 85%.
Who studies here and in this subject?
Provider- and UK subject-level context.
The University of Brighton
Engineering and technology across the UK
HESA student record 2024/25. Counts are rounded.
Local crime-data context
A neutral snapshot around the published teaching location.
Around Moulsecoomb
1,006 street-level reports returned within roughly one mile across 2026-04 to 2026-06.
Police.uk street-level API. Approximate locations, not confined to campus. England, Wales and Northern Ireland; not Scotland.
Is Engineering right for you?
Tick what applies to you and see how good a fit it is.
International students
What applying to University of Brighton from outside the UK involves: fees, English, visa, funding and living costs.
Tuition fees
International tuition is set per course by University of Brighton; international fees are typically £12,000–£30,000/year for classroom subjects and higher for lab/clinical ones. You’re not eligible for UK Tuition Fee or Maintenance Loans, so plan for fees plus living costs upfront.
English language
This course lists IELTS 6.0 overall with a minimum of 5.5 in each element. If you’re just short, most universities run a pre-sessional English course that counts towards the requirement.
Student visa
You’ll usually need a Student visa (Student Route). After you accept an offer the university issues a CAS; you then show funds for fees plus about £1,023–£1,334/month living costs and pay the Immigration Health Surcharge for NHS access.
Scholarships & funding
Many universities offer international/global scholarships (often £2,000–£6,000/yr), check University of Brighton’s funding pages.
Living costs
Budget roughly £1,100–£1,400/month outside London and £1,400–£1,800/month in London for rent, food and travel; the figure also matters for your visa.
Working while you study
A Student visa usually allows up to 20 hours/week in term time and full-time in holidays, useful alongside study, though not something to rely on for fees.
Visa rules and fees change. Always confirm the current requirements with University of Brighton and gov.uk before you apply.
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Common questions
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