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Mechanical Engineering with Foundation Year

Course details
  • BEng (Hon)
  • 4 Years
  • Full-time
  • 09/2026
  • Undergraduate
Course location
Main Site

Course summary

Develop the skills all modern mechanical engineers need on this mechanical engineering degree. A city of technology that’s home to Rolls-Royce, Bombardier and Toyota: Derby is the perfect choice.

Our foundation year offers the chance to strengthen your skills, knowledge and confidence – with extensive support from our expert staff – before you advance to stage one of your honours degree. It could also be beneficial if you are planning a career change and want to get to grips with aspects of subjects which are new to you.

KEY FEATURES OF THIS COURSE

  • EMPLOYER LINKS: You'll benefit from our close links with world-famous companies likes Rolls-Royce, Alstom and Toyota.

  • ACCREDITATION: Our BEng (Hons) Mechanical Engineering degree is professionally accredited by the Institution of Mechanical Engineers on behalf of the Engineering Council – this recognition means you can be sure our courses meet professional standards

  • FACILITIES: You'll have access to excellent labs and facilities whilst studying this degree. Spaces include our Additive Manufacturing Lab with various 3D printed technology, Wind tunnel and Thermodynamics area that includes a jet engine and test engine, and our Mechanical Workshop with both traditional lathes and milling machines, alongside more modern CNC equipment

  • EXTRA-CURRICULAR ACTIVITIES: Challenge yourself on one of the many competitions we take part in. In the British Model Flying Association Payload Challenge, you will design, build, test and compete a radio-controlled aircraft against other national and international teams

  • PLACEMENT YEAR: Gain valuable experience in industry by taking an optional placement year between years two and three.

  • FLEXIBILITY: Not sure on the type of engineering you want to study? Spend the foundation year and year one of the degree covering all aspects of engineering and gain the multi-disciplinary skills and knowledge that employers are looking for. In year two, you have the option to switch your degree to either BEng (Hons) Electrical and Electronic Engineering or BEng (Hons) Motorsport Engineering or continue studying on BEng (Hons) Mechanical Engineering

WHAT YOU'LL COVER
You'll gain the essential foundation of engineering in your first year before studying the areas of thermodynamics, engineering design, automation, and computational mechanics in your second and third year.

HOW YOU WILL LEARN
There’s a mixture of lectures, research projects, seminars and workshops as well as industrial visits and guest lectures from the Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE).

YOUR CAREER
This degree prepares you for careers in mechanical engineering design, motorsport or automotive design and in applications of advanced materials. You can also progress to our MSc which meets all the academic requirements for Chartered Engineer status.

STUDY OPTIONS:
This course is also available without a Placement Year option.

How to apply

Apply by
14 January

This is the deadline for applications to be completed and sent for this course. If the university or college still has places available you can apply after this date, but your application is not guaranteed to be considered.

Application codes

Course code:
H301
Institution code:
D39
Campus name:
Main Site
Campus Code:
-

Points of entry

The following entry points are available for this course:

  • Foundation

Open days

Entry requirements

UCAS Tariff

72 points
We encourage you to outline all your qualifications and achievements in your application to provide us a full picture. Your offer will typically be based on your predicted and/or achieved grades from full level 3 qualifications or above e.g. A levels, BTEC Ext Diploma, Access to HE, etc. Any subject specifics are outlined below in the Further Information section, and these specifics are applicable across all equivalent qualifications. A strong application/performance and appropriate experience will be taken into account where typical criteria is not met.

A level

DDD

Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Extended Diploma (first teaching from September 2016)

MMP

Access to HE Diploma

D: 0 credits M: 30 credits P: 15 credits

GCSE/National 4/National 5

GCSE Maths and English Grade 4/Grade C (or above) or equivalent qualification

T Level

P

English language requirements

IELTS overall score at a minimum of 6.0; with at least IELTS 5.5 in each band (Reading, Listening, Speaking, Writing) or another Secure English Language Test(SELT)at CEFR level B2 or above

Contextual admissions

Universities and colleges consider more than grades when assessing applications and may make offers based on a range of criteria. Learn more about contextual offers.

We have excluded the Grades on Entry data for this course. We may operate some flexibility with entry grades to support widening participation, though most of the students that enrol on this course achieve the published entry tariff or above. Applicants who achieve grades below the published tariff may be offered an alternative course or a 4-year route if there is one available. For further information please contact askadmissions@derby.ac.uk.

Historical entry grades data BETA

This section shows the range of grades students (with UK A-Levels or Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Extended Diplomas) who received offers were previously accepted with (learn more). It is designed to support your research but does not guarantee whether you will or won't get a place. Admissions teams consider various factors, including interviews, subject requirements, and entrance tests. Check all course entry requirements for eligibility.

Not enough data available

We are unable to show previous accepted grades for this course. This could be because the course is new, it's a postgraduate course, there isn't enough historical data, or the provider has opted out of sharing their entry grades data for this course - learn more.

Fees and funding

Tuition fees

LocationFeeYear
EU£16900*Year 1
International£16900*Year 1
England£9535*Year 1
Northern Ireland£9535*Year 1
Scotland£9535*Year 1
Wales£9535*Year 1
Channel Islands£9535*Year 1

* This is a provisional fee and subject to change.

Tuition fee status depends on a number of criteria and varies according to where in the UK you will study. For further guidance on the criteria for home or overseas tuition fees, please refer to the UKCISA website.

Additional fee information

The quoted fee is an indicative fee based on last year’s fees, as the fees for the 2026 term not yet been confirmed.

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