Automotive Engineering with Foundation Year

Please check the Sheffield Hallam University website for the latest information

Course summary

• Understand key technologies such as electric and autonomous vehicles.

• Explore the economic, environmental and social implications of automotive production.

• Engage in professional and sustainable practices right from the beginning.

• Experience live projects, simulations, aerodynamics and diverse disciplines.

• Prepare for the full degree with an extra foundation year at the start.

The course prepares you for a range of roles in the automotive industry, providing you with the right environment, facilities, skills and training to be successful in the industry. You’ll explore various aspects of automotive design, development, testing, manufacturing, electronics and performance analysis – emerging as a highly skilled graduate ready to solve current and future problems in the industry.

This foundation year course is for those who don't meet the entry requirements for our BEng (Hons) Automotive Engineering course, or would like extra preparation before starting degree-level study.

How you learn
This course is designed for you to gain experience as a professional engineer from day one, where you’ll develop technical and professional skills from the very start.

You’ll experience and engage in a variety of learning activities as you progress through the course. We’ve designed a balanced mix of activities to help challenge you to think creatively, build knowledge and understanding, while also developing your professional skills and employability. These include practical laboratories and computer simulations to enhance your learning – with lab experiments designed to reinforce your learning of theoretical concepts.

You learn through:

• Diverse lectures emphasising peer collaboration.

• Tutorials to practise and apply your knowledge ahead of assessments.

• Hands-on lab experience including computational modelling and simulation.

• Q&A and discussions for self-assessment and understanding.

• Support sessions for receiving feedback and preparing for assessments.

• Teamwork activities for collaboration in an innovative environment.

• Multidisciplinary project-based learning to apply knowledge, creativity, design, critical analysis and professional skills to real-world projects.

Course topics
This course provides an in-depth study of the underpinning principles and practices involved in automotive engineering. It covers various aspects of automotive design, development, testing, manufacturing and performance analysis.

The course combines theoretical knowledge with practical hands-on experience while core modules cover the key aspects of automotive engineering. These range from electric, hybrid and internal combustion propulsion to automotive powertrains and vehicle systems, performance, dynamics, aerodynamics and styling. You’ll also explore sustainable materials, manufacturing and production – plus numerical methods, modelling and simulation.

Applied learning
Work placements
You’ll have the opportunity to arrange a year-long work placement in between your second and third years. This gives you real-world experience to prepare you for your future career – and allows you to graduate with an Applied Professional Diploma to add to your CV.

Although optional (and competitive), a placement is actively encouraged to significantly improve your employability at the end of the degree. Previous students have undertaken placements at BorgWarner, Cummins and Forvia Faurecia.

Live projects
Throughout the course, you’ll gain practical experience working on live projects set by our industry partners. You’ll also have the opportunity to get involved in the SHU Racing Team – applying your skills and knowledge to build, test and design race cars. Here you’ll experience what it’s like to collaborate with engineers from different disciplines and solve complex automotive challenges.