General Engineering with a Year Abroad

Engineers are the skilled problem solvers who develop the products and systems in response to the evolving needs of future generations. Ongoing advances in computing power and the increasing use of integrated systems that link mechanical, electrical and other engineering systems together is creating new industrial sectors that need a sophisticated skillset.

Our BEng Engineering degree with a Year Abroad is an interdisciplinary General Engineering programme, and you will learn mechatronics, digital design, mechanical design and control systems, equipping you to design and build complex automated systems.

You will develop expertise in robotics, smart manufacture and systems engineering, and learn to apply your new skills to contemporary engineering challenges.

As more industrial and home devices start using sophisticated intelligent systems, people with a general engineering skillset are in increasing demand due to their ability to integrate these different systems.

Why General Engineering at Swansea?
7th in the UK for Graduate Prospects (Guardian University Guide 2025)
8th in the UK for Teaching Quality (Guardian University Guide 2025)
12th in the UK (Guardian University Guide 2025)

This is a high-tech, highly practical degree with a strong theme of hands-on lab-based design and development.

You might be building your own sun-tracking solar-powered device charger, designing an assistive limb device for rehabilitating patients with weakened muscles, or developing the control system and building and testing a prototype of an autonomous car that can route find and navigate obstacles automatically.

All these tasks require you to integrate knowledge from different sectors, meaning you will find it easy to communicate and work with the tools from a variety of engineering and management professions. Technological advances must be considered alongside the challenges of climate crisis, social unrest and resource depletion.

Engineering Employment Opportunities
There are a range of careers available to graduates with an BEng Engineering degree, including advanced manufacture, robotics, automation engineers, data scientist, software engineering. Demand for this advanced and integrated skillset continues to grow as technology advances.

The degree is a fantastic launchpad for creating a start-up business and launching innovative smart products. We’ll develop your entrepreneurial mindset, and if you are interested in commercialising any of your ideas, we’ll give you support to start your own device-led business targeting industrial or home customers.Graduates of the BEng General Engineering degree at Swansea are set on course for a range of exciting employment opportunities. These could include:

-Integrated Engineer
-Mechatronics Engineer
-Electronic and Electrical Engineer
-Digital Engineer
-Project Manager
-Engineering Management
-Manufacturing Engineer
-Data-led Design Engineer
-Civil Engineer
-Structural Engineer
-Materials Engineer
-Mechanical Engineer

Our graduates go on to have interesting and varied careers at companies such as Atkins, Arup, Mott MacDonald, AECOM, Jacobs and Rolls-Royce.

Typically, modules include:
Year 1
Engineering for People Hackathon
Microcontrollers
Circuit Analysis
Introduction to Materials Engineering
Engineering Mathematics
Applied Mechanics
Sustainable Integrated Design
Introduction to Mechatronics
Thermofluids

Year 2
AI, Machine Learning and Data Analysis
Machines and Control
Electrical Machines
Software Engineering
Embedded System Design
Systems Engineering Management
Sustainable Integrated Engineering
Stress Analysis

Year 3
Year Abroad

Year 4 ( details to come )

This course offers some modules taught through the medium of Welsh or bilingually for students who consider themselves to be fluent Welsh speakers. There are opportunities for Welsh speakers to study this subject through the medium of Welsh and our dedicated academy, Academi Hywel Teifi, is here to support you throughout your time at Swansea University. We offer you:

-An interview through the medium of Welsh when applying for a place.
-The option to receive your personal correspondence in Welsh, English or bilingually

• we will then communicate with you in your language of choice. -Access to generous Welsh-language study scholarships or bursaries.
  -Access to modules taught wholly or partly in Welsh. -The option to write and submit your coursework or exams through the medium of Welsh (even if you have chosen to study in English), and your work will be marked in Welsh.
  -A Welsh-speaking academic tutor. -One-to-one support to improve your academic Welsh language skills.
  -An opportunity to gain an additional free qualification that serves as evidence of your Welsh language ability for future employers.

To see further details about the level of provision delivered in Welsh on this particular degree scheme, please see the Welsh-language course page for further information.