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A versatile field of Engineering

Develop a broad understanding of multi-disciplinary engineering and scientific techniques while gaining specialist skills in emerging and relevant themes related to the field of design engineering.

New engineering solutions for 21st century problems

Our courses meet immediate and future needs of industry and society, preparing the next generation of design engineers in climate change, sustainability, systems thinking, artificial intelligence, digitisation, and cyber-physical systems.

Strong connections and industry partnerships

Our design project units are supported by top engineering and tech companies, design consultancies, and SMEs around Bristol, helping you to build industry connections from the start of your course through to your final year.

Design Engineering at Bristol

Solving modern day challenges requires skilled professionals with a multi-disciplinary design approach, strong systems thinking and good leadership. Engineers who can balance a broad range of engineering knowledge as well as technical and interpersonal skills are essential in the development of new products, processes and services.  

Our courses are designed to develop innovative design engineers with exceptional knowledge and skills. You will learn from academics with expertise in design engineering methodology and research, as well as specialists across different engineering disciplines. You will work in teams on authentic design engineering projects with support from industry. 

You will gain industrial experience before you graduate and develop excellent career prospects, through opportunities to take summer placements, internships and an assessed year in industry. You can do your placement in areas such as building services, transport, product design, renewable energy, manufacturing and aerospace. 

The Industrial Liaison Office manages our links with world-class engineering and tech companies, making sure you engage with industry throughout your study. In your first year, you will be assigned an industrial mentor to support your personal development. You can also take advantage of talks from industry insiders and internship schemes.

The engineering design staff go above and beyond to support you throughout the degree and there is a very friendly student community. This course has really shaped the kind of engineer I am today and I cannot recommend it enough!

Nikita, MEng Engineering Design

Career prospects

A student smiling while using a large piece of engineering equipment.

You will emerge as a versatile engineer, equipped with excellent design and technical knowledge, along with strong collaboration and leadership skills. This opens doors to diverse career paths in rapidly emerging sectors such as Robotics and Machine Learning, Renewable Energy and Sustainable Technology, Advanced Materials and Manufacturing, and New Product Development and Innovation. 

The variety of optional units in the final years of the course will help you to develop a unique set of advanced skills and specialist knowledge to bring into industry. 

Design Engineering graduates are well-suited for careers across a range of sectors, from global engineering companies to small-to-medium enterprises and high-tech start-ups. Our career service provides support to help ambitious students start up their own businesses and develop their entrepreneurial skills.

Course structure

Information about the structures of our new Design Engineering courses will be available by June 2024. 

Innovation in the South West

The South West of England is home to a diverse range of innovative industries, from University spinouts to underwater vehicle and habitat systems as well as renewable energy. Engineering students at the University of Bristol have had placement experience at companies like Crux Product Design, Kinnier Dufort and Dyson. Innovative start-up companies such as LettUsGrow, Huxlo, Swytch and Lightbug were founded by University of Bristol alumni.  

Perhaps you will be part of the growing development of agri-tech solutions to support sustainable farming, or advancing the world of healthcare with medical cyber-physical systems or new digital products. It is an incredibly exciting time to join this course and become the new generation of design engineers needed for the 21st century. 

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