BEng Electronics and Electrical Engineering

You’ll develop your practical skills at Edinburgh through a tightly woven mix of theory and hands‑on engineering — designing, building, and testing real electronic systems from Year 1 onwards. You’ll work in dedicated labs alongside world‑leading researchers and a lively engineer student community. You’ll have access not just to standard equipment, but to advanced microsystems fabrication, remote‑lab experimentation, and entrepreneurial prototyping spaces that reflect real industrial R&D demands.

Here’s how that practical learning comes together at Edinburgh’s School of Engineering:

Kivlin Suite & Power Teaching Lab at King’s Buildings – fully equipped to teach analogue/digital circuit design, power electronics, and real instrument testing from early on. You’ll prototype PCBs, test signal generators and instrumentation, and compare hands‑on results with simulations.

Engineering Makerspace workshops with 3D printing, laser‑cutting, student CNC, metal shop, and on‑site technical support – ideal for putting your ideas into physical form outside scheduled labs.

Remote Labs – access real hardware (e.g. vector network analyzers, spinning‑disk rigs, pendulums) from anywhere via a secure browser platform. Run tests around the clock and view live video of the equipment in action.

Year 3 Power System Group Design Project – team up to design, model and build a prototype power distribution system, integrating control, instrumentation and software in a real manufacturing exercise.

Year 4 Individual Honours Project (≈ ⅓ of your grade) – supervised by an academic researcher. If you choose, your project can be embedded in ongoing microelectronics, RF or bioelectronics research, giving you experience of publishing, prototyping and critical analysis.

Professional Software Tools – the required Programming Skills for Engineers 2 course introduces Python development with NumPy, SciPy, Matplotlib and Jupyter Lab, plus USB‑driven embedded control devices such as BlinkStick to interface with live hardware.

Internships & Industrial Placements – be eligible for paid internships funded by the School (available to anyone from Year 2 onwards), plus Year‑4 placements offered via the School’s Industrial Liaison Board and Careers Service. These help build CVs, networks, and links to Edinburgh‑based tech firms.

Scottish Microelectronics Centre (SMC) – a 250 m² cleanroom facility with full CMOS/MEMS process toolsets, device test stations, probe labs and access to device‑level simulation software like Synopsys TCAD. If your project or placement involves chip‑scale design, you’ll use this world‑class resource.

Institute for Integrated Micro and Nano Systems (IMNS) – your degree overlaps closely with IMNS research themes in bioelectronics, photonics, sensor networks and quantum devices. Faculty from IMNS supervise undergraduate projects, mentor students, and host project placements in their labs.

Graduates of Edinburgh’s Electronics & Electrical Engineering BEng (Hons) emerge with a comprehensive blend of engineering knowledge and real-world skills. Alumni commonly take on roles such as electrical or electronics engineer, embedded‑systems designer, control systems developer, or project engineer. A notable number also transition into professional roles outside traditional engineering—ranging from financial analysts to green energy advisors and technical consultants—with many progressing into postgraduate study in fields like electronics, signal processing, power systems, and AI-driven engineering. Graduates are highly regarded for their depth in electronic design, systems integration, and analytical reasoning.

University Services That Support Employment
The School of Engineering Placement Team, in close collaboration with the university’s Careers Service, supports students with bespoke coaching, employer fairs, CV workshops, and interview practice. Services remain available for up to two years after graduation.

The programme offers competitive summer internships funded by the School—available from the second year—often aligned with research and teaching projects within the department. Internships may also count toward the Edinburgh Award, a transcript-recognised credential for extracurricular and work-based learning.

Industry Partnerships & Research

• The programme is shaped in collaboration with an Industrial Liaison Board composed of senior figures from energy, transport, telecoms, and semiconductor sectors. This ensures curriculum relevance and employer-informed project themes.
• You study alongside world-leading research groups, including the Centre for Electronics Frontiers (CEF), directed by Regius Chair Prof. Themis Prodromakis, specializing in ultra‑low-power AI hardware and memristor technologies. Editing and prototyping facilities support student engagement with emerging AI-electronics research.
• Further exposure comes via the Institute for Integrated Micro and Nano Systems (IMNS)—a hub for chip design, sensors, and quantum electronics—and the Edinburgh Parallel Computing Centre (EPCC), enabling coursework and projects rooted in high-performance computing, signal processing, and embedded systems.

Accreditation
The Electronics & Electrical Engineering BEng is accredited by the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET), fully meeting requirements for Incorporated Engineer (IEng) status and partially satisfying academic requirements for Chartered Engineer (CEng). Graduates may complete an IET‑accredited Master’s to fulfill full CEng accreditation criteria.

Graduate Outcomes
Students leave with polished abilities in analytical and mathematical modelling, electronic and systems design, signal processing, power electronics, and embedded software engineering, reinforced through hands‑on labs, team-based capstone projects, and a major Year 4 individual design/computing dissertation. They demonstrate professional communication, project leadership, and numeracy.

These competencies are highly valued across engineering domains: from product development in telecoms and semiconductor firms to energy systems, smart infrastructure, robotics, and consultancy environments. Edinburgh alumni are praised by employers for their systems-thinking, adaptability, and technical rigor.

Further Academic Progression
High-performing BEng students can opt to transfer into the MEng pathway, which deepens research project experience—aligning with CEng standard progression.

Graduates smoothly transition into research-focused postgraduate programmes (MSc/MRes/PhD) in areas such as nanotechnology, bio‑electronics, power systems, embedded AI, robotics, and engineering management—often leveraging the university’s strengths in emerging hardware technologies and high-performance computing.