BEng Electrical and Electronic Engineering

From the very first term, you’ll be fully immersed in hands-on learning: building and programming microcontroller systems, working in Manchester’s new Home of Engineering & Materials building (formerly MECD/Nancy Rothwell Building), and exploring live power systems and embedded electronics in one of the UK’s most advanced departments. You’ll use the same teaching and research-grade labs as postgraduate engineers, gaining direct experience with advanced tools, systems, and design methodologies—not just theory.

What you’ll experience, year by year:

Year 1 – Microcontroller System Build:
In your first term, you’ll take Microcontroller Engineering, designing and programming a live USB-driven control board and testing analogue/digital I/O hardware in the National Instruments undergraduate lab, including LabVIEW-driven DAQ tools.

Dedicated Labs & Computer Suites:
Facilities include a National Instruments-sponsored lab, a power‑conversion lab, a microcontroller lab, and specialist CAD/PCB design suites for circuit design, signal integrity modelling, and Python/Matlab application.

Year 2 – Team Embedded Systems Project:
Teams design and build an autonomous embedded system over two semesters (e.g. a robotics or sensor network system), enhancing leadership and collaboration through the Year 2 Embedded Systems Project module and the department’s popular Robot Race Day, co-hosted with the EEE and Robotics societies.

Year 3 – Individual Honours Project:
Under faculty supervision, you’ll undertake an original engineering project in devices, power, sensors, or communications. This project counts for approximately 30% of your final-year grade and may lead to publication or patent opportunities.

Flagship Facilities:
Day-to-day access includes the UK’s largest High-Voltage Laboratory, the Photon Science Institute cleanroom and III-V fabrication labs for wafer and chip prototyping, the Rolls-Royce University Technology Centre systems lab, and a real-time digital simulator (RTDS) for power network emulation.

Expert Software Tools & Simulation Suites:
You’ll work with SILVACO for VLSI modelling and layout, electromagnetic simulation platforms, dSPACE for real-time control, NI LabVIEW and DAQ suites, Matlab/Simulink, and industry-standard PCB and firmware tools.

Industrial Experience Option (4-Year Track):
The BEng with Industrial Experience variant includes a full-year placement in an engineering firm such as Siemens, Rolls-Royce, or Google. You’ll be supported by an academic mentor and assessed through a professional report and presentation. This route enhances employability and contributes toward IET chartership requirements.

Peer Support & Learning Community:
Students benefit from PASS mentoring in Years 1 and 2, plus participation in student-led societies such as the EEE Club and Robotics Society. Activities include hackathons, Spectrum coding challenges, design showcases, and technical competitions that run alongside your academic studies.

Graduates of the University of Manchester’s BEng Electrical & Electronic Engineering are highly employable, moving into roles such as electrical power systems engineer, embedded systems or FPGA developer, mobile communications engineer, robotics and automation specialist, control systems engineer, and real-time signal processing engineer. Many alumni pursue postgraduate study in fields like power engineering, microelectronics, energy systems or robotics, or build their careers across sectors including energy, automotive, aerospace, defence, telecommunications and consultancy.

Career Services & Industrial Experience:
The department works closely with Manchester’s award-winning Careers Service to offer tailored employability support. An annual Careers Fair connects students with leading employers—such as Rolls-Royce, National Grid, BP, Jaguar Land Rover, Shell, Siemens, Centrica, National Instruments and Network Rail—and the four-year BEng with Industrial Experience gives a competitive edge by helping you build technical, project-management and team-working skills in a real-world setting.

Industry Partnerships & Facilities:
You will learn in synergy with industry collaborators like ABB, BAE Systems, Intel, Google, ARM and CERN, and train in the Home of Engineering and Materials (Nancy Rothwell Building)—a £420 million facility featuring the High-Voltage Lab, National Instruments labs and other industry-standard research facilities that support hands-on, research-led teaching.

Accreditation & Professional Recognition:
This degree is accredited by the Institution of Engineering and Technology and the Institute of Measurement and Control, meeting the UK-SPEC requirements and giving you the academic underpinning for Incorporated (IEng) or Chartered (CEng) Engineer status—credentials valued by employers globally.

Graduate Outcomes & Employability:
Manchester is consistently ranked as one of the most-targeted universities by UK employers, and with a persistent shortage of electrical and electronic engineers, graduates are in worldwide demand. Manchester alumni are launching careers in sectors ranging from power generation and embedded systems to robotics, telecoms, automotive, aero-systems, defence and clean energy infrastructure.

Further Academic & Professional Progression:
The three-year BEng lets you build solid foundations, with the option to transfer into the four-year MEng with Industrial Experience or move straight into postgraduate MSc or research programmes in areas such as energy systems, control systems or robotics. The programme is taught by researchers involved in cutting-edge work on devices, sensors and sustainable power—equipping you for advanced study or professional development.