Electrical Engineering MEng at the University of Nottingham
A four-year, full-time integrated master's degree accredited by the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET), blending advanced electrical engineering principles with practical applications in power systems, smart grids, and sustainable technologies. Designed for students pursuing careers in energy distribution, electric transport (e.g., EVs, rail), industrial automation, or renewable energy innovation
Curriculum structure:
Year 1:
Builds foundational skills in Mathematical Methods, Electrical Energy Conditioning & Control, Engineering Mathematics, Information & Systems, Applied Electrical & Electronic Engineering (Construction Project), Introduction to Software Engineering & Programming, and Contemporary Engineering Themes A. Teaching is delivered through lectures, labs, tutorials, and project‑based learning including team design work and lab-based experimentation.
Year 2:
Students engage with modules in Contemporary Engineering Themes B, Design & Implementation of Engineering Software, Electrical Energy Conditioning & Control, Electronic Processing & Communications, Modelling: Methods & Tools, and energy-related group design projects (Electronic Systems and Energy Conditioning). These topics emphasise software development, electronic systems, and energy conversion and control, all reinforced via lab-based group work and problem-solving exercises.
Year 3:
Features core modules including Advanced Engineering Mathematics, Analogue Electronics, a long-term Group Project, Professional Studies, and mandatory modules like Electrical Machines, Drive Systems & Applications, and Power Electronic Applications & Control. Alongside these, students choose from optional modules such as Applications of AI in Electrical & Electronic Engineering, Cybersecurity, Digital Communications, Embedded Computing, Integrated Circuits & Systems, IT Infrastructure, Mobile Technologies, Optical Networks, Power Networks, Renewable Generation Technologies, Robotics, Dynamics & Control, Scalable Cross-Platform Software Design, and Sensing Systems & Signal Processing.
Year 4 (Final Year):
This year is anchored by an Industrial or Research-Oriented Project module and offers a broad range of advanced electives including Advanced AC Drives, Advanced Control, Advanced Electrical Machines, Advanced Power Electronics, Artificial Intelligence & Intelligent Systems, Digital Signal Processing, Distributed Generation & Alternative Energy, HDL for Programmable Devices, Instrumentation & Measurement, Optical & Photonics Technology, Power Systems for Aerospace/Marine/Automotive, and RF Devices & Systems.
Optional year in industry (Between 3rd and Final Year)
This year is spent entirely in industry, where you apply your learning in real engineering environments and gain hands‑on experience working on projects. You remain registered with the University, maintain tutorial support, and your placement can lead to employment offers. If no placement is secured, you must transfer to the standard BEng route without the year in industry
Optional Study Abroad Year:
The Year Abroad option lets eligible students spend their second academic year studying at Nottingham’s partner campuses in China or Malaysia, following exactly the same core and optional modules as the UK programme and taught in English; this provides cross-cultural experience while reinforcing your engineering skills
Focus areas:
The programme emphasizes power systems and conditioning, electrical machines and drives, embedded system design, signal processing, hardware‑software integration, and AI‑enabled intelligent systems, supported by substantial practical project work in Years 3 and 4.
Learning outcomes:
Graduates emerge with strong analytical and systems design skills, lab‑based experience, embedded programming capabilities, and experience managing individual or group industry-led or research projects—fully prepared for technical careers across energy, automation, robotics, and telecom sectors.
Professional alignment (accreditation):
Fully accredited by the IET on behalf of the Engineering Council; the MEng meets all academic requirements for direct CEng status via UK‑SPEC
Reputation (employability & rankings):
Nottingham consistently ranks in the top 10 UK universities for electrical and electronic engineering (Guardian University Guide 2025 / Times & Sunday Times Good University Guide 2025). Graduate destinations include Rolls-Royce, BMW Group, Kindeva, Leonardo Helicopters, BAE Systems, etc
From your very first term, you’ll engage in weekly lab sessions and live industry-inspired projects—not lectures alone. Working in collaborative teaching labs, ‘hackspaces’ and engineering workshops on University Park campus, you’ll combine hardware and software design with real problem-solving. Nottingham’s CDIO‑based curriculum (Conceive → Design → Implement → Operate) means you consistently work on projects that mirror real-world engineering challenges.
Here’s how that experiential learning plays out practically:
Collaborative Teaching & Project Labs (Pope Building):
From Year 1, you’ll work in group labs building systems like autonomous vehicles equipped with sensor arrays—using oscilloscopes, logic trainers and embedded microcontrollers, supported by academic and technical staff.
Dedicated Electronics Workshop & 3D Printing Studio:
Access soldering bays, PCB fabrication tools, 3D printers and test benches, ideal for prototyping your designs throughout the course.
Project Spaces for Focused Design:
Quiet third-year project rooms are available for individual or group work—fitted with computers and electronics equipment to support extended design tasks.
Yearly Live Industry Challenges:
In Year 1 you’ll compete in Nottingham’s signature Grand Challenge—an industry-set project where you reverse-engineer everyday items, design energy-harvesting systems or build efficiency-improving prototypes in small teams.
Industry-Designed Modules & CDIO Framework:
Modules are co-created with external partners and structured around CDIO principles—ensuring you learn by conceiving, designing, implementing, and operating working systems.
Real-World Software & Simulation Tools:
Across the course you’ll use industry-standard packages—MATLAB, circuit CAD, embedded C/C++, and sustainability-focused simulation tools—within labs and project modules.
Optional Year-in-Industry Placement:
Choose an industrial year between Year 2 and Year 3 to work at firms like Jaguar Land Rover, Rolls‑Royce or BAE Systems—earning professional experience while remaining on track for your degree.
Industry-Recognised Accreditation & Career Readiness:
Fully accredited by the IET, the programme prepares you for professional engineering status (IEng/CEng). Graduates go on to roles at top engineering employers.
Libraries & Technical Study Facilities:
In addition to departmental labs, you have access to Nottingham’s George Green Library and campus-wide computing labs, and software suites for coursework and projects.
This isn’t education by textbooks alone—it’s an active, project-based programme where you build real systems, use real tools, work in real labs, and collaborate with peers under live industry-style briefs. You'll graduate with strong technical ability, a portfolio of real prototypes, and professional experience employers recognize.
Graduates of the University of Nottingham's MEng Electrical Engineering are highly employable, moving into roles such as senior power systems engineer, electrical design consultant, automation specialist, energy systems architect, and technical project leader. Many alumni also pursue PhD research or work in advanced sectors including renewable energy, smart infrastructure, electric transportation, and industrial digitalization.
Here's how Nottingham specifically supports your future:
Career Services & Experiential Learning:
The four-year integrated MEng program offers opportunities for an industrial placement year with global engineering leaders. Students undertake increasingly complex design projects in the university's £40m Power Electronics and Machines Centre (PEMC), including a substantial group design project in the final year that solves real industry challenges. The Careers and Employability Service provides exclusive employer networking events, professional skills masterclasses, and personalized career coaching for MEng students.
Industry Partnerships & Research:
Nottingham's Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering maintains strong collaborations with industry leaders like National Grid, Rolls-Royce, and Siemens, alongside research partnerships with the UK Energy Research Centre. Students access world-class facilities including the High Voltage Laboratory, the Electric Machines Laboratory, and the UK's largest university-based power electronics research center. The curriculum integrates cutting-edge research in areas such as net-zero power systems, electrified transportation, industrial IoT, and advanced control engineering.
Graduate Outcomes:
Students develop expert-level competencies in power network analysis, sustainable energy systems, industrial automation, and engineering project management - skills that command leadership positions in the global energy transition and industrial sectors.
Further Academic Progression:
After completing the MEng, graduates can progress directly to PhD research in specialist electrical engineering fields or move into senior technical roles with major engineering corporations - supported by the program's outstanding industry reputation and research-led approach to solving complex electrical engineering challenges.
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