BEng Hons in Electronic and Electrical Engineering with Foundation Year

Electronic and Electrical Engineering BEng (Hons) at  University of Huddersfield
This three-year, full-time Honours degree (with an optional year-long industrial placement) equips you with the knowledge and skills to design, analyse, and innovate within electrical and electronic systems. You'll explore how electrical energy is generated, distributed, controlled, and applied across industries such as renewable energy, robotics, construction, and healthcare. Practising engineers from both industry and academia deliver the curriculum, ensuring your learning is rooted in real-world experience and forward-looking research.

Curriculum structure:

Foundation Year
The foundation year is designed to bring students up to speed with essential engineering and mathematical concepts before the main degree. You’ll sharpen your academic arsenal through modules like Communication and Research, which strengthens both written and verbal presentation skills alongside research methodology. The Engineering Investigative Studies module introduces practical engineering concepts across disciplines—including electronics, CAD, and mechanical testing—using exploratory, hands-on learning. Foundation Mathematics builds your mathematical toolkit, starting with arithmetic, algebra, and trigonometry before progressing to vectors, matrices, and calculus. Finally, Foundations of Engineering lays the groundwork in experimental and analytical skills essential to mechanical, civil, and electrical systems. Together, these modules ensure you’re well-prepared for degree-level study.

Year 1:
In your first year, you'll build a rock-solid foundation with essential engineering skills. Engineering Computational Skills introduces programming and data handling, while Professional Skills and Research Awareness empowers you with project planning, teamwork, and academic study skills. You’ll also explore the core of your discipline in Engineering Science and Electronic System Fundamentals, and apply practical methods in Engineering Design, Manufacture and Test and Materials and Mechanics, giving you hands-on electronics and mechanical know-how

Year 2:
The second year advances your technical depth and system-level thinking. In Enterprise: Electronic Product Design and Manufacture, you’ll take concepts from idea to prototype, considering manufacturability and sustainability. Signal Analysis and Control develops your ability to model, interpret, and manage system behaviour in both time and frequency domains. Embedded Systems equips you with microcontroller programming and real-world device integration skills, while Electronics 2 expands your knowledge of analogue and digital circuit design. Electrical Principles 2 strengthens your grasp of AC/DC electrical systems, and Electrical Power and Machines introduces the fundamentals of power generation, transmission, and electromechanical energy conversion.

Year 3 (Optional Placement Year):
You have the opportunity to take a year-long industry placement, working full-time in a professional engineering environment. This placement year allows you to apply the knowledge and skills gained in your studies, develop professional networks, and enhance your employability. Experience in the workplace is highly valued by employers, making graduates with industry exposure more competitive in the job market.

Final Year:
Your final year focuses on advanced topics and independent work. The Final Year Project is a major individual research or design task where you apply your accumulated knowledge to solve a real engineering problem. Control Systems teaches the design of feedback systems, digital controllers, and modern control strategies. Digital System Integration covers the integration of hardware and software in complex electronics, while Electrical Power and Drive Systems explores advanced power conversion, drives, and renewable energy applications. You can also choose an option module—either Analogue System Integration, focusing on high-performance analogue electronics, or Project Quality and Production Management, which covers quality assurance, standards, and process improvement in engineering projects.

Focus areas:
Sustainable power generation, integrated electronic-electrical systems, electrical machine performance and control, feedback and control systems, digital circuit and system design (including CMOS and HDL methods), power electronics and renewable energy applications, analogue design, and production/project management for electronic systems.

Learning outcomes:
Graduates develop practical engineering skills, theoretical understanding of electronics and power systems, experience in team-based and problem-based learning, continuous feedback loops through SAIL, plus optional placement-based real-world experience. The course integrates a Global Professional Award (GPA), enhancing employability skills and professionalism.

Professional alignment (accreditation):
Accredited by the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET), fully satisfying academic requirements for registration as an Incorporated Engineer (IEng) and partially covering those for Chartered Engineer (CEng).

Reputation (employability & rankings):
Rated Gold in all three aspects of the Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF) 2023—the only university in Yorkshire & the Humber and North West to achieve this. Staff are ranked top in England for qualifications, and the university leads joint-first nationally for National Teaching Fellowships.
In the Complete University Guide's 2025 rankings, the university is 65th overall, with the Electronic & Electrical Engineering subject ranked 46th.