BEng Hons Electronic and Computer Engineering

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 BEng Electronic and Computer Engineering are highly employable, moving into roles such as embedded systems engineer, hardware-software integration specialist, IoT solutions developer, robotics engineer, and computer systems designer. Many alumni also pursue further study in computer engineering or work in sectors including consumer electronics, automation, telecommunications, and emerging technologies.

Here's how Nottingham specifically supports your future:

Career Services & Experiential Learning: 
The three-year BEng program offers opportunities for an industrial placement year with leading technology companies. Students gain hands-on experience through practical lab sessions in the university's £40m Power Electronics and Machines Centre (PEMC), working on projects that combine hardware and software development. The program includes a major third-year individual project where students tackle real-world engineering challenges. The university's Careers and Employability Service provides dedicated support including tech industry networking events and one-to-one career guidance.

Industry Partnerships & Research: 
The program benefits from Nottingham's strong industry connections with companies like ARM, Rolls-Royce, and Siemens, as well as research collaborations with the Institute for Aerospace Technology. Students access excellent facilities including the Embedded Systems Laboratory, Electronics Teaching Laboratory, and Robotics Laboratory. The curriculum incorporates current research in areas like reconfigurable computing, industrial automation, smart sensor systems, and machine learning hardware.

Graduate Outcomes: 
Students develop strong technical skills in digital systems design, embedded programming, computer architecture, and electronic circuit design - competencies that are increasingly valuable across multiple technology-driven industries.

Further Academic Progression: 
After completing the BEng at Nottingham, graduates can progress to the MEng Electronic and Computer Engineering or pursue master's study in specialized fields. Alternatively, they can enter professional roles in hardware-software integration, embedded systems development, or technical consultancy - supported by the program's industry-relevant training and strong employer connections.