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Why Engineering at Lancaster?
Discover what studying Engineering at Lancaster is like from our students and academics.
Practical hands-on courses including lab-based sessions and project work
Brand new state-of-the-art facilities
Get real-world experience with our placement years
Our design-based degree teaches advanced electronic and electrical engineering, allowing you to engage with creativity and develop a range of specialist practical and professional skills, which will create opportunities in a range of industries.
You will benefit from our research informed teaching, which is a key strength of this programme. You will join a thriving academic department that makes use of our expertise in microelectromechanical smart systems; novel electromagnetics; radio frequency engineering; and millimetre waves with THz signals. Through this programme, you will be exposed to our work with organisations such as CERN and the European Space Agency.
The programme begins with a broad based common first year, shared by all our engineers. You explore topics such as heat transfer and manufacturing, which form a key requirement of modern electronic systems. You will work alongside people from other engineering disciplines, reflecting very much how you would operate in industry, equipping you with interdisciplinary project, communication and professional skills to allow you to excel in your professional career.
Your second year will then be spent studying at a partner university in Europe, the United States of America or Australia. This year abroad allows you to broaden your horizons, grow as a person and adds a new insight and perspective on not only the discipline of engineering, but also on the methods and structure within higher education. The marks you gain during your international year will be converted to grades at Lancaster and will count towards your final degree classification.
On return to Lancaster in year three, you will join your specialist programme of study, taking modules in your specific discipline and continuing to develop your core skills as an engineer.
In third year, you will start your individual project: a substantial piece of research and investigation into a topic of your choice, but often linked with industry or one of our research groups. The project period covers the entire academic year, with an intensive period following exams to finalise results and present the findings professionally. Previous examples include: remote moisture sensing for internet of things; wearable antennas for medical body area network; low carbon shipping through improved electric propulsion; and energy storage and development of an electrical storm tracker.
Third year also continues the management skills theme, which is essential to modern engineering. You will develop your knowledge in company finance and aspects of law, human resource management and industrial organisation. You will also receive an overview of environmental reporting, quality and safety management.
During the fourth year, you will undertake a major group project, often linked with our research groups or industry, during which you will apply your specialisation to cutting-edge technology. Examples of previous projects include: digital telemetry for a Formula Student race car; control and electrical power system design; wireless instrumentation for a renewable power system; a robotic humanoid; embedded control for a novel 3D printer; and high-frequency structures for 5G communication.
Full or partial CEng eligibility
Our modern world is defined by electronic and electrical apparatus, from the motherboards in our computers to the systems and circuits that control our rail and transport industries - and engineers play an integral part in the manufacturing of all these systems. You will graduate with a broad range of subject specific skills, such as CAD design, understanding electrical circuits, power systems and much more and this in-depth, specialist knowledge will make you a sought-after employee able to embark on a wide range of careers in sectors such as defence, power generation, automotive, telecoms, and utilities. The transferable skills you develop can be applied to any career you choose. The ability to think creatively, develop solutions to problems, manage projects, apply practical and technical knowledge and to be confident in decision making will place you in demand. You may even decide to pursue further study and seek a career in academia. Graduates from our Engineering degrees are well-paid too, with a median starting salary of £29,000 (HESA Graduate Outcomes Survey 2023).
Here are just some of the roles that our BEng and MEng Electronic and Electrical Engineering students have progressed into upon graduating:
Lancaster University is dedicated to ensuring you not only gain a highly reputable degree, you also graduate with the relevant life and work based skills. We are unique in that every student is eligible to participate in The Lancaster Award which offers you the opportunity to complete key activities such as work experience, employability/career development, campus community and social development. Visit our Employability section for full details.
A Level AAA
Required Subjects A level Mathematics and a Physical Science, for example, Physics, Chemistry, Electronics, Computer Science, Design & Technology or Further Mathematics.
GCSE Minimum of four GCSEs at grade B or 5 to include Mathematics at grade B or 6, and GCSE English Language at grade C or 4.
IELTS 6.5 overall with at least 5.5 in each component. For other English language qualifications we accept, please see our English language requirements webpages.
Interviews Applicants may be interviewed before being made an offer.
International Baccalaureate 36 points overall with 16 points from the best 3 Higher Level subjects including either:
Acceptable physical science subjects include Physics, Chemistry, Computer Science, and Design Technology.
BTEC (Pre-2016 specifications): Distinction, Distinction, Distinction in an Engineering related subject to include Distinctions in Mathematics for Engineering Technicians and Further Mathematics for Engineering Technicians units.
BTEC (2016 specifications): Distinction, Distinction, Distinction in an Engineering related subject to include Distinctions in the following units – Unit 1 Engineering Principles, Unit 3 Engineering Product Design and Manufacture, Unit 6 Microcontroller Systems for Engineers, Unit 7 Calculus to Solve Engineering Problems. Unit 8 Further Engineering Mathematics is highly recommended.
We welcome applications from students with a range of alternative UK and international qualifications, including combinations of qualifications. Further guidance on admission to the University, including other qualifications that we accept, frequently asked questions and information on applying, can be found on our general admissions webpages.
Contact Admissions Team + 44 (0) 1524 592028 or via ugadmissions@lancaster.ac.uk
Our Contextual Offer Scheme recognises the potential of applicants whose personal circumstances may have impacted their exam results.
Contextual offersLancaster University offers a range of programmes, some of which follow a structured study programme, and some which offer the chance for you to devise a more flexible programme to complement your main specialism.
Information contained on the website with respect to modules is correct at the time of publication, and the University will make every reasonable effort to offer modules as advertised. In some cases changes may be necessary and may result in some combinations being unavailable, for example as a result of student feedback, timetabling, Professional Statutory and Regulatory Bodies' (PSRB) requirements, staff changes and new research. Not all optional modules are available every year.
This module introduces fundamental applications of engineering science to build physical components, structures and systems and create functionality across all engineering disciplines. The basics of manufacturing and processes will be explored together with design principles, methods of sensing physical, electromagnetic, electrostatic and chemical effects, and converting these effects to electrical signals and mechanical actuation.
Over the course of this module, students will learn how to manipulate and manufacture objects, synthesise chemical compounds, as well as build and code electrical interfaces. At the end of the module, students will complete a group project using CAD tools to analyse, design, capture, and manufacture engineering components, sensor interfacing, data conversion and data processing.
This module introduces concepts associated with the fundamentals of engineering science relevant to chemical, mechanical, nuclear and electrical/electronic systems. Students will learn how physical principles associated with heat, energy transfer, radiation, fluid mechanics, forces, kinetics, impedance, and atomic level behaviour govern the function of structures, processes, components, devices, and systems. These principles provide a foundation for all engineering degree programmes. By the end of the module, students will be able to apply their knowledge of these principles in a practical manner to investigate real-world challenges.
This module introduces key numerical and analytical concepts relevant to the engineering disciplines providing a foundation for all engineering programmes. Students will consolidate their skills in the use of complex numbers, calculus, differential equations, vectors, matrices and transforms as engineering tools that can be applied to the analysis and design of engineered materials, components, devices, structures, assemblies and systems.
MATLAB and Excel will be introduced to both solve mathematical problems, apply mathematical principles to data sets to generate curves, statistics and trends. Students will learn basic programming in order to implement mathematical algorithms commonly used in the engineering disciplines. Supporting laboratories will involve tasks associated with the visualisation of mathematical solutions, the processing of data sets and the use of programming techniques to implement solutions on an embedded processor or personal computer.
In this year, you will study at one of our international partner universities. This will help you to develop your global outlook, expand your professional network, and gain cultural and personal skills. You will choose specialist modules relating to your degree as well as other modules from across the host university.
This module introduces time and frequency domain representations of analogue circuits. It examines the principles of analogue integrated circuit and filter design, including linear network transfer functions.
The module will cover a wide range of topics, and will include a look at transistors and transistor circuits for integrated circuits, along with the fundamentals of linear continuous time filters. Additionally, students will gain an understanding of the design of passive and active circuits for synthesis of transfer functions, parasitics and filter precision.
Students will develop the ability to analyse circuits in the time and frequency domains, along with the ability to evaluate fundamental analogue circuit building blocks. They will also gain the knowledge required to describe the composition of active and passive filters.
Students will learn how to process signals using techniques such as Fourier transforms, sampling, discrete time and space domains, and digital filtering, putting their knowledge into practice in MATLAB software which equips students with comprehensive knowledge of digital code used in engineering environments.
This module develops students’ ability to analyse engineering problems by creating and designing solutions to meet real-world industry needs through a combination of critical thinking and hands-on practical skills.
Students will be equipped with a wide range of skills to determine the most appropriate sampling and filtering methods for processing signals whilst also developing their ability to write computer programmes for data analysis, creating recommendations and designing solutions.
The module involves students completing an individual project. They are responsible for the research, management and the design/practical element of the project. They will be assigned a project title and project supervisor who will guide and advise throughout the project. The module aims to give students an in-depth knowledge of a specific, specialist area of their subject. They will learn professional software, design or experimental skills consistent with subject.
Students can choose a specific area of development from a vast range of possible outcomes, and they will work towards their personal goal. Students can gain knowledge and understanding of scientific principles and methodology necessary to underpin their education in their engineering discipline, to enable appreciation of its scientific and engineering context, and to support their understanding of historical, current, and future developments and technologies.
Alternatively, students may choose to develop the ability to apply quantitative methods and computer software relevant to their engineering discipline, in order to solve engineering problems. There will also be an opportunity for students to learn and apply quantitative methods and computer software relevant to their engineering discipline, in order to solve engineering problems. Students can also develop an understanding of customer and user needs and the importance of considerations such as aesthetics, along with workshop and laboratory skills.
This module provides an introduction to integrated circuit engineering and integrated circuits, including key methods for their design, fabrication and testing. In this regard, the module will examine the principles of very large scale integrated circuit engineering and the digital design process. Among a vast range of topics, this module will address CMOS circuit engineering, and will focus on MOSFET short channel effects, switch model, digital design metrics and the design of logic elements.
Additionally, students will become familiar with arithmetic building blocks, memory elements classification, array structure and timing issues.
Students will develop the ability to analyse simple performance metrics and will derive circuits to implement simple functions, and will learn how to use an industrial tool to model, analyse and construct digital circuits.
This module introduces the fundamental components of optical communication and wireless systems and information theory, including the physical propagation of signals, electromagnetism and signal analysis. Students will learn the theory of using optoelectronics and radio waves for telecommunications, and will examine the main types of antenna and their properties. The module offers a rounded overview of optoelectronics, including optical communication systems, optical components and optical sources. A portion on wireless communications will introduce electromagnetic spectrum, elements of radio waves propagation, transmitter and receiver.
Students will also gain knowledge of link budget, types of wireless networks, and antennas, in addition to revisions of information theory and modulation. Additionally, students will discover access, and system case studies, which will discuss internet fibre cables backbone, radio and TV broadcasting.
In addition to this, students will gain the level of knowledge required to define the main optical components in a communication system. They will be able to explain the fundamentals of wireless systems, transmitters and receivers, and will carry out calculations on radio transmission antennas and coding. Ultimately, students will be able to explain the reasons for the design choices made in a variety of communications systems.
This module aims to equip students with comprehensive knowledge and understanding of power electronics and applications by learning methods of converting and inverting voltage signals and how to use them to drive electric motors. As electric vehicles and renewable sources of power are becoming increasingly important, the module will also cover applications in electric power utilities and renewable power, including wind and solar.
Students will develop an understanding of scientific principles and methodology of power semiconductor devices, power electronic converters, dc/ac motor drives and the applications and needs for high power electronic switches/converters in the electric power utility industry.
On completion of this module, students will be equipped with industry knowledge to apply their skills to meet real world engineering needs with confidence and professional and ethical responsibility.
This module introduces the KL025Z board with ARM Cortex M0+ family of micro-controllers and supporting hardware and software. It provides several practical exercises for the understanding of the relevant function of the processors and one major application of the MCU for a control task. Students will gain hands-on experience in interfacing microcontrollers to signals and motor drives, and writing programs to achieve specific objectives in Assembler and in C++.
Additionally, students will be able to use web-based aids for programming MCUs, and will gain the knowledge required to choose a particular device, integrate it into a system, and write working programs. Students will gain an awareness of the implications of timing and memory constraints, and will develop an appreciation the benefit of simulators, debuggers and emulators.
Students are provided with the opportunity to experience live projects over a significant period of time, working in multidisciplinary groups and in a team project environment. They will bring specialist knowledge from their own degree disciplines for the benefit of developing a multidisciplinary solution to the project being undertaken.
The group projects are typically developed in partnership with industry collaborators or, are based on research activity within the School of Engineering. This ensures that they are at the cutting edge of research and/or have an industrial focus.
Students will develop the ability to critically analyse and evaluate a project brief, providing input based on their individual degree specialisation such as nuclear, mechanical or mechatronics. Students will implement a project management system for documenting and tracking, the system will require the agreement of time-constrained deliverables that can be changed over time. They will also create a fully justified design brief for a product, process or service that is underpinned by specialist knowledge, and takes account of a critical engineering analysis of the topic under consideration.
Additionally, students will produce a working prototype, product or process that takes account of and incorporates subject specific knowledge and is consistent with the commercial drivers of industrial stakeholders. They will also demonstrate the ability to collect, store, analyse and recall large sets of data or results that can be interpreted by all members of the multidisciplinary group. Finally, an understanding of issues such as health and safety, risk, ethics, environment, National/European/International standards and other regulatory frameworks that are subject specific will be developed and must be adhered to.
This module aims to familiarise students with the issues involved in starting up and running a company in a technological area, and to introduce the concept of entrepreneur as a transformational leader. Work placements will allow students to develop an appreciation of engineering problems within an industrial context.
Students will participate in a company-based problem solving or a design project, and will improve their understanding of a particular technological problem depending on the nature of their company placement. Additionally, students will gain a theoretical basis of operations management, strategy and strategic development, accounting, customer value and marketing, as well as managing human resources. The module will enhance students’ ability to carry out basic financial analysis for example, to forecast the company's future performance, and will provide them with a theoretical basis and practical experience of problem solving and teamwork. Finally, students will gain a theoretical basis and some experience of the Human Resources aspects of business.
For MEng Mechanical Engineering students, this module is core for those choosing to follow either the Design Pathway, the Energy & Resources Pathway or the Materials and Manufacturing Pathway.
This course provides students with comprehensive knowledge and understanding of electrical power system control, modelling and simulation. It develops understanding of scientific principles and methodology of power control, load flow, transient performance and distribution generation systems. Finally, it provides the opportunity to students to use their knowledge and understanding to design inverters to connect PV panels / wind turbines to the grid.
This module focuses on design methods for distributed circuits. Students will develop an understanding of RF transmission line theory by considering impedance matching, S-parameters, and Smith charts, as well as RF measurements and detection. They will also explore high frequency circuit design, which includes RF amplifier and filter design, noise calculations, and applications of RF components.
There is a strong practical element to the module that involves students using Microwave Office to build and test a microwave amplifier. This provides students with practical skills in high frequency electronics and related fields.
In completing these tasks, students will develop an understanding of the impact, importance and application of high frequency electronics in the field of communications, remote control and wireless interface.
By the end of this module, students will be able to design RF circuits using analytical techniques and computational design software including filters and amplifiers; design impedance matching networks; and understand high frequency distributed circuits.
Pre-requisites of this module include BSc degree level understanding of AC Theory.
This module introduces students to the design and application of intelligent control systems, with a focus on modern algorithmic, computer aided design methods. Starting from the well known, proportional integral algorithm, essential concepts such as digital and optimal control are introduced using straight forward algebra and block diagrams. The module addresses the needs of students across the engineering discipline who would like to advance their knowledge of automatic control and optimisation, with practical worked examples from robotics, industrial process control and environmental systems, among other areas.
Students will gain an understanding of various hierarchical architectures of intelligent control and will be able to analyse and design discrete time models and digital control systems. Additionally, they will gain the necessary knowledge to design optimal model based control systems and identify mathematical models from engineering data. Students will also learn how to design and evaluate system performance for practical applications.
This module provides an understanding and the skills necessary for the interfacing and integrating of complex electro-mechanical computer control systems. Students will develop an awareness of future developments in interfacing technology. Students will gain an understanding of the principles of digital and analogue interfacing, and will be able to define and interpret interfacing requirements and device specifications.
Additionally, students will gain the level of knowledge required to design appropriate interface hardware, whilst resolving issues of signal amplitude, level shifting, polarity, impedance and drive, and using passive and active circuitry. They will also experience and resolve associated problems of power supply requirements, grounding and noise, and develop an awareness of EMC issues relating to the interface and external equipment. Finally, students will observe and understand the effect of timing and sample rate on typical input/output functions and control algorithms.
This module introduces students to the recent advances in artificial intelligence, machine learning, and cutting-edge deep learning methods. Students will learn how to examine the technologies that apply to various aspects of engineering, such as searching and planning algorithms, supervised learning, unsupervised learning, reinforcement learning, deep neural networks, convolution neural networks, recurrent neural networks, and generative adversarial network.
The module aims to equip students with key knowledge and understanding of their application in industrial robots, smart manufacturing, predictive maintenance, design optimisation and digital twin. Students will also learn how to implement the machine learning algorithms by practicing this in our labs, keeping the legal, social and ethical considerations in mind when applying machine learning technologies.
On successful completion of this module, students will be able to demonstrate the impact of emerging machine learning technologies by understanding the underlying principles of machine learning, typical algorithms, and deep learning methods. Students will be able to analyse real-world problems, such as design optimisation, manufacturing process optimisation, fault diagnosis and prognosis, and be able to design machine learning models to solve them.
This module addresses various topics concerning smart systems. Students will explore the principles of microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) and microfluidics in the context of system-on-chip and system-in-package technology, using optical and fluidic elements. Essentially, students will develop an understanding of scaling laws fabrication processes, metrology and inspection, in addition to specific technical information including the design of micro mechanics and bio-MEMS, packaging and integration technologies, microfluidics and embedded test strategies.
Practical sessions will explore the COMSOL based design of a fluidic system, in addition to electrostatic switch and microfluidic particles, Microfluidic technologies and bio-sensing will be introduced through lectures and core practical classes, with case studies and examples sourced from previous European projects, partners and assembly processes, to ensure an industrial focus.
On completion of this module, students will understand the use of nanocharacterisation tools and will be able to discuss various micro and nanofabrication tools available for making devices, equipped with a working knowledge of the fundamentals of microelectronics and their scaling laws in electrical, mechanics and assembly fields.
Our annual tuition fee is set for a 12-month session, starting in the October of your year of study.
Our Undergraduate Tuition Fees for 2024/25 are:
Home | International |
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£9,250 | £28,675 |
There may be extra costs related to your course for items such as books, stationery, printing, photocopying, binding and general subsistence on trips and visits. Following graduation, you may need to pay a subscription to a professional body for some chosen careers.
Specific additional costs for studying at Lancaster are listed below.
Lancaster is proud to be one of only a handful of UK universities to have a collegiate system. Every student belongs to a college, and all students pay a small college membership fee which supports the running of college events and activities. Students on some distance-learning courses are not liable to pay a college fee.
For students starting in 2023 and 2024, the fee is £40 for undergraduates and research students and £15 for students on one-year courses. Fees for students starting in 2025 have not yet been set.
To support your studies, you will also require access to a computer, along with reliable internet access. You will be able to access a range of software and services from a Windows, Mac, Chromebook or Linux device. For certain degree programmes, you may need a specific device, or we may provide you with a laptop and appropriate software - details of which will be available on relevant programme pages. A dedicated IT support helpdesk is available in the event of any problems.
The University provides limited financial support to assist students who do not have the required IT equipment or broadband support in place.
In addition to travel and accommodation costs, while you are studying abroad, you will need to have a passport and, depending on the country, there may be other costs such as travel documents (e.g. VISA or work permit) and any tests and vaccines that are required at the time of travel. Some countries may require proof of funds.
In addition to possible commuting costs during your placement, you may need to buy clothing that is suitable for your workplace and you may have accommodation costs. Depending on the employer and your job, you may have other costs such as copies of personal documents required by your employer for example.
The fee that you pay will depend on whether you are considered to be a home or international student. Read more about how we assign your fee status.
Home fees are subject to annual review, and may be liable to rise each year in line with UK government policy. International fees (including EU) are reviewed annually and are not fixed for the duration of your studies. Read more about fees in subsequent years.
We will charge tuition fees to Home undergraduate students on full-year study abroad/work placements in line with the maximum amounts permitted by the Department for Education. The current maximum levels are:
International students on full-year study abroad/work placements will be charged the same percentages as the standard International fee.
Please note that the maximum levels chargeable in future years may be subject to changes in Government policy.
You will be automatically considered for our main scholarships and bursaries when you apply, so there's nothing extra that you need to do.
You may be eligible for the following funding opportunities, depending on your fee status:
Unfortunately no scholarships and bursaries match your selection, but there are more listed on scholarships and bursaries page.
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We also have other, more specialised scholarships and bursaries - such as those for students from specific countries.
Browse Lancaster University's scholarships and bursaries.
The information on this site relates primarily to 2025/2026 entry to the University and every effort has been taken to ensure the information is correct at the time of publication.
The University will use all reasonable effort to deliver the courses as described, but the University reserves the right to make changes to advertised courses. In exceptional circumstances that are beyond the University’s reasonable control (Force Majeure Events), we may need to amend the programmes and provision advertised. In this event, the University will take reasonable steps to minimise the disruption to your studies. If a course is withdrawn or if there are any fundamental changes to your course, we will give you reasonable notice and you will be entitled to request that you are considered for an alternative course or withdraw your application. You are advised to revisit our website for up-to-date course information before you submit your application.
More information on limits to the University’s liability can be found in our legal information.
We believe in the importance of a strong and productive partnership between our students and staff. In order to ensure your time at Lancaster is a positive experience we have worked with the Students’ Union to articulate this relationship and the standards to which the University and its students aspire. View our Charter and other policies.
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