Electrical and Electronic Engineering with Foundation Year BEng Honours

Course overview

Our electrical and electronic engineering degrees focus on developing your knowledge and practical skills on topics across the discipline, so you graduate as a well-rounded electrical and electronic engineer and well-equipped for your future career.

This foundation year will help you build the base knowledge you need to progress to any of our electrical and electronic engineering BEng degrees.

This is a full-time programme of study covering core electrical and electronic engineering topics, including:

• foundation mathematics
• applied mechanics
• material science

Download information about this course as a PDF

Your course and study experience - disclaimers and terms and conditions  
Please rest assured we make all reasonable efforts to provide you with the programmes, services and facilities described. However, it may be necessary to make changes due to significant disruption, for example in response to Covid-19.

View our Academic experience page, which gives information about your Newcastle University study experience for the academic year 2022-23.

See our terms and conditions and student complaints information, which gives details of circumstances that may lead to changes to programmes, modules or University services.

Quality and ranking

Professional accreditation and recognition

All professional accreditations are reviewed regularly by their professional body.

Modules and learning

Modules

The information below is intended to provide an example of what you will study.

Most degrees are divided into stages. Each stage lasts for one academic year, and you'll complete modules totalling 120 credits by the end of each stage. 

Our teaching is informed by research. Course content may change periodically to reflect developments in the discipline, the requirements of external bodies and partners, and student feedback.

Optional module availability
Student demand for optional modules may affect availability.

Full details of the modules on offer will be published through the Programme Regulations and Specifications ahead of each academic year. This usually happens in May.

To find out more please see our terms and conditions.

Our Electrical and Electronic Engineering with Foundation Year programme provides a pathway to our degrees if you do not meet the entry requirements for entry into year 1.

On successful completion of our Electrical and Electronic Engineering with Foundation Year BEng programme, you can progress to Year 1 of one of our electrical and electronic engineering degrees.

During the Foundation Year you take just over half your modules in mathematics, mechanical sciences and applied mechanics. The remainder of your modules covers a range of engineering and science topics and includes a project, as well as laboratory work related to the engineering degree you wish to study.

Modules

Compulsory Modules	Credits
Basic Statistics	10
Foundation Year Project	10
Mechanical Science	20
Applied Mechanics O	10
Electrical and Electronic Engineering O	10
Materials Science O	10
Foundation Mathematics	30

Optional Modules	Credits
Computer Applications	10
Foundation of Chemistry	10
Applications of Chemistry	10
Foundation Physics A2	10

Information about these graphs

We base these figures and graphs on the most up-to-date information available to us. They combine data on the planned delivery and assessments of our courses in 2021-22 with data on the modules chosen by our students in 2020-21.

Teaching time is made up of:

• scheduled learning and teaching activities. These are timetabled activities with a member of staff present
• structured guided learning. These are activities developed by staff to support engagement with module learning. Students or groups of students undertake these activities without direct staff participation or supervision

Teaching and assessment

Teaching methods

You'll be taught through a combination of:

• lectures
• lab sessions
• tutorials
• real-world case studies

Up to 10 hours will be spent in practical sessions, working on experiments and project work in the labs.

Assessment methods

You'll be assessed through a combination of:

• 

  Assessments

• 

  Assignments – written or fieldwork

• 

  Case studies

• 

  Coursework

• 

  Dissertation or research project

• 

  Examinations – practical or online

• 

  Group work

• 

  Practical sessions

• 

  Presentations

• 

  Projects

• 

  Reports

• 

  Seminar tasks/exercises

Skills and experience

Research skills

You'll be taught by academics who are leaders in their field, with teaching informed by our ground-breaking research.

In your final year, you'll complete an individual research project. You'll design and develop an original system or device. 

Business skills

In your second year, you will work on a group design and construction project, gaining an insight into the planning and management of technical projects and preparing you for your future.

You'll also complete a module in accounting, finance and law for engineering.

Practical skills

This is a practical-focused course and you'll have access to our state-of-the-art teaching laboratories, including labs for electronics, electrical power, and Intelligent Sensing Lab, and smart grids. You'll also benefit from a machines laboratory, class 100 clean rooms, and a massive MIMO for 5G research.

Facilities and environment

Facilities

Our Engineering courses are taught at our city-centre campus, within the School of Engineering based in the Merz Court.

You'll benefit from world-class facilities and living labs, ranging from microbiology laboratories through to at-scale engineering equipment. 

Each engineering discipline has its own specialist facilities, including:

• the Millennium Laboratory – home to a wide range of facilities and experimental rigs
• Merz Court Pilot Plant Laboratory – a pilot plant with 28 experimental rigs
• BE:WISE – Europe's largest wastewater treatment research facility
• the Urban Observatory – with sensors gathering over 50 types of data across the city
• Electronics Teaching Lab – home to state-of-the-art Agilent/Keysight digital test equipment
• Clean-Room Microfabrication Lab – home to two class 100-10000 clean rooms

Support

You'll be supported by a personal tutor (an academic member of staff) throughout your degree. They can help you with academic and personal issues.

You'll also have access to a peer mentor (a fellow student) in your first year. They can help you settle in and answer any questions you have.

Your future

Electrical and electronic engineers are in high demand in the UK and further afield. When you graduate, you'll have opportunities in areas such as electrical supply and distribution, power systems, transports, and electrical machinery.

Recent graduates have secured roles as graduate engineers in companies including:

• Dyson
• Siemens
• Arup
• IQHQ
• BBC
• BT

You'll also develop a wide range of transferable skills, including analytical skills, teamwork, time management, and IT skills, which are valued by employers across all sectors.

Industry links

You'll have the opportunity to engage with industry. You'll work on real-world engineering projects set by companies we have links with, allowing you to apply your skills to real challenges faced by potential employers.

You'll also have access to guest lectures from alumni and leading companies, site visits, careers, and placements.

Our graduates go on to work in a wide range of roles, industries, and sectors. Recent graduates have secured positions in:

• ABB
• Centrica
• Satorius
• BP
• Nissan
• BAE Systems
• Ministry of Defence
• Caterpillar
• ABS Group
• Anek Lines
• Royal Navy

Engineering is a broad field with a number of different specialisms. Whichever engineering discipline you study, you'll emerge as an in-demand graduate with great career prospects. 

From global careers in the oil, gas and energy, pharmaceutical, or consumer products sectors, through to marine engineering and offshore engineering. There are also opportunities in groundbreaking research and consultancy, as well as business and management. 

Many of our students also progress on to further study, either within engineering or in a related field. 

Careers support

Our award-winning Careers Service is one of the largest and best in the country, and we have strong links with employers. We provide an extensive range of opportunities to all students through our ncl+ initiative.

Visit our Careers Service website

Recognition of professional qualifications outside of the UK

From 1 January 2021 there is an update to the way professional qualifications are recognised by countries outside of the UK

Additional information

Advice on maths and science requirements

If you don’t think you will have the exact mathematics and science qualifications referred to in our entry requirements by the time you need them, you may not be sure what to do.

• If you have a maths qualification but will not have it at A Level (or equivalent) when you start your degree, you should apply for the relevant degree with Foundation Year. We may give you the opportunity to take the Newcastle University Pre-Entry Maths Course* and the option to start in Year 1 if we think that this will be the best route for you.
• If you have A Level Maths (or equivalent) already but not at the required grade, you should contact us for advice. We may decide that you could be considered for Foundation Year entry, or it may be that this course is not the best option for you.
• If you will not have the equivalent of an A Level in the science subject (if any) required, you should apply for the relevant degree with Foundation Year.

If you are still not sure, don’t worry. Whatever you apply for, our Admissions Tutors will help you decide which is the best route for you. They may, therefore, make you an offer for a different course from the one you apply for (eg Foundation Year entry instead of Year 1 entry).

*The Newcastle University Pre-Entry Maths Course aims to provide the requisite mathematical skills and concepts needed on our engineering, maths and physics degree courses and to prepare students for the modes of learning they will encounter. The materials for the course are delivered electronically and include opportunities to practise your skills. You study the materials in your own time and, when you are ready, you book your exam with the Engineering School to which you have applied. A fee of £150 is payable at the time of booking the exam or shortly before the date set for examination.

Tuition fees and scholarships

Tuition fees for 2023 entry (per year)

Home Fee Students

£9250

International Fee Students

£26400

The maximum fee that we are permitted to charge for home fee-paying students is set by the UK government.

As a general principle, you should expect the tuition fee to increase in each subsequent academic year of your course, subject to government regulations on fee increases and in line with inflation.

Read more about fees and funding

Depending on your residency history, if you’re a student from the EU, other EEA or a Swiss national, with settled or pre-settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme, you’ll normally pay the ‘Home’ tuition fee rate and may be eligible for Student Finance England support.

EU students without settled or pre-settled status will normally be charged fees at the ‘International’ rate and will not be eligible for Student Finance England support.

If you are unsure of your fee status, check out the latest guidance here.

Read more about fees and funding

Scholarships

We support our EU and international students by providing a generous range of Vice-Chancellor's automatic and merit-based scholarships. See our undergraduate scholarship page for more information.

Year abroad and additional costs

For programmes where you can spend a year on a work placement or studying abroad, you will receive a significant fee reduction for that year. 

Some of our degrees involve additional costs which are not covered by your tuition fees.

Find out more about:

• different tuition fees
• additional costs

Scholarships

Find out more about:

• scholarships for UK, EU and international students
• Student Loans and Government financial support for UK and EU students

How to apply

Apply through UCAS

To apply for undergraduate study at Newcastle University, you must use the online application system managed by the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS). All UK schools and colleges, and a small number of EU and international establishments, are registered with UCAS. You will need:

• the UCAS name and institution codes for Newcastle University (NEWC/N21)
• the UCAS code for the course you want to apply for
• the UCAS 'buzzword' for your school or college

If you are applying independently, or are applying from a school or college which is not registered to manage applications, you will still use the Apply system. You will not need a buzzword.

Apply through UCAS

Apply through an agent

International students often apply to us through an agent. Have a look at our recommended agents and get in touch with them.

Visit our International pages