Electrical and Mechanical Engineering BEng (Hons)

Level: Undergraduate

Subject: Engineering

Year of entry: 2026

Key facts

UCAS Code

HH36

Award

BEng (Hons)

Duration of study

4 years

Delivery

Full-time

Study location

King's Buildings campus

Start date

September 2026

School

School of Engineering

College

College of Science and Engineering

Study abroad

Available

Accreditation

Available

Placement

No

Second year entry

Available

Open days and events

About the degree programme

Electromechanical engineers work on everything from energy generation and hybrid vehicles to aircraft design and satellite technology. They are creative problem-solvers and are skilled at working in interdisciplinary teams to deal with society's ever more complex challenges.

Here at Edinburgh, we have particular specialisms in:

  • carbon capture
  • materials science and engineering
  • engineering at the interface of biology and medicine
  • renewable energy, including marine energy

United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals

Based on our compulsory course material, this degree aligns with many of the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the top three being: 

  • SDG 7: Affordable and Clean Energy
  • SDG 9: Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure
  • SDG 13: Climate Action

Electronics and electrical engineering

Electronics and electrical engineers pioneer change in the modern technologies that underpin our world. They create more powerful, efficient and universal products, systems and materials, from the nano to the macro scale, addressing the future needs of societies locally and across the globe.

Mechanical engineering

Mechanical engineers turn ideas into realities, by creating systems and machines, generating movement and power. They lead technological advancements across diverse industries, instigating more efficient, safe and affordable designs and pushing the boundaries of modern manufacturing and automation.

Ties to industry

Our Industrial Liaison Boards include senior representatives from prominent engineering companies. This has, and continues to, influence our curriculum and programme development.

How long it takes to complete this degree programme

This programme takes 4 years to complete.

A key benefit to studying a 4 year degree programme is that you have the flexibility to study a range of subjects, outside your chosen degree programme in Year 1.

Second year entry 

Our course structure is designed in such a way that we permit Year 2 direct entry. If you are eligible for a direct entry into the second year, this programme takes 3 years to complete.

Programme rankings

  • Consistently ranked in the UK's top 10 universities for engineering (THE Rankings by subject 2024 and QS World University Rankings by Subject 2025).
  • Ranked 7th in the world and 2nd in the UK for sustainability, recognising our leadership in creating a more sustainable world (2025 QS World University Rankings).

Programme benefits

  • Make use of an enviable suite of facilities including specialist laboratories, student makerspaces and cutting-edge industry-standard equipment.
  • You will benefit from research-led teaching by internationally leading academics.
  • We have strong links to industry with excellent career prospects, industry relevant curriculum and internships.
  • Benefit from a balanced curriculum covering theoretical and practical skills and individual and group work.

The degree doesn't just teach engineering principles; it equips me with the practical skills, industry exposure, and confidence needed to excel in my future career. The combination of rigorous academics and real-world applications ensures that I'm well-prepared to tackle the challenges of the engineering field and enter my future career with a degree that is well recognised and valuable to employers.

Mukhil 4th Year BEng Electrical and Mechanical Engineering student

Find your entry requirements

Use the dropdowns to find out your entry requirements.

  1. Select the country or region where you are studying or where you studied your qualification.
  2. Select the qualification you are studying or studied.
United Kingdom,

Tuition fees for BEng (Hons) Electrical and Mechanical Engineering

View the tuition fees for one academic year of BEng (Hons) Electrical and Mechanical Engineering.

Tuition fees for this programme

Accommodation and living costs

You need to cover your accommodation and living costs for the duration of your programme.

We estimate that a single student can potentially spend £1,023 to £2,043 on living costs each month, depending on your accommodation.

This estimate covers the costs of:

  • accommodation
  • food
  • utility bills
  • travel within Edinburgh
  • health and wellbeing costs

See a breakdown of living costs

Scholarships and funding

Funding information

You can find detailed information on financial support available, based on where you are living, in our funding section.

Funding

What you will study

In the early years of the degree, we teach a solid foundation of electrical and mechanical engineering. Our courses are designed to improve your team-working, communication and problem-solving skills.

In later years, our degree gives you the flexibility to study specialist courses in areas you are most interested in.

Curriculum renewal

The School of Engineering is currently undertaking an ongoing curriculum renewal, which may result in changes to this degree programme.

The renewal is being carried out with:

  • our industrial partners
  • accreditation bodies
  • students

This renewal makes sure we equip you for an exciting career in the ever-changing world of engineering.

Introductory courses

In Year 1, you will take introductory courses and develop skills that you will later rely on as a professional engineer, including:

  • problem-solving skills
  • teamwork
  • advanced thinking
  • confidence
  • technical topics in general engineering, electronics and electrical engineering
  • mathematics
Additional courses

You will choose courses from across the University to complement your engineering studies, with options available in the sciences, arts and humanities.

Find courses

The courses you can study will vary from year to year and may be different for your year of entry.

You can get an idea of what you might study by viewing the latest course information for this programme.

Find Year 1 courses (2025-2026 academic year)

In Year 2, you will specialise in core electrical and mechanical engineering themes, which usually include:

  • analogue circuits
  • digital system design
  • power engineering
  • structural mechanics
  • fluid mechanics
  • dynamics
  • thermodynamics

You will also study essentials in the engineer’s toolkit to develop your skills in:

  • programming
  • engineering mathematics
  • professional skills for engineers
Find courses

The courses you can study will vary from year to year and may be different for your year of entry.

You can get an idea of what you might study by viewing the latest course information for this programme.

Find Year 2 courses (2025-2026 academic year)

You will continue to develop your knowledge and skills in both mechanical and electrical engineering, with courses usually covering topics on:

  • structural mechanics and dynamics
  • thermofluids
  • control and instrumentation engineering
  • electrical power engineering
  • analogue circuits
  • digital system design

Many of the courses in Year 3 incorporate practical work building your skills with hardware and software. In addition, you will learn more about modern engineering companies and further develop your professional skills.

Progression routes

At the end of Year 3, you will have the option to complete one more year for a Bachelor of Engineering (BEng) degree, or a further two years for a Master of Engineering (MEng) degree.

The latter is subject to you achieving an average of 55% or higher in Year 3.

Find courses

The courses you can study will vary from year to year and may be different for your year of entry.

You can get an idea of what you might study by viewing the latest course information for this programme.

Find Year 3 courses (2025-2026 academic year)

In Year 4, you will have a wide choice of specialist technical course options, plus courses designed to prepare you for your professional career.

Alongside your specialist courses you will further develop your understanding of the application and practice of electrical and mechanical engineering.

You will also undertake a major individual project worth one third of your grade for the year. This forms the most significant practical element of your degree programme. Your project may be linked to the research activity of your supervisor. This will expose you to, and potentially allow you to contribute to, the research output of the University.

Find courses

The courses you can study will vary from year to year and may be different for your year of entry.

You can get an idea of what you might study by viewing the latest course information for this programme.

Find Year 4 courses (2025-2026 academic year)

Study abroad

In Year 3, you will have opportunities to study abroad.

The University has a variety of agreements with international institutions that allow you to study there in Year 3. 

Common destinations include:

  • USA
  • Canada
  • Australia
  • Europe
  • Asia

What are my choices for going abroad?

This is enhanced by subject-specific agreements which provide additional destinations.

Where can I go?

(Revised 12 March 2025 to update study abroad information)

Teaching and assessment

Teaching

The exciting nature of engineering means you will have a diverse learning experience throughout your degree programme.

We will teach you through a combination of:

  • lectures
  • tutorials
  • laboratory sessions
  • projects
  • group work
  • directed self-study

In your final years, you will dedicate more time to private study, so you will need to be well-motivated and organised.

You will also receive individual supervision with projects.

Sustainability

Compulsory course material on this programme reflects the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals; primarily SDGs 7, 9 and 13.

Depending on the optional courses you choose to take, you will have the opportunity to explore others.

Further your knowledge of sustainability with our free training and resources

Social and civic responsibility is a key focus of the University.

Learn more about our focus on social and civic responsibility in our Climate Strategy

Assessment

You will be assessed through coursework and examinations.

For detailed information on compulsory and option courses you should review the Programme Structure - Degree Programme Table. You can find links to this information under the individual years of study.

Refer to individual course details to see the types of assessment included.

Support for your studies

You will have access to a range of support services if you need them throughout your degree.

We will assign you to a student adviser, and this should be the first person to contact if you need help. They can guide you to other University service teams depending on what support you need.

Support for your studies

Our academic staff

Our research directly informs what you study. You will learn from academics who are researching solutions to the world’s grand challenges and delivering critical societal, economic and environmental outcomes.

Where you will study

Study location

The majority of your learning will take place at the King’s Buildings campus, depending on courses selected.

The King’s Buildings campus is around 15 minutes from central Edinburgh by bus or bike.

You may also study at various University campus locations in the vibrant city of Edinburgh, depending on the option courses selected.

Academic facilities

You will have access to state of the art laboratory facilities including:

  • industry standard software and hardware
  • in-person and remote labs

In addition, you can access a wide range of academic facilities including:

  • libraries
  • study spaces (some spaces are open 24 hours)
  • IT facilities
  • social spaces
  • leisure facilities

You can also take advantage of the University’s computing resources. This includes a laptop loan service offered through the library, with extended loans available for those in financial hardship.

Borrowing a laptop

All essential reading materials are freely accessible through the University library or on our online learning platform LEARN.

Engineering Makerspace

You will also be able to bring your ideas to life at the Engineering Makerspace, a dedicated workspace for students to design, build and test their own projects and inventions.

Engineering Makerspace

Virtual tour

You can take a closer look at the School of Engineering and explore our facilities and campus on the University's Virtual Visit site.

Virtual visit - School of Engineering

Accreditation

Our Electronics and Electrical Engineering degrees are currently going through the process of reaccreditation by the Institution of Engineering and Technology. From time to time, programmes undergo review as part of the cyclical accreditation processes. Statuses can be checked on the Engineering Council pages.

Accredited by the Institution of Mechanical Engineers and the Institution of Engineering Technology (IET) on behalf of the Engineering Council for the purposes of fully meeting the academic requirement for registration as an Incorporated Engineer and partially meeting the academic requirement for registration as a Chartered Engineer.

Candidates must hold a masters degree or doctorate accredited as further learning for Chartered Engineers (CEng) to hold accredited qualifications for the CEng registration.

Some employers recruit preferentially from accredited degrees. 

An accredited degree is also likely to be recognised by other countries that are signatories to international accords.

(Revised 21 May 2025 to update accreditation information)

Career paths

Studying engineering at the University of Edinburgh prepares you for a career as a professional engineer in the UK or abroad.

On graduating from this programme, you will have:

  • core-thorough knowledge
  • analytical skills
  • practical skills
  • design skills
  • communication skills

This enables you to join a design, production or research team, go into further study, or move rapidly into management and leadership roles.

On the other hand, many of our graduates go on to work in other areas, including:

  • the civil service
  • education
  • the armed forces
  • the financial sector

Internships

The School of Engineering funds a number of internships each year to enable students to work on research or teaching focused projects over the summer and gain relevant work experience here in the School. Internships are allocated on a competitive basis, across each of the four disciplines: Chemical, Civil, Electronics & Electrical and Mechanical Engineering. Applications are open to non-finalist undergraduate students who are at least in the second year of their programme.​

We advertise internship opportunities and arrange company presentations with the Careers Service. These experiences can feature on your transcript after completing an Edinburgh Award.

Edinburgh Award

(Revised 12 March 2025 to update internships information)

Careers Service

Our Careers Service can help you to fully develop your potential and achieve your future goals.

The Careers Service supports you not only while you are studying at the University, but also for up to two years after you finish your studies.

With the Careers Service, you can:

  • access digital resources to help you understand your skills and strengths
  • try different types of experiences and reflect on how and what you develop
  • get help finding work, including part-time jobs, vacation work, internships and graduate jobs
  • attend careers events and practice interviews
  • get information and advice to help you make informed decisions

Visit the Careers Service website

Further study

After you complete your programme, you may want to go onto further study at Edinburgh or a different university. You could progress to:

  • a masters degree
  • a postgraduate diploma or certificate
  • a PhD
  • a second undergraduate degree

Find out about options for further study

How to apply

You must submit a full application through UCAS (Universities and Colleges Admissions Service) before the relevant deadline.

Guidance on applying through UCAS

What you need to apply

As part of your application, you will need:

  • your academic qualifications
  • a personal statement
  • evidence of your English language skills (with relevant qualifications)
  • a reference

How we select

If you have met, or are predicted to meet, all our entry requirements by the relevant deadline, then your application will go into our selection process.

As part of this selection process, we will review all the information you submit in your UCAS application when we decide who to select for this degree programme.

How we select applicants

When to apply

  • 2026 entry UCAS deadline: 14 January 2026 (6:00pm GMT)

This is the deadline for all UK, EU and international applicants to non-medicine and veterinary medicine programmes.

To find out if any degree programmes have spaces after 14 January 2026, search the University of Edinburgh on the UCAS website.

Search degrees that are open on the UCAS website

Key application dates and deadlines

After you apply

After you have applied for your degree programme, we suggest you have a look at the following information to help you prepare for university:

Applying as an international student

As an international student, you apply for this degree programme through UCAS.  

Find out more about applying through UCAS  

Visas and immigration 

If you do not have the right to live in the UK, you will need to apply for and secure a Student visa before the start date of your degree programme.  

Our Student Immigration Service can help you with the Student visa application process. 

Applying for a visa  

Agents  

An education agent is someone who can help you with the application process as an international student. 

We work with education agents around the world and have a list of local offices you can contact.  

Find contact details for an education agent

Academic Technology Approval Scheme

If you need to apply for a Student visa, you may need an Academic Technology Approval Scheme clearance certificate in order to study this programme.

Academic Technology Approval Scheme

Accommodation

We guarantee an offer of University accommodation for all new, single undergraduate students from outside Edinburgh. To be eligible, you need to meet all criteria and apply for accommodation by 16 August in the year of your entry to the University.

University accommodation website

Accommodation guarantee criteria

If you prefer to live elsewhere, we can offer you advice on finding accommodation in Edinburgh.

Accommodation information from the Edinburgh University Students' Association Advice Place

Societies and clubs

Our societies help you develop your interests, meet like-minded people, find a new hobby or simply socialise.

Our engineering student-led projects include:

  • Engineering for Change (sustainability)
  • Edinburgh University Formula Student (automotive technology)
  • HYPED (Hyperloop)
  • Endeavour (rocketry)
  • HumanEd (robotics)
  • Precious plastics (recycling)

Societies

Sports clubs

The electronics and electrical engineering discipline supports the Electronics After Hours Club. This allows you to develop your own extra-curricular projects in a supportive environment.

The city of Edinburgh

Edinburgh is regularly voted among the UK’s top student cities (top 2 in the UK, QS 2024).

Scotland's inspiring capital will form the background to your studies — a city with an irresistible blend of history, natural beauty and modern city life.

Find out more about living in Edinburgh

Our community

The School of Engineering fosters a vibrant and inclusive community for all its members. Our students, from diverse backgrounds, come together to collaborate on innovative projects, and participate in a wide range of extracurricular activities. The supportive environment encourages personal and academic growth, with numerous opportunities for community-building and networking.

Health and wellbeing support

You will have access to free health and wellbeing services throughout your time at university if you need them.

The support services we offer include:

  • a student counselling service
  • a health centre (doctor's surgery)
  • support if you're living in University accommodation
  • dedicated help and support if you have a disability or need adjustment

Health and wellbeing support services

Contact us

Contact us through our enquiry team if you have any questions about this programme.

Open days, events and visits

Find out when our next open days will be taking place

Open days, events and visits

Chat to our students on Unibuddy

Related degree programmes

You may also be interested in

Discover Uni data

This information is part of a government initiative to enhance the material that higher education institutions provide about their degree programmes.

It is one of many sources of information which will enable you to make an informed decision on what and where to study.

Some programmes do not have Discover Uni data available.

Electrical and Mechanical Engineering at University of Edinburgh

To see official information about this course and others visit Discover Uni.

Make an informed choice.

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Electrical and Mechanical Engineering at University of Edinburgh

To see official information about this course and others visit Discover Uni.

Make an informed choice.

See course info

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  • Revised 12 March 2025 to add in second year entry information
  • Revised 1 April 2025 to remove support information from second year entry
  • Revised 1 April 2025 to update societies information
  • Revised A level and IB required subjects on 9 April 2025 to correct Computing Science to Computer Science.
  • Revised 29 May 2025 to add information on Sustainable Development Goals and sustainability at Edinburgh to overview, rankings and teaching sections