Automotive and Motorsport Engineering
Automotive and motorsport engineering brings together the core disciplines of mechanical engineering with a specific focus on the design, development, and performance optimisation of road vehicles and racing cars. The automotive industry is undergoing its most significant transformation in a century, driven by electrification, autonomous vehicle development, and new manufacturing processes, while motorsport continues to be a proving ground for engineering innovation that eventually finds its way into everyday cars. Students of this combination develop a thorough mechanical engineering foundation alongside specialist knowledge of vehicle dynamics, powertrains, aerodynamics, and the high-performance systems that motorsport demands.
At Huddersfield this four-year full-time degree gives you a curriculum that spans both the engineering science and the professional practice of working in the automotive and motorsport sectors. You will study mechanics, thermodynamics, materials, and fluid dynamics alongside vehicle-specific topics such as chassis design, suspension systems, powertrain engineering, and computational fluid dynamics. A sandwich year is built into the programme, giving you the opportunity to work in an automotive engineering organisation, a motorsport team, or a related industry before your final year, which is often where specialist skills and professional networks are established.
Work placement activity supports your development throughout.
Graduates of automotive and motorsport engineering programmes work in vehicle manufacturers, motorsport teams, Tier-1 automotive suppliers, engineering consultancies, and increasingly in the electric vehicle and battery technology sector. The motorsport dimension is particularly valued by employers who want engineers with experience of high-performance, high-stakes development environments. The sandwich year experience frequently leads to confirmed graduate employment.
Postgraduate study in automotive engineering, vehicle dynamics, or motorsport technology is available for those who want to deepen their specialism.