Mechanical Engineering with Industrial Placement Year

Mechanical engineering is the discipline concerned with the design, analysis, manufacture, and operation of machines, structures, and systems. It applies the fundamental sciences of mechanics, thermodynamics, fluid dynamics, and materials science to create the engines, turbines, vehicles, manufacturing systems, and mechanical devices that underpin modern industry. The transition from graduate to chartered engineer requires not just technical knowledge but the ability to lead, manage, and deliver complex engineering projects, and an integrated masters programme with industrial placement is designed to develop exactly that.

At the University of Southampton, this five-year full-time MEng takes you from core principles in mechanical design, structures, and materials through to specialist advanced topics of your choice, developing both depth and breadth across the discipline. You will learn how to take a product from initial concept through to design and manufacture, developing the full engineering process capability that chartered engineer status requires. Project work throughout the degree gives you the opportunity to apply your design skills to real-world problems, developing the judgement and professional confidence that come from working on genuine engineering challenges.

The industrial placement provides extended professional experience, connecting your academic training to the realities of engineering in industry and giving you a significant advantage in the graduate job market.

Southampton is one of the UK's leading engineering universities with strong industry connections and an excellent research environment that informs the teaching.

Graduates go on to careers as mechanical engineers, design engineers, systems engineers, manufacturing engineers, and project managers across sectors including automotive, aerospace, energy, defence, and consumer products. The integrated masters provides a direct route to chartered engineer status with the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, and the combination of academic rigour and industrial placement experience makes Southampton graduates highly regarded by employers.