Sustainable Design Engineering

Sustainable design engineering is a discipline at the forefront of one of the most important challenges facing the engineering profession: how to design and build the products, systems, and infrastructure that people need while drastically reducing their environmental impact. Sustainability is no longer an add-on consideration in engineering; it is a core design constraint, driven by climate targets, resource scarcity, regulatory pressure, and consumer demand. Engineers who can integrate sustainable thinking into every stage of the design process are in growing demand across industry.

At the University of Sunderland, you will be introduced to a range of engineering systems and concepts, prepared to work in the modern world of engineering and to develop a deeper understanding of the discipline through a sustainability lens. The programme runs for three years full time, with a sandwich year, a year abroad and integrated work placement opportunities, giving you an unusually rich set of practical and international experiences alongside the academic content. The placement and sandwich year allow you to apply your skills in real engineering environments, while the year abroad broadens your understanding of how sustainable design is approached in other countries and contexts.

The typical entry tariff is 72 points.

You will develop skills in engineering analysis, materials selection, product and systems design, lifecycle assessment, and the quantitative tools needed to measure and minimise environmental impact. The combination of engineering fundamentals and sustainability thinking gives you a distinctive and increasingly valued set of capabilities in the graduate market.

Graduates from sustainable design engineering programmes move into careers in product design, manufacturing, renewable energy, environmental engineering, construction, consultancy, and the wider engineering and technology sectors. Many employers across these fields are actively seeking engineers with sustainability expertise embedded in their training. Further study at postgraduate level in sustainable engineering, environmental management, or related disciplines is another route for graduates wishing to specialise.