Engineering at Swansea

Study your Postgraduate Engineering Degree at Swansea and be surrounded by leading research of the highest calibre that’s making global breakthroughs. Our aim is to help students develop the potential to become future leaders, champions of industry, and innovative thinkers, or to be equipped to meet the challenges and opportunities for a career in research.

Worldwide reputation

All of our Engineering Departments at Swansea University are highly ranked:

• Aerospace Engineering – Top 100 in the World (QS World University Rankings 2023)
• Biomedical Engineering - UK Top 3 for Research Quality (The Complete University Guide 2024)
• Chemical Engineering – Top 151-200 in the World (QS World University Rankings 2023)
• Civil & Structural Engineering – Top 201-230 in the World (QS World University Rankings 2023)
• Electronic and Electrical Engineering - UK Top 28 for Research Quality/Rating (The Complete University Guide 2023, The Times Good University Guide 2023)
• Materials Science & Engineering – Top 95 in the World (QS World University Rankings 2023)
• Mechanical Engineering – Top 100 in the World (QS World University Rankings 2023)
• Sport and Exercise Sciences -Top 51-100 in the World (QS World University Rankings 2023)

Outstanding location and facilities

With world-class research centres and sustained investment in our outstanding resources and facilities, Engineering at Swansea University provides a superb environment in which to study or conduct research.

All of this is situated on our £450 million Bay Campus, an enviable seafront location next to the breath-taking Swansea Bay. Engineering at Swansea consists of seven purpose-built buildings, holding over 30,000m2 of laboratory and office space, and over £10 million of new research and teaching equipment.

Learn more about our Engineering Facilities or take a Virtual Tour of our Bay Campus.

Research with a real impact

Our research contributes to the success of specific United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, including: Good Health and Well-being; Clean Water and Sanitation; Affordable and Clean Energy; Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure; Sustainable Cities and Communities; Responsible Consumption and Production; and Climate Action.

In the most recent Research Excellence Framework (REF) in 2021, over 91% of Faculty of Science & Engineering submission to the assessment, over 8 units, was classed as either ‘internationally excellent’ or ‘world-leading’.

Find out more about our Interdisciplinary Research Institutes and areas where we are making an impact with Engineering Research at Swansea University.

Find your perfect course

All of the content in our programmes are informed by the latest developments in research and innovation, and the skills we teach are a direct result of industry needs. We offer high quality and many world-ranked, accredited courses in the following areas:

We offer a wide range of degrees, including MSc, PhD, MPhil, MSc by Research, and MRes.

Aerospace Engineering

There are many opportunities for crossovers into different sectors and industries. However, many of our graduates usually want and find a career specifically in the aerospace industry because of their passion for aircrafts. Your future could lie in any of the following roles: Air Aircraft Design Engineer, Satellite Design Engineer, Aircraft Systems Engineer, Rocket Scientist, Aircraft MRO Engineer, Defence Engineer, Airline Pilot, High Speed Railway Engineer, and Flight Test Engineer.

Biomedical Engineering

Our Biomedical Engineering courses could set you up well for a career in life sciences or the medical device industry. Our previous graduates have gone on to have interesting careers at companies such as Renishaw, Calon Cardio-Technology Ltd, Olympus Surgical Technologies, NHS, GE Healthcare and Royal Navy.

Chemical Engineering

Chemical Engineering has one of the broadest base of job opportunities and is therefore in a sense ‘recession proof’. Not only do Chemical Engineers (also sometimes known as a Process Engineer) have transferable skills, they have knowledge in a multitude of areas and tend to become team leaders. Our graduates have gone on to find careers in various industries such as energy/power stations, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, oil and gas, brewing, food, water treatment, environmental, and for companies such as Tata Steel, BP, GlaxoSmithKline, Phillips 66 and Pepsi Co.

Civil & Structural Engineering

Many of our graduates have gone on to work with companies such as ARUP, Atkins, Liang O Rourke and Matt MacDonald. The roles you might expect include Design Engineers, Resident Engineers, Construction Engineers and more. It is also common for civil engineering graduates to go on to work in the financial sector like accountancy, or the legal sector in law firms and patents because of their strong maths and analytical skills. Civil Engineering graduates are highly desirable by these different sectors because of their knowledge and familiarity with the technology and environment of the clients they will work with, giving them an advantage over accounting and law graduates.

Computational Engineering

Due to the unique skills of a Computational Engineer, the expected salary is usually higher than a standard Engineer. For instance, in the UK, the average salary of a Computational Engineering job in November 2022 is £43K, whereas the average salary of an Engineering job is £38K. It is worth noting that employers seeking graduates use either “Computational Engineer”, “Modelling Engineer” or “Simulation Engineer” in their descriptions.

Electrical Engineering, Power Engineering and Sustainable Energy, Nanotechnology

In addition to fundamental Electrical Engineering, you could become an Electronics Designer or a Field Engineer in automotion, automotives, the power industry, defence and more. Some notable companies that our graduates have gone on to work for include Intel, BAE Systems, Ministry of Defence, and BBC. From Power Electronics to NanoElectronics shaping our future, Electrical Engineers can work on a wide range of components, devices and systems, from tiny microchips to huge power station generators, so it’s a very challenging but also diverse field.

Engineering Leadership and Management

Graduates of our MSc can be strongly positioned for rewarding management opportunities in engineering and other sectors. Students completing the course can get a head start on conventional graduates and get ahead of the curve with career progression, gaining additional responsibility, and promotion ahead of their peers as it offers a unique blend of management principles and engineering expertise.

Materials Science and Engineering

It’s not every day you hear about a Materials Scientist and one reason is because Materials Science covers a wide range of activities and touches on many different fields – including Chemistry, Biology and Physics. Many of our graduates have gone on to work with companies such as Rolls-Royce, Jaguar, Renault, Sony, EDF Energy, Cummins Turbo Technologies, Airbus and Timet, as a Materials Engineer, Metallurgist, Product Development Scientist, Biomedical Engineering, Manufacturing Systems Engineer and more.

Mechanical Engineering

As we are a world-leader in Computational Methods which is very desirable in industry, not only does our speciality have industrial relevance, but it makes us highly competitive as a department that produces competitive graduates. Mechanical Engineering is a broad sector that gives you a good set of competencies which can take you into a wide range of industries, such as automotive, food service, construction, pharmaceuticals, aerospace, project management, and more. Our graduates have gone on to have interesting and varied careers at companies such as, Tata Steel, Rolls-Royce, Jaguar Land Rover, BP, GE Aviation, Ford and Babcock International Group.

Sport and Exercise Sciences

We prepare our graduates for a fulfilling career in fitness and leisure industries, elite sport performance, pharmaceuticals, healthcare, research and more. Our department has strong links with organisations and commercial partners such as Diabetes UK, the Sugar Bureau, Haemair, Haemaflow Ltd, NHS Trusts, the Welsh Rugby Union and the Premier League. We also work with elite sports teams including UK Sport, Swansea City FC, Scarlets Rugby, Biarritz Rugby, Ospreys Rugby, WRU 7s, GB Swimming, and GB Bobsleigh, so our graduates can be set for a range of exciting career opportunities.

Virtual Reality

It is hard to think of an area of human activity or interest which would not benefit from VR in some way. Numerous industries have already adopted VR practices and as a result are all future employers in this industry. At present, there is a real shortage of VR specialists, especially individuals with additional subject expertise e.g – engineering, science, business, and arts and humanities. This is hampering industry growth and our aim is to satisfy this shortage by producing experts who are already qualified to degree level in one discipline but who also possess the highly desirable skill of creating their own original VR applications.

Future career prospects

We have a dedicated Science & Engineering Employability Team to support and prepare you for your future career. From mock interviews/interview advice to CV and cover letter reviews, advice for assessment centres, and suggestions for where to source relevant placements and graduate jobs, we are your first port of call for all things regarding your employability in the Science & Engineering industry.

Follow our Instagram to get a preview of the things that we do and the events that we host throughout the year to help boost your future prospects.