Electronic Engineering Degrees 2013
Do you want to work at the forefront of electronics, computer engineering or communications? Are you interested in how a degree in electronic engineering can open up opportunities to take science investigation and combine it with engineering design to produce real-world products? If the answer is yes, then our Electronic Engineering degrees will help you to develop the knowledge and professional skills for careers leading the future development of electronics, computing systems, space engineering, media engineering and communications. You will be taught to apply theory to real systems, to find out about the latest developments in hardware and device electronics, electrical power and generation, electronics, software and computer systems, space and satellite engineering, mobile and personal communication and audiovisual and multimedia engineering.
Degree programmes
Entry requirements
Minimum entry requirements
- MEng: A level grades AAA
- BEng: A level grades AAB
We do not include General Studies or Critical Thinking in our offers.
Conditional offers from Surrey will be made in grades or marks, and not listed in points from the UCAS tariff.
Required subjects
GCSE English Language and Mathematics at grade C or above (or equivalent).
A-level Mathematics and at least one of the following A-level subjects: Physics, Electronics, or Further Mathematics.
English language requirements
Non-native speakers of English will normally be required to have IELTS 6.5 or above, with a minimum of 6.0 in each component (or equivalent).
Please note that the University of Surrey offers English language programmes and is also an IELTS Test Centre.
Other suitable qualifications
Higher grades refer to MEng programmes.
Cambridge Pre-U
D3, D3, M1; M1, M1, M1
European Baccalaureate
76 – 75% with 80% in both Mathematics and Physics
International Baccalaureate
37 – 35 points
BTEC (QCF Level 3) Extended Diploma
DDD (in an appropriate subject, with a supporting A-level in Mathematics)
In addition, we accept a wide range of qualifications, including other Level 3 QCF Level 3 qualifications, Scottish qualifications, the Irish Leaving Certificate, Access Diplomas and foundation courses. Other qualifications will be considered on an individual basis.
It is important to check whether the qualifications you are taking are suitable for your chosen degree. If you are uncertain whether your qualification meets our entry requirements, please contact us.
If you are an international student and you don’t meet the entry requirements to this degree, we offer the International Foundation Year.
Selection process
Suitable UK-based applicants will normally be invited to visit the Department. Offers to UK-based applicants are usually made after these visits. Applicants based overseas will receive offers during the year.
Tuition fees
UK/EU students
Tuition fees are currently set at £9,000 per year for UK/EU undergraduates starting in 2012.
The tuition charge will be accompanied by a generous financial support package, underlining our continued commitment to widening access for those students who come from low income households.
Overseas students
The fee for students classed as overseas for fees purposes is £15,160.
The University will assess your fee status. If you are unsure whether you are likely to be considered a home, EU or overseas student for fees purposes, the UKCISA website offers more information.
Professional Training Year Fees
Programmes marked with an asterisk (*) in the table above include a professional training year.
Currently fees of £1,050 (based on an inflation assumption of 2.5%) are charged for the Professional Training Year. Fees will not have to be paid up front for those students who decide to take up the Government’s loan for higher education fees. The Professional Training year is a key factor in the high employability rates achieved by students with Surrey degrees.
Our degrees
The University of Surrey has been leading the way in the application of electronic engineering in a wide range of areas such as nanotechnology, vision and signal processing, mobile and wireless communications, multimedia engineering, and space and satellite engineering. Surrey, for example, has pioneered the development of the small satellite industry and has always shown a willingness to commercially develop our research. Joining our Department will give you an opportunity to gain firsthand experience of these technologies, providing a foundation for future careers in industry.
The flexible structure of our degrees, with a wide range of options, allows you to focus your degree towards your interests and career foundations. Our first year is common to all our degree programmes in the Department, so transfer to the different degree pathways is readily possible. All of our degree programmes also include an optional Professional Training year in industry to gain real experience and apply your knowledge. We have a strong track record in actively helping our students to obtain placements in industry that suit their interests and ambitions.
Your learning will be based on the application of theory to real engineering problems and technologies. Practical laboratories and project work will underpin your understanding of the design and implementation of real systems. Individual and group project work allows you to develop novel technologies in optical and nanotechnology, electrical power generation, solar energy and storage, the overlap between electronics and computing, all aspects of modern communications, satellite design, launch and operation, audio and visual media production, and robotics and control engineering.
The MEng degree allows you to benefit from an additional year of advanced specialist modules together with a multidisciplinary group project. This provides an opportunity to work on an industryspecified group project, developing your professional teamwork and project management experience. The Royal Academy of Engineering has recognised the multidisciplinary project as ‘the best example of its kind in the UK’.
All our degree programmes provide a rigorous, professionally accredited engineering education, ensuring that our graduate engineers have the skills and knowledge to pursue careers in industry, developing future information and communication technologies. We allow for transfer between BEng and MEng degree pathways, subject to performance, as well as the option of a year in industry, either here in the UK or overseas. In addition we offer a rich, up-to-date and imaginative curriculum.
Programme content
Programme overview
Year1 is common to all programmes. A typical week in the first year consists of approximately 23 contact hours in total, made up of twelve hours of lectures, six hours of laboratory work, two hours of tutorials and problem classes, two hours of programming experience and one hour of professional skills (including report writing, data presentation and oral presentation). During laboratory classes experiments are conducted in pairs, allowing you to get to know and learn from each other. Small group tutorials are carried out in groups of four to five students and are held each week in your personal tutor’s office.
Year 2 builds on year 1 and if you are studying the Electronics and Computer Engineering programmes, you will follow some software-related modules. If you are studying on the Electronic Engineering or the Telecommunications Systems programmes, you will follow modules appropriate to those specialist pathways. Whichever programme you are studying, you will learn about the professional aspects of being a modern engineer with fundamentals of design strategies, elements of team building, leadership and problem solving. Taught subjects and laboratories aim to provide the basis for specialisation in year 3.
The Professional Training year is the optional year which starts at the end of the second academic year. Preparation for the Professional Training year begins during the second year.
In year 3 a wide range of modules is available (see list below) and students will select those appropriate to their degree title and their own areas of interest. Every student completes a year-long individual project which will include aspects of design, analysis, construction and testing, and may involve joining one of the four research centres. Our strength in both fundamental and applied research will allow you to conduct an innovative project in your chosen area under the guidance of a member of staff. Projects may be associated with our research centres, allowing you access to the state-of-the-art specialist facilities, and are conducted in parallel with taught modules.
In year 4 (MEng only) the material provides for advanced and specialist modules. Our MEng students will also join with students from other engineering departments in an interdisciplinary design project, sponsored by the Royal Academy of Engineering.
Direct entry to the MEng programmes requires higher entry qualifications than the corresponding BEng programmes. Transfer from the BEng to the MEng is possible during the degree programme, depending on academic performance. This transfer would normally happen after the end of the first year (year 1), after the end of the second year (year 2), or after the Professional Training year if a placement is taken. Transfer is also possible from a three-year BEng or four-year MEng to the corresponding programme incorporating a Professional Training year.
Programme structure
Year 1 (FHEQ Level 4)
Subjects taught include:
- Analogue Electronics
- Circuit Theory and Analysis
- Digital Logic and Digital Electronics
- Computers and Programming in C
- Computer Systems
- Engineering Science
- Pure Mathematics and Engineering Mathematics
- Signals and Communications
- Laboratories, Engineering Design and Professional Studies
Year 2 (FHEQ Level 5)
Subjects taught include:
- Analogue and Transistor Electronics
- Control Systems and Feedback
- Communications and Networks
- Digital Engineering and Integrated Circuits
- Electromagnetic Theory
- Further Engineering Mathematics
- Analogue Electronics for Power Systems
- Electrical Machines and Power Generation
- Microprocessor Organisation and Design
- Software Analysis and Design
- Signals and Communications
- Networking and the Internet
- Computer Vision and Graphics
- Media Processing
- Space Engineering
- Electronics and Photonic Devices
- Laboratories, Engineering Design and Professional Studies
Professional Training year
- Optional professional training year in industry
Year 3 (FHEQ Level 6)
Subjects taught include:
- Individual Project
- Engineering Professional Studies
Optional subjects include:
- Computer Vision and Pattern Recognition
- Control Engineering
- Data and Internet Networking
- Digital Communications
- Digital Signal Processing
- Multimedia System and Component Technology
- Introduction to Nanotechnology
- Object-oriented Design and C++
- Optoelectronics
- Power Electronics
- RF and Microwave Fundamentals
- Silicon Devices and Technology
- Electronics with Satellite Engineering options:
- Space Missions
- Spacecraft Bus Subsystems
Year 4 (FHEQ Level 7)
MEng pathways:
- Multidisciplinary Design Project
Optional subjects include:
- Advanced Signal Processing
- Antennas and Propagation
- Mobile and Personal Communications
- Networks and Control
- Operating Systems for Mobile Systems Programming
- Principles of Telecoms and Packet Networks
- Microwave Engineering Principles
- RF Systems and Circuit Design
- Nanoelectronics and Devices
- Molecular Electronics
- Frontiers of Nanotechnology
- Artificial Intelligence and AI Programming
- Image and Video Compression
- Image Processing and Vision
- Speech and Audio Processing and Coding
- Speaker and Speech Recognition
- Advanced Guidance, Navigation and Control
- Launch Vehicles and Propulsion
- Satellite Communications
- Satellite Remote Sensing
- Spacecraft Systems and Design
- Space Robotics
Professional training
While a university degree in itself opens the door to many careers, the Professional Training that is offered as part of our degree programmes provides a significant extra dimension to the qualification. The industry experience that Professional Training affords gives our students insights into both their subject and their career potential that cannot be gained by academic study alone. We believe that Professional Training is a key element that ensures Surrey graduates are consistently at the top in terms of graduate employability.
Professional Training is fully integrated into our sandwich degree programmes and counts towards the final degree mark. In addition, the placement period can subsequently be used in partial fulfilment of the training component for Chartered Engineer status.
The Professional Training year starts at the end of the second academic year when students have sufficient knowledge and practical experience to join companies as practising ‘junior engineers’.
You will be assisted during the second year to find appropriate placements in industry and we endeavour to ensure that the placement matches your interests and aspirations. Over many years, we have established strong relationships with industry and hence there is a great demand for our students. This ensures that there are many interesting and challenging opportunities on offer. In recent years we have had students in placements with over 60 different companies.
During the Professional Training year, you remain a member of the University but are also a paid, full-time company employee. You will be visited on several occasions by an academic member of staff who monitors your progress and, in discussion with the company, decides on a programme of work that will develop your expertise.
Well-known companies that have participated in Professional Training include BAE Systems, Sony, Mitsubishi, Intel, Logica, Nokia, Samsung, Microsoft, Sharp, the BBC and Surrey Satellite Technology. In addition, we have contacts with many smaller companies which provide excellent placement opportunities. Many of our students return from their placement with conditional offers of employment and often with financial sponsorship from their placement company.
Career opportunities
Graduate prospects
Recent graduates entered employment in roles such as:
- BAE Systems Avionics Ltd – Electronic Hardware Engineer
- Motorola – Graduate Software Engineer
- QinetiQ – Research Scientist
- Sony – Graduate Engineer
- Ministry of Defence – Graduate Engineer
- Thales – Graduate Engineer
- Cable and Wireless – Energy Engineer
- Ericsson Technology – Graduate RF Engineer
- Logica – Software Development
- Lockheed Martin UK – Systems Engineer
- Pall Research and Development – Engineer
- Xyratex – Electronics Engineer
- MBDA – Graduate Sensors Engineer
- City Energy Solutions – Software and Hardware Engineer
- Control Universal UK – Software Engineer
Career opportunities
A career in electronic engineering offers variety, challenge and stimulation. Studying for a degree in electronic engineering and our related degrees is not just the pathway to a rewarding career but offers an intellectually demanding and exciting opportunity to break through new boundaries in research. Many of the most remarkable advancements in the past 60 years have only been possible through the curiosity and ingenuity of engineers.
Graduate electronic engineers are in demand, not only in research and development but also in the City, in technical sales, management, and government and public services. Our graduates have a consistently strong record in gaining employment with leading companies.
Employers value the skills and experience that enable our graduates to make a positive contribution in their jobs from day one. Our graduates are employed by companies across the electronics, information technology and communications industries. Recent employers include BAE Systems, BT, Philips, Hewlett Packard, Logica, Lucent Technologies, the BBC, Motorola, NEC Technologies, Nokia, Nortel Networks, Red Hat and Sony.
Additional information
Teaching
Teaching styles vary from large group lectures to small group tutorials in your personal tutor’s office and practical laboratory sessions. The tutorial system within the Department underpins all our teaching activities and ensures individual attention when needed. In the first year, our students meet once a week with their personal tutor, in small groups (up to five students), to establish an effective but informal working relationship. Regular meetings occur throughout the student’s time at Surrey.
Although the Department is large, our staff are approachable and friendly, and we pride ourselves on the rapport we have with our students.
Facilities
Extensive teaching laboratories and networked computer suites with 24-hour access are available to all undergraduate students in the Department. Access to state-of-the-art research facilities is available at year 3 for students undertaking a project linked to one of our research centres in electronics, communications, audiovisual media and space engineering. We actively encourage you to do project work outside of timetable hours, subject to safe working.
Assessment
You will study modules worth 120 credits over the academic year, split between two semesters.
Students are assessed through examinations and by coursework. Examinations take place at the end of each semester. Your degree marks are determined on the performance from your second and subsequent years. Students who undertake the Professional Training year are also assessed on their performance during this stage of their degree. As well as counting towards the final degree total, your year in industry can enhance your employment prospects.
IET Diamond Jubilee Scholarships
The Institution of Engineering & Technology (IET) has launched, The Diamond Jubilee Scholarships, a new scholarships programme named in honour of the IET’s patron, Her Majesty the Queen. The programme is aimed at those embarking upon an IET accredited engineering or technology UK degree course in 2013.
Entry opens for applications in January 2013. Students who meet the minimum criteria will be entitled to an IET scholarship of £1,000 per year for the duration of their degree course.
Entrants must:
- have achieved 3 ‘A’ grades at A-level;
- be embarking upon an IET accredited programme from September or October 2013;
- be a UK resident; and not in receipt of another IET scholarship or grant.
Entry opens in January 2013 via online submission at: www.theiet.org/ambition
Why Surrey?
Electronic Engineering degrees 2013 at Surrey
- The Times Good University Guide 2013, The Guardian University Guide 2013 and The Complete University Guide 2013 all rank Surrey eighth nationally for its electronic engineering programmes
- Consistently high level of satisfaction over the last five years in the National Student Survey
- Second highest in the 2008 UK university National Research Assessment Exercise in Electronic and Electrical Engineering
- Teaching based on world-leading expertise in both hardware and software electronics, mobile and wireless communications, space and satellite, and audio and visual media engineering
- Degrees professionally accredited by the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET)
- Outstanding graduate employment prospects
I would never have imagined my university experience would be so exciting.
Affan Shaukat
BEng Electronic Engineering, Level M
The modules I have studied here have been really interesting and the lecturers are kind and helpful, which is important for an international student like me. The guidance and help from my personal tutor made it really easy for me to take the initiative in group discussions and work out solutions to problems.
The undergraduate laboratories are modern, and the laboratory technicians have always been helpful - I have never known important experimental equipment to be unavailable.
The campus as a whole is really beautiful, but the lakeside has always been my favourite spot. I like the idea of meeting people belonging to different cultures and nationalities, and the on-campus cafés, restaurants and clubs have made my university life so refreshing – I would never have imagined my university experience would be so exciting.
Professional recognition
The Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET) has accredited all our degrees as contributing towards professional registration. Our MEng programmes fully satisfy the educational requirements for professional registration as a Chartered Engineer (CEng).
The Electronic Engineering department at Surrey is an enhanced academic partner of the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET). This partnership with IET is designed to help enhance students’ learning and professional development while at Surrey. The benefits of this partnership include heavily discounted memberships for students who want to join, opportunities to attend events run by IET on the University campus both for the wider community but also specifically for students. There is also access to professional development courses on campus and much more. Last but not least, students also have the opportunity to get involved in IET supporting activities on the campus during their studies and raise their own profile.
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