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DEGREE GUIDE

Design Engineering

What do Design Engineering degrees involve?

Design Engineering degrees combine creative design thinking with engineering knowledge, teaching you how to develop innovative products, systems, and solutions to real-world problems. You will learn core engineering principles including mathematics, mechanics, electronics, and materials science alongside design skills such as CAD, rapid prototyping, human-centred design, and sustainability. These courses are heavily project-based, with teams working together to solve complex challenges from the start. Most programmes are professionally accredited, and many are offered as integrated four-year Masters (MEng) degrees leading towards Chartered Engineer status. Design Engineering suits students who enjoy both the creative side of design and the technical rigour of engineering, and who want to bring ideas to life through prototyping and testing rather than choosing between the two.

     Example
Modules

  • Design Principles and Practice: Work on team-based design projects from the start, learning to define problems, generate concepts, develop prototypes, and present solutions.


  • Engineering Mathematics: Build the mathematical foundations needed for engineering analysis, covering calculus, linear algebra, and statistics applied to design and engineering problems.


  • Materials and Manufacturing: Study the properties of engineering materials and the manufacturing processes used to turn designs into real products, from injection moulding to additive manufacturing.

Common Degree Names

💼 Placement years and industrial projects are available at many universities, with students working in engineering consultancies, product development firms, and technology companies. 

🌍 Study abroad and international exchange opportunities are offered at several universities, including partners across Europe, the US, and Asia.


  • MEng Design Engineering

  • BEng (Hons) Design Engineering

  • BEng/MEng Product Design Engineering

  • BSc (Hons) Product Design Engineering

A design engineering workbench showing a small student-built wind turbine model on a wooden plinth, with an open notebook of aerodynamic blade profile sketches, a textbook on renewable engineering, material sample squares, a metal vernier caliper, and a small green PCB with ribbon cables.

Ready to move to #73 Flexible Combined Honours — Female + Black when you are. That's the one where we still need to land on the concept since the degree has no fixed subject content. Want to think it through next, or break here?

Level 3 (A-level / IB Diploma (HL) / Scottish Highers)


Design Engineering bridges creative design and technical engineering, and entry requirements reflect this. Mathematics is essential at almost every university because the degree involves engineering analysis, calculation, and modelling. Beyond Maths, requirements vary depending on whether a programme leans more towards design or engineering.


You'll need

  • Mathematics — required by virtually all programmes. The degree involves significant mathematical content from the first year

Subjects that strengthen your application:

  • Physics — strongly preferred at most universities, as it underpins mechanics, materials, and electronics. However, some programmes do not require Physics and welcome students with diverse subject combinations

  • Design & Technology or Product Design — directly relevant, showing hands-on design and making skills

  • Further Mathematics — helpful preparation for the mathematical demands of the degree, and preferred at some universities if available at your school, though rarely required

  • Art, Computing, or another science — welcomed alongside Maths and Physics.


✨ If you are choosing between a Design Engineering degree and a more traditional engineering degree (such as Mechanical Engineering), the key difference is that Design Engineering programmes value your creative and design skills alongside your technical ability. Keeping Maths plus at least one of Physics or Design & Technology gives you the widest range of options.



Universities may also accept:


  • BTEC Extended Diplomas in Engineering — accepted at some universities, often alongside A-level Maths

  • BTEC National Extended Certificates or National Diplomas alongside relevant A-level subjects (typically Maths)

  • T Levels in Design and Development for Engineering and Manufacturing — accepted at some universities. Check individual course requirements as this is a newer qualification

  • IB Career-related Programme (IBCP) with at least two IB Higher Level subjects, including Mathematics; an engineering or design pathway would be directly relevant


Many Design Engineering courses are accredited by professional bodies such as the Institution of Engineering Designers (IED), Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE), or Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET). Always check specific course requirements.

Level 2 Qualifications (GCSE / MYP / National 5)


Most courses ask for:


  • GCSE English Language and Maths at grade 4/C or above, or equivalent such as National 5s or MYP


📘 GCSE Physics, Design & Technology, or Computing (or equivalent) can be helpful for building early skills, but they are not essential for most Design Engineering applications. Some universities may ask for GCSE Maths at grade 6 or above.

Is this degree right for you?

Members can explore whether this degree fits who they are:

  • Skills you'd develop and whether they match your strengths

  • How this aligns with your interests, motivators and values

  • Career paths and where graduates end up

Full access to all self-discovery tools and guides. Cancel anytime.

Skills you would develop in X degree
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Skill Name

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Is this a good fit for you?

Use the tabs to explore the kind of person that this would be a good fit for. Do you share the Interests, Motivations, Values, Work identity and skills that people who thrive in this course tend to have?

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Not sure what these things are?  Explore your Identity Tree with us first.

Interests that connect well with a Design Engineering degree

Students who enjoy this degree often share these interests. You don't need to feel strongly about all of them, and interests develop over time. If one or two catch your curiosity, or sound like something you'd like to know more about, that's a good sign.

Machines, Structures & How Things Are Engineered: Engineering principles sit at the core of Design Engineering. You'll study mechanics, materials, manufacturing and electronics, applied continuously through a design process that takes ideas from concept to tested product.


Visual Art, Craft & Design: Product form and visual design are integrated with engineering throughout the degree. You'll work with sketching, ergonomics, visual communication and the craft of giving products a shape that works for the people who use them.


The Environment & Sustainability: Sustainability is a core thread of Design Engineering: lifecycle thinking, circular-economy principles, material selection for low impact, and design for disassembly. The focus is on making products more sustainable, rather than the broader environmental science that suits a dedicated Environmental Science or Sustainability degree.


Mathematics, Patterns & Data: Mathematics runs throughout the degree. You'll use calculus, differential equations and numerical methods to model how components and systems behave. If you enjoy using maths to understand how real things work, that's the kind of maths you'll meet throughout the degree.

Careers a Design Engineering degree could lead you to

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