Automotive Engineering (with placement)

Course overview

Automotive Engineering is a dynamic and expanding branch of engineering challenged to develop efficient, safe and environmentally sustainable vehicles that meet the needs of a growing and more mobile global population. 

Our course addresses the breadth of vehicle technologies and application with an additional focus on the off-highway vehicle sector which ranges from sports utility vehicles, to construction equipment, to defence vehicles, each of which produces further challenges to the automotive engineer. 

Students will learn about on-road vehicle systems and technologies plus specialist modules will ready our engineers for the additional challenges of the off-highway sector. You will develop your knowledge and engineering skills through contextualised modules and using specialist facilities such as our Soil Hall, Off-road Track, Applied Engineering Workshop and laboratories. There is a wide range of on and off-highway vehicles available for students to use as part of project work and there are also opportunities to get involved with cutting-edge research in autonomous and connected vehicles with Harper Adams’ Hands Free Farm. 

You won’t have to wait to put your learning into practice – you will be a member of a team of engineers from day one engaged with real-world scenarios and projects. Assessment typically includes live industry projects, creating and exhibiting new products, creative portfolios, and applying specialist engineering tools and techniques.  

Supported by an integrated placement year in industry, you will be primed for your future career using personal, technical and professional skills employers have identified with us as critical to your graduate employability in roles such as researching, designing and testing the next generation of vehicles and vehicle systems.

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Work Placement

Students spend their 12-month placement with companies such as Jaguar Land Rover, Terex, JCB, Caterpillar, and BAE Systems. Past experience shows many students find graduate employment with their placement company.

You will be helped to find the right role by an engineering placement manager based at Harper Adams.

Careers

Career opportunities in the Automotive sector are outstanding. Our graduates are highly sought-after for their technical knowledge and skills but also their soft skills, essential in a modern engineering environment. BEng students will typically go on to work in design, development and in-service product support roles, delivering solutions or managing engineering teams. Past students have gained employment in multinational manufacturers including Jaguar Land Rover, JCB, Caterpillar and BAE Systems, engineering support services such as HORIBA MIRA and Prodrive, but also small highly specialist companies such as Supacat, Niftylift and Rail-Ability.

Accreditation