Jon Sims Williams (Admissions Tutor)
Prof Stuart Burgess (Programme Director)
UCAS forms are scored for academic competence, leadership ability, engineering interest and breadth of skills and interest. This process is carried out by two staff according to fixed rules and is the same for all candidates applying. The standard of academic competence is evaluated from predicted or actual grades in examinations, and you will get credit for offering more subjects. Leadership, initiative, engineering interest, and breadth of skills and interest are assessed by reading both the personal statement and the reference.
All applications are considered on an equal basis. Forms are not segregated by the type of educational institution attended.
If we think that your UCAS form looks promising, then you will be asked to complete an additional form (for more information about your skills) and submit a piece of written work (to assess communication, competence, organisation of material, and presentation).
Candidates who are successful at this stage will be invited for interview.
Interviews are conducted by a member of the academic staff and a representative of one of the companies that support this degree programme. The interview lasts for about 45 minutes and is used to decide whether an offer should be made. When a candidate attends for interview, the interviewers are looking for a wider range of interpersonal skills as well as leadership ability and engineering interest. The company representatives, who take part in the interviews, are naturally evaluating whether the company would consider employing the applicant, as our sponsoring companies are expected to take the students for placements during the degree programme.
At interview, they will be looking to see that you have skills in the following areas: teamwork, planning, the ability to control and direct, initiative, organisation, communication, analysis, problem-solving, self-motivation, intellectual curiosity, professionalism, technical competence, self-confidence, innovation, and the ability to listen and evaluate.
If interviewed, you will also sit a physical reasoning test. The test attempts to evaluate your ability to think. You will also be given a tour of the Faculty and will have the opportunity to talk about the programme with staff and current students. There is also a group design exercise.
We welcome applications from mature students. Entrance requirements can be varied in suitable cases. Recent qualifications in Mathematics and Physics are essential. The reference will be used to confirm the relevant experience of the applicant and show evidence of responsibility and commitment. It should indicate the potential of the applicant for study at degree level.
Overseas candidates will also be asked to provide evidence of a good command of the English language. If your first language is not English, you should have achieved an IELTS score of 6.5 overall by the proposed date of entry.
We do not accept overseas students without interview because we are looking for more than just academic ability. We involve our partner companies in the interview process, as they will be taking on the students for summer placements and the third year placements. If you are unable to come here we will do the interview either through one of our partner companies who have representatives in your country, or by skype. You may be asked to take a physical reasoning test over the internet or on paper in your school.
As explained in Section 1, UCAS forms are scored for academic competence, leadership ability, engineering interest and breadth of skills and interest.
Academic entry requirements for standard qualifications (A-level, SQA, IB, Access, BTEC, Welsh BAcc, 14-19 Diploma, GCSE's) can be found in the online Undergraduate Prospectus.
Other qualifications, including international qualifications, will be considered on their individual merits. Further information is available here.
General Studies is counted in the initial evaluations of applicants but is not counted as part of offers.
We take an holistic approach to all applications, ensuring that the educational and social context in which an applicant applies is taken into consideration, where supported by clear evidence that this may have adversely affected academic achievement. This may include time spent in Local Authority care, information about which is provided in the UCAS application.
We also consider evidence of clear motivation to study. This may include attendance at a University summer school, a targeted Access Scheme (such as Access to Bristol), or participation in Aimhigher outreach activities. Consideration will also be given to applicants who have completed a targeted Access scheme at another university, under the ‘Mutual Recognition Scheme’.
The course aims to recruit very able students with a Physical Science background and give them experiences that will make them able to take a significant role in major design exercises, later taking the leading role. The aim is to fit these students to be the Engineering Leaders of the future.
A degree programme with such a wide scope makes significant demands on its students and so those wishing to enter must exhibit great potential. Only then can the programme help to form the sort of graduate who can, in the future, lead major design teams. Our industrial advisors insist that the leading graduates they recruit must have an extremely good understanding of engineering concepts and principles across a wide spectrum of engineering, but must also be expert in some discipline. You must be excellent at communicating your ideas and must understand the full context in which engineering takes place. To match these requirements the programme requires you to study in both depth and breadth.
You should make sure that your personal statement explains your interest in the subject and outlines how you possess the following desirable skills:
Referees should note that the reference would be used as a basis for the assessment of academic performance and as support for the personal statement. Assessors will want to consider the accuracy and consistency of the predicted grades in the light of previous GCSE and AS level achievement (or reasons why this is not the case), evidence of effort and a positive attitude towards studies, and if there are any educational or special circumstances. Assessors will be interested in the applicant’s potential for academic study and their contributions to school life.
English Language requirements can be found in the UG Prospectus and also in the University's Admissions Principles and Procedures.
Applicants are not discriminated against on the grounds of race, ethnicity, nationality, gender, sexuality, religion, disability or age.
Typical offers for A-levels and other UK qualifications can be found in the Entry Data in the online UG Prospectus.
Offers to applicants with non-standard qualifications will be made equivalent to the published A-level offer.
We may make lower offers based on whether an applicant is deemed to have experienced educational disadvantage, as defined in section 7.5 of the University’s Admissions Principles and Procedures
Direct entry into Year 2 will be considered on a case by case basis.
Prof Stuart Burgess (Programme Director)
Date: 27/07/2011
