Electrical and Electronic Engineering

What do you enjoy about studying at Bristol?

My lecturers are really interesting and the curriculum is kept up to date by hearing about current research. My tutors are also very supportive and weekly drop-in sessions are helpful clarifying course material.

Yang,
First year, MEng Electrical and Electronic Engineering

Do you think reducing greenhouse gas emissions is important? Is there a future for low-carbon transport? Has the growth of mobile communications had a big impact on society?

If you have answered ‘yes’, you have already understood how these technologies are transforming the modern world. In cutting-edge fields such as power generation, transport, medicine, quantum information, computing, artificial intelligence, cryptography and communications, electrical and electronic engineers are developing technologies that will shape the future.

Electrical and Electronic Engineering courses

Single honours

Joint honours

Why study Electrical and Electronic Engineering at Bristol?

If you enjoy mathematics and science, are fascinated by electricity, energy and electronics, and want to design and invent things that benefit society, you may wish to study for an electrical and electronic engineering degree.

Electrical and Electronic Engineering covers a wide range of general engineering principles and concepts. There is a particularly strong crossover with aspects of aerospace and mechanical engineering. It is also a highly creative subject, with many of our graduates finding employment in the digital media industry. The subject lies at the heart of the internet. Major challenges include the development of terabit optical and gigabit wireless communications.

Other specialist areas include how to reduce our carbon footprint by developing renewable energy solutions, rolling out smart energy grids, and designing hybrid and all-electric vehicles; and investigating the latest quantum effects of electronics and their application in security and computing.

In choosing to study Electrical and Electronic Engineering at Bristol, you will benefit from excellent discipline-focused teaching and be taught by internationally renowned experts with a passion for the subject. Our world-leading research groups and industrial partners provide you with privileged access to state-of-the-art facilities. We also offer a wide range of scholarships, summer placements, industrial seminars and exclusive employment opportunities.

Bristol trains future leaders. We will encourage you to think in innovative ways and challenge existing practice, and equip you with the skills and confidence to make changes to industry. Electrical and Electronic Engineering is a fast-moving subject and we continually revise our degree courses to reflect both the latest developments in engineering education and the emerging needs of industry. We offer a broad range of three-year BEng and four-year MEng courses.

Engineering students at Bristol also benefit from a dedicated Industrial Liaison Office, which develops engineering-specific industrial links for students.

What kind of student would this course suit?

Our courses will particularly suit you if you have an aptitude for maths and science and are interested in designing creative solutions for a variety of problems on a local or global scale.

How is this course taught and assessed?

You will learn in an environment of research excellence. In practice this means you will be taught by academic staff who are engaged in cutting-edge research and development projects with industry and the government.

In general we offer a generous ratio of laboratory time to lecture time in the belief that understanding comes best when you are asked to apply theory in a practical environment. In first and second years the ratio is of the order of 50/50. In the third and fourth years project work largely replaces laboratory work.

Assessment is by examination and by coursework. The relative weighting of examination and coursework differs between units. Currently, a typical ratio would be 80% examination and 20% coursework, but some design units in the second year are entirely coursework while some final-year specialist units are assessed 100% by examination. The final-year projects are assessed by thesis, interview, presentation and supervisor report.

What are my career prospects?

With an Electrical and Electronic Engineering degree, you will have no difficulty in pursuing a rewarding career and making a valuable contribution to society. The technology is all-pervasive and present in every aspect of modern life. Our graduates are highly sought after. Typically, more than 90 per cent of our graduates secure rewarding careers just six months after graduating, making valuable contributions to society. The skills we teach are highly transferable and salaries often start at around £30,000.

You will be in demand from a variety of industries such as broadcast; mobile and optical communications; alternative and green energy; medical engineering; avionics; consumer electronics; and computer networking. Some of our graduates go into research, while others enter employment outside of engineering.

How do you think your degree will help your future career plans?

I am not only learning the theoretical concepts of engineering but also how to apply and understand them in a practical setting. All of this will make me a great engineer three years down the line.

Sanjana Narang
MEng Electronic and Communications Engineering