Environmental Science / Engineering Courses in Southampton, UK

University of Southampton - Engineering & the Environment Faculty:
The Faculty of Engineering and the Environment at the University of Southampton is one of the leading engineering faculties in Europe. We provide a range of undergraduate and postgraduate courses in audiology and environmental science as well as acoustical, mechanical, civil and environmental, and aeronautical/astronautical engineering and ship science. The University of Southampton is located in Hampshire on the south coast of England. Southampton is conveniently situated only 75 miles south-west of London and 19 miles north-west of Portsmouth.

Undergraduate & Postgraduate Degree Courses:


Accoustical Engineering Programmes:

MEng/BEng in Acoustical Engineering:
How can we design cars to sound quieter or more pleasing? Is it OK for aeroplane wings to vibrate? How do we design them so they don't break? How does sound travel under water? How can we process sound or vibration signals to find out what frequencies are in it? Can this tell us useful information about the health of the engineering structure or animal that produced the signals? How does the ear interpret sound? How does this affect the way we reduce unwanted noise or compress audio files? Why are loudspeakers designed the way they are? If these sorts of questions interest you then Acoustical Engineering at Southampton may be for you.

Acoustical engineering is taught in the Institute of Sound and Vibration Research (ISVR), one of the world's leading centres for research, teaching and consultancy in acoustics. It demands a remarkable breadth and depth of study, drawing on disciplines such as mechanics, materials, manufacturing, electronics and signal processing. Consequently, acoustical engineering is an excellent degree choice for those who want to open up a broad range of scientific and engineering career options on graduation.

BSc in Acoustics Engineering:
This programme aims to provide a broadly based education in both theoretical and practical aspects of both subjects and will provide a sound basis for postgraduate studies in either of them. The modular nature of the programme allows you to choose your preferred balance between Acoustics and Music as you progress.

Our programme is unique in the United Kingdom and combines studies at two internationally renowned departments: Music and the Institute of Sound and Vibration Research (ISVR), one of the world’s leading centres for research, teaching and consultancy in acoustics. Graduates usually find employment across a wide range of different professions ranging from acoustical engineering to all areas of the music industry and are particularly well placed to seek careers in the sound reproduction, architectural acoustics and music engineering fields.


Aerospace Engineering Programmes:

BEng in Aeronautics & Astronautics
This three-year degree in Aeronautics and Astronautics covers all the traditional core subjects of Aeronautics & Astronautics. Designed for students who wish (or need) to complete their studies in three years. In the first two years the course content is identical to that of the MEng programme. There is an increasing emphasis on discipline-specific subjects as you progress through the BEng degree in Aeronautics and Astronautics.

- The first year provides a background in engineering science, emphasising aerospace aspects. One example is mechanics of flight, involving the performance of an aircraft acted upon by aerodynamic, thrust and gravitational forces.

- The second year covers the main aerospace engineering subjects. Towards the end of this year you will take a short course in flight testing, in which experiments are performed on board a Jetstream aircraft.

- In the third (final) year the course includes an individual project, and allows students to undertake some of our specialist modules in aerodynamics, astronautics, materials, etc.

A feature of the BEng and MEng Aeronautics & Astronautics programmes is the opportunity provided for you to tailor your studies to fulfil your own individual aspirations. Many students focus their degree studies on one specific aspect of aeronautics and astronautics, by careful selection of a topic-related set of options. Themes are chosen at the end of Part II. Current themes are: Aerodynamics; Engineering Management; Advanced Materials; Spacecraft Engineering; Airvehicle Systems and Design; Structural Design; Generic; European Studies; Study Abroad (ESTACA or Linkoping).   

MEng in Aeronautics & Astronautics:
This four-year integrated masters in Aeronautics and Astronautics programme offers you the opportunity to study a more extensive range of aerospace subjects at advanced level than the BEng course. The first and second year of study however is identical to that of the BEng. It is aimed at students who wish to pursue technically demanding careers in aerospace industries (including project management) or research. Design, systems studies and individual/group project activities are an integral part of the course and reflect the multidisciplinary nature of aerospace engineering. In Year 3, you will have the opportunity to spend one semester at a partner institution in France or Sweden.

MEng in Aeronautics & Astronautics Degree Courses:
- MEng in Aeronautics & Astronautics / Advanced Materials
- MEng in Aeronautics & Astronautics / Aerodynamics
- MEng in Aeronautics & Astronautics / Airvehicle Systems Design
- MEng in Aeronautics & Astronautics / Engineering Management
- MEng in Aeronautics & Astronautics / Spacecraft Engineering
- MEng in Aeronautics & Astronautics / Structural Design


Audiology Programmes:

BSc in Healthcare Science:
The primary purpose of the BSc Audiology programme is to provide you with the training you need to become an Audiologist, and forms the bulk of what you will need to register as an Audiologist (i.e. pre-registration training). Our programme is also underpinned by a strong foundation in the fundamental sciences of audiology and a rigorous scientific approach generally.


Civil Engineering Programmes:

BEng in Civil Engineering:
Today’s civil and environmental engineers are trained in problem-solving, management and communication to ask the right questions and come up with creative answers. They give advice and make decisions, always seeking a balanced view. In creating and improving our built environment, these engineers take care to protect the natural environment. We have particular strengths in engineering, the 2008 Research Assessment Exercise (RAE) places Southampton in an elite top group in the Civil Engineering Unit of Assessment, coming second in the UK on a ‘Medals Table’ basis. This excellence helps us attract funding to maintain low student-to-staff ratios, state-of-the-art equipment and laboratories for undergraduates to use. We have a dynamic, lively and friendly environment for study, with opportunities to work with and learn from research teams at the very forefront of their fields.

Our links with industry are very strong, which means we can benefit from visiting lecturers and can use case studies from engineering practice in our teaching. Many of our students are sponsored by companies. Often there are options to work on projects with real practical relevance to industry in the third and fourth years, and our links also give opportunities for vacation placements, and excellent employment prospects on graduation.

MEng in Civil Engineering:
How can we build the infrastructure – roads, railways, tunnels and bridges – that people need for transport? How can we respond to the tremendous growth of cities worldwide by providing better and more energy-efficient buildings? How can we do all this without damaging the precious natural environment of our world? These are questions that the civil and environmental engineers of the future will be expected to answer. These engineers will apply their skills to developing, designing, constructing and maintaining the built environment upon which we all depend. We continue to push at the boundaries of knowledge and understanding in engineering – developing the discipline as well as teaching it!

MEng in Civil Engineering / Architecture:
The MEng Civil Engineering and Architecture degree programme provides a cross over between structural engineering and architecture and prepares you for a career in the field. It includes units from the main MEng in Civil Engineering, and it is fully accredited by the ICE and IStructE. Each year also includes a unit on architecture, which is taught by practising architects. There are also many opportunities to apply architectural principles in design projects throughout the degree programme. Specialist units in acoustics, urban design and structural engineering augment the architectural content in the final two years.

MEng Civil Engineering / Year in Industry:
Our courses easily accommodate a year in industry. The MEng Civil Engineering degree course with a Year in Industry consists of two initial years at university, followed by a year in industry and two final years at university. We have strong links with major civil engineering companies, and the year in industry provides valuable experience which is also accredited as employment training for membership of the ICE and IStructE. Work experience is regarded very positively by employers seeking to employ graduates, and would therefore strengthen your CV on graduation.

You are also free to make your own arrangements for a year out for work experience during your Civil Engineering degree course. This is most commonly between the second and third years of a BEng course, or between the second and third or third and fourth years of an MEng degree.

MEng in Civil Engineering / Environmental Engineering:
Our MEng degree in Environmental Engineering emphasises the interactions between engineering and the environment with the focus on the protection and improvement of the natural environment in the service of society. The origins of Environmental Engineering lie in the treatment of sewage, an example of a natural resource - water - after it has been consumed. Today Environmental Engineers also deal with air pollution, another natural resource- air - after it has been consumed by industry and carbon dioxide emissions and its consequences on the Environment. Environmental Engineers also deal with land resources after perhaps an industry has been decommissioned or a mining site exhausted of its natural resource - an example of the use of a land resource.


Environmental Sciences Programmes

BSc in Environmental Sciences:
Our challenging Environmental Sciences degree programme provides interdisciplinary knowledge, embracing subject areas such as geography, biology, geology, oceanography, politics, demography and law within the discipline of environmental sciences. Our pathway system allows you to make your own choices about your area of specialisation within the areas of biodiversity and conservation; environmental change; sustainable environmental management; aquatic environments and resources. This system gives you control over your degree in alignment with your interests and desired career route.

Our degree is about helping you learn the science that underpins our understanding of the environment, then giving you the skills to apply this knowledge and develop solutions. There is a large emphasis on employability and industrial engagement throughout our programme that translates into our excellent graduate employment rates.

Please Note:
We also offer a BSc in Environmental Sciences with Foundation Year.

MEnvSci in Environmental Sciences:
This integrated undergraduate masters in Environmental Sciences degree offers you the opportunity to explore a diverse and exciting range of subject areas within the increasingly important discipline of environmental sciences. Our challenging degree provides interdisciplinary knowledge, embracing subject areas such as geography, biology, geology, oceanography, politics, demography and law within the discipline of environmental sciences. Our pathway system allows you to make your own choices about your area of specialisation within the areas of biodiversity and conservation; environmental change; sustainable environmental management; aquatic environments and resources. This system gives you control over your degree in alignment with your interests and desired career route.


Ship Science Programmes

BEng in Ship Science:
This three-year course meets the core technical requirements for accreditation by IMarEst and allows graduates to achieve chartered status subject to the completion of approved additional learning.

This programme is ideal if you wish or need to complete your studies in three years. The course content is identical to the MEng programme throughout these three years. In the third and final year, you can follow a range of subject options, and maritime design course work forms an integral part of the programme. You will also carry out two projects – an individual-based project chosen from a wide selection available within the school and a small group concept design project. The latter provides valuable experience of conducting a design synthesis and working in a team.

Postgraduate Ship Science Degree Courses:
- MEng Ship Science
- MEng Ship Science / Advanced Materials
- MEng Ship Science / Engineering Management
- MEng Ship Science / Naval Architecture
- MEng Ship Science / Naval Engineering
- MEng Ship Science / Yacht and Small Craft


Mechanical Engineering Programmes

BEng Mechanical Engineering
This three-year degree in Mechanical Engineering meets the core technical requirements for accreditation by IMechE and allows graduates to achieve chartered status subject to the completion of approved additional learning. Throughout this Mechanical Engineering degree course you will spend time in lectures and the laboratory as well as on design activities that relate theory to practice and combine analytical skills and creativity in the solution of real engineering problems. Design is an important theme which runs through all years of our courses.

In the third year you will undertake an individual project, ranging from design studies to open-ended experimental or theoretical research. This project will arise from a real need and may be sponsored by industry (you may suggest topics in line with your sponsor's interests).

MEng Mechanical Engineering
This is a four-year integrated masters in Mechanical Engineering degree course, enabling you to gain the in-depth knowledge of the core subjects required to become a chartered engineer.

Further MEng in Mechanical Engineering Programmes:
- MEng Mechanical Engineering / Advanced Materials
- MEng Mechanical Engineering / Aerospace
- MEng Mechanical Engineering / Automotive
- MEng Mechanical Engineering / BioEngineering
- MEng Mechanical Engineering / Engineering Management
- MEng Mechanical Engineering / Mechatronics
- MEng Mechanical Engineering / Naval Engineering
- MEng Mechanical Engineering / Sustainable Energy Systems