Description
This qualification is only available until 31 December 2017.
To claim this qualification, you must complete the required 360 credits by this date.
If you have not already completed the compulsory Level 3 module Key skills for professional engineers (T397), please note that it started for the last time in October 2016 and a replacement module is not planned.
If you have any questions about your eligibility for this qualification, please contact the Centre for Qualifications and Ceremonies on +44 (0)1908 653003 or by email.
If you do not feel you are able to complete your studies within this timescale, please contact our dedicated Student Support Team on 01908 659700 (voicemail only) or by email.
From microscopic electronic devices to super structures like dams, bridges and towers, engineering has a vast scope that touches every area of our lives. The BEng (Hons) is a fascinating and thorough general engineering degree course that explores the fundamentals of this creative and analytical subject, and provides a firm foundation on which to build a successful career. It covers the range of techniques, concepts and knowledge required by professional engineers – from materials and mechanics to design and modelling – and you’ll have the opportunity to specialise in a number of areas: engineering design, environmental technologies, or energy and sustainability. Learning outcomes have been defined to fulfil the Engineering Council’s requirements under UK-SPEC, and early on in your studies you’ll compile a development plan aimed to fulfil your personal and professional aims. You’ll work on real projects and there are two week-long residential schools where you’ll team up with other students to create innovative solutions to challenging problems.
The learning outcomes for this degree course are closely aligned with the Quality Assurance Agency’s benchmark statement for engineering. They include the acquisition of knowledge and understanding; intellectual abilities; practical skills; and general transferable skills in your chosen area of study. The learning outcomes also comply with the requirements of the Engineering Council’s UK Standard for Professional Engineering Competence (UK-SPEC).
Planning your studies
Most of the modules you’ll be studying will be in engineering and technology, together with some from mathematics, computing and/or science.
Whether or not you are new to study with the OU, we recommend that you start your studies at Level 1 and that you work progressively through the levels to build up your knowledge and skills. You should complete your Level 2 studies before commencing study at Level 3. Some Level 2 and Level 3 modules build on knowledge gained from previous modules.
You must study:
- Personal and career development in engineering (T191) (now discontinued) early in your studies (but not as your first OU module)
- at least 120 credits after you have started study on T191
- Essential mathematics 1 (MST124) or the discontinued module MST121
- Engineering: mechanics, materials and design (T207)
- The engineering project (T452), the Level 3 project module, after completion of one of its associated Level 3 modules
- Key skills for professional engineers (T397) towards the end of your studies (now discontinued).
If you have already completed the Foundation Degree in Materials Fabrication and Engineering (G18)) (or the Diploma of Higher Education in Materials Fabrication and Engineering (E56)), the Foundation Degree in Engineering (G17) (or the Diploma of Higher Education in Engineering (E55)), you can ‘top up’ your foundation degree or DipHE to a full honours degree, with an additional 135 credits (including the residential school requirement) from the following modules, to gain the BEng (Hons).
- 60 credits from Level 3 modules with codes starting with T or MST
- 30 credits from Level 3 modules with codes that include T, M or S
- The engineering project (T452) 30 credits
- Key skills for professional engineers (T397) 15 credits (375 credits in total)
- Fulfilment of the residential schools requirement (please see below).
You should note that the University’s unique study rule applies to this qualification. This means that you must include at least 120 credits from OU modules that have not been counted in any other OU qualification that has previously been awarded to you (with the exception of an undergraduate-level qualification of less than 120 credits). Before being awarded any intermediate qualifications on the way to your OU honours degree, we advise you to check that you’ll have sufficient new credits to qualify for your degree.
The modules listed here can count towards this qualification for a maximum of ten years after we have stopped presenting them – please see individual module descriptions for future availability. Subject to the rules about excluded combinations, credit from such modules can continue to be counted as part of the free-choice component of this qualification.
Career relevance and employability
On graduation you should be eligible to apply (via an appropriate engineering institution) to the Engineering Council for registration as Incorporated Engineer.
The BEng (Hons) also satisfies the undergraduate component of the educational requirements for Chartered Engineer status – so you might want to carry on with your studies and work towards registration as a Chartered Engineer. There are two routes:
- The #MEng [M03]# – this qualification builds on the BEng (Hons), and is accredited as satisfying the educational requirements for registration as Chartered Engineer (see the Engineering website for further information ). This graduate-entry integrated masters degree:
- is only available to students studying towards the OU BEng (B24 or B65)
- must be completed within four years of completing the OU BEng (or within four years of completing your first postgraduate module) and by no later than 31 December 2021.
- If you do not think that you can complete your studies by December 2021, you can choose to work towards CEng status by studying towardsThe Postgraduate Diploma in Engineering, leading to the MSc in Engineering.
If you’d like to know more about professional recognition, see the Engineering website.
Qualified engineers are much in demand for their rigorous approach to problem solving and high level of numeracy. These skills open up a wide range of other career opportunities – for example in management or finance – as well as in engineering itself.
Careers and Employability Services have more information on how OU study can improve your employability.
Modules
For this 360-credit honours degree you require:
75 credits from the following compulsory modules:
Level 1 compulsory modules |
Credits |
Next start |
- The discontinued 30-credit module T174
|
30 |
|
- Essential mathematics 1 (MST124)
|
30 |
|
- The discontinued 15-credit module T191*
|
15 |
|
Or subject to the rules about excluded combinations, the discontinued modules MST121, T173
* (1) If you have started studying the Foundation Degree in Materials Fabrication and Engineering (G18), Diploma in Higher Education in Materials Fabrication and Engineering (E56), Foundation Degree in Engineering (G17) or the Diploma of Higher Education in Engineering (E55) and wish to transfer before completion to the BEng (Hons) you can count T198 in place of T191. (2) Please note that you cannot count T176 towards this qualification as it an excluded combination with T191.
And 60 credits from the following compulsory module:
Level 2 compulsory module |
Credits |
Next start |
- Engineering: mechanics, materials, design (T207)
|
60 |
|
And at least 60 credits at Level 2 or above from modules where the code includes T (excluding T276), M or S ** see residential school requirement below. (You may count up to 60 credits from postgraduate T, M or S modules in place of these Level 2 modules.)
And at least 60 credits at Level 3 from modules where the code starts with T, MT or MST** see residential school requirement below
And at least 30 credits at Level 3 from modules where the code includes T, M or S** see residential school requirement below
And 45 credits from the following compulsory modules:
Level 3 compulsory modules |
Credits |
Next start |
- The discontinued module (T397)
|
15 |
|
- The engineering project (T452)
|
30 |
|
Or subject to the rules about excluded combinations, the discontinued module T450
** You must include at least two undergraduate residential school modules from the following, or modules with embedded residential schools in total for this degree where the code starts with T, M or S:
Level 1 optional modules |
Credits |
Next start |
- Engineering: an active introduction (TXR120)
|
10 |
|
Level 2 optional modules |
Credits |
Next start |
- Engineering in action (TXR220)
|
10 |
|
Or, subject to the rules about excluded combinations, at Level 1 the discontinued module SXR103, at Level 2 the discontinued modules M203, MSXR209, S342, ST240, SXR205, SXR207, SXR208, SXR216, SXR260, SXR270, TXR248, and at Level 3 the discontinued modules MEXR624, S343, S344, SMXR355, SMXR358, SXR339, SXR342, SXR343, SXR369, SXR373, SXR374, SXR375, SXR376
And a maximum of 30 credits of free choice from any OU Level 1, 2 or 3 modules to bring your total number of credits to 360. Within the total, you must ensure that you have at least the required minimum number of credits at each level and no more than 60 from 10-credit modules. (See Planning your studies above for further details.)
Learning outcomes
The learning outcomes of this qualification are described in four areas:
- Knowledge and understanding
- Cognitive skills
- Practical and professional skills
- Key skills
Read more detailed information about the learning outcomes, and how they are acquired through teaching, learning and assessment methods.
Credit for previous study elsewhere
If you have already completed some successful study at higher education level at another institution we may be able to give you credit that you can count towards this Open University qualification. You can find out more on our Credit Transfer site. If you make a successful claim for transferred credit it may affect your choice of modules, so you are advised to investigate this option as soon as possible.
Classification of your degree
On successful completion of the required modules, you will be eligible to be awarded a BEng (Honours) degree and will be entitled to use the letters BEng (Hons) (Open) after your name.
Your degree will be classified as one of first-class honours, upper second-class honours, lower second-class honours or third-class honours. The class of degree is determined by the best grades you achieve in a minimum of 120 and up to 240 credits from T, M or S modules at Level 2 or above, which must include T207 (unless you are awarded credit transfer against this module) and T452, whether or not they are among your best Level 2 and Level 3 grades respectively. Of these, at least 120 credits must be from modules at Level 3 not including T397.
You will be offered the opportunity to attend a degree ceremony.
Regulations
As a student of The Open University, you should be aware of the content of the qualification-specific regulations below and the academic regulations that are available on our Student Policies and Regulations website.
How to register
If you want to study for this qualification, read the description and check you meet any specific requirements (for example, some of
our qualifications, require you to be working in a particular environment, or be sponsored by your employer). Then select the
module you wish to study first and ensure it is suitable for you before following the registration procedure for that module.
During the registration procedure you will be asked to declare which qualification you are studying towards.
See a full list of modules available for this qualification