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Course type: Degree

Degree

Also known as an undergraduate or bachelors degree.

Internationally respected, universally understood.

An essential requirement for many high-level jobs.

Gain a thorough understanding of your subject – and the tools to investigate, think critically, form reasoned arguments, solve problems and communicate effectively in new contexts.

Progress to higher level study, such as a postgraduate diploma or masters degree.
Credits: 120

Credits

Credits measure the student workload required for the successful completion of a module or qualification.

One credit represents about 10 hours of study over the duration of the course.

You are awarded credits after you have successfully completed a module.

For example, if you study a 60-credit module and successfully pass it, you will be awarded 60 credits.
How long it takes
Study method: Distance learning
Entry requirements: Find out more about; Entry requirements

Top-up Bachelor of Engineering (Honours)

: Course code: Q78

Top up your existing qualification to an honours degree. You can add to your OU Foundation Degree in Engineering or an equivalent qualification from elsewhere. Tailor your studies to suit your background and previous study. Develop your knowledge and skills and open up further career opportunities. Study choices include communications, design, electronics, environmental management, mathematics, mechanical modelling, nanoengineering, renewable energy, and structural integrity. You’ll also complete an engineering project.

This course is accredited by a number of professional bodies:

Key features

Course details

Entry requirements

Fees and funding

How you'll study

Careers

Accredited on behalf of the Engineering Council – see Careers
Progress from your vocational qualification (e.g. HND) to an honours degree
Choose modules to fit with your previous study
Develop your analytical skills – key to successfully studying engineering
Prepare for further engineering study at postgraduate level

Course type

Degree

Credits

120

How long it takes

Part-time study – 2 years

Full-time study – N/A

Time limit – 5 years

Study method

Distance learning

Entry requirements

Find out more about Entry requirements

Ask a question

This top-up degree has one stage, comprising 120 credits.

Your existing study makes up Stages 1 and 2.
In Stage 3, you’ll choose 90 credits and complete a 30-credit project module.

You’ll choose 90 credits based on your previous engineering study and experience – see our advice sheet – and complete a 30-credit project module.

Stage 3 modules
Modules	Credits
You’ll choose at least 30 credits (and up to 90 credits) from:
Innovation: designing for change (T317)	60
Electronics: signal processing, control and communications (T312)	30
Environmental management: pathways to sustainability (T330) – planned for October 2025	30
Mathematical methods and fluid mechanics (MST326)	30
Mechanical engineering: computer-aided engineering (T329)	30
Nanoscale engineering (T366)	30
Renewable energy (T313)	30
Structural integrity: predicting and assessing performance (T367)	30
You may choose up to 60 credits from:
Communications technology (TM355)	30
Computational applied mathematics (MST374)	30
Deterministic and stochastic dynamics (MS327)	30
Graphs, games and designs (MST368)	30
You'll study the following:
The engineering project (T452)	30

We regularly review our curriculum; therefore, the qualification described on this page – including its availability, its structure, and available modules – may change over time. If we make changes to this qualification, we’ll update this page as soon as possible. Once you’ve registered or are studying this qualification, where practicable, we’ll inform you in good time of any upcoming changes. If you’d like to know more about the circumstances in which the University might make changes to the curriculum, see our Academic Regulations or contact us. This description was last updated on 19 March 2024.

Accessibility

Our qualifications are as accessible as possible, and we have a comprehensive range of support services. Our Top-up Bachelor of Engineering (Honours) uses a variety of study materials and includes the following elements:

Online study – most modules are online; some have a mix of printed and online material. Online learning resources could include websites, audio/video, and interactive activities
Pre-determined schedules – we’ll help you to develop your time-management skills
Assessment in the form of short-answer questions, essays, and examinations
Feedback – continuous assessment includes feedback from your tutor and using this to improve your performance
Using and producing diagrams and screenshots
Finding external/third-party material online
Accessing online catalogues and databases
Specialist software, such as ANSYS simulation and design software
Mathematical and scientific expressions, notations and associated techniques
Online tutorials
Group-work
Practical work

Every module has its own Accessibility Statement with more detailed accessibility information – you’ll find these on individual module descriptions.

Visit our Disability support page to learn about our services.

Learning outcomes, teaching and assessment

This qualification develops your learning in four main areas:

Knowledge and understanding.
Cognitive skills.
Practical and professional skills.
Key skills.

Read the detailed learning outcomes here

Classification of your degree

On successfully completing this course, we’ll award you our Bachelor of Engineering (Honours).

The class of honours (first, upper-second, lower-second or third) will depend on your grades at Stage 3.

You’ll have the opportunity to attend a degree ceremony.

International recognition

If you intend to use your Open University qualifications to seek work or undertake further study outside the UK, we recommend checking whether your intended qualification will meet local requirements for your chosen career. Find out more about international recognition of Open University qualifications.

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.

Bachelor of Engineering with Honours

You must have passed one of the following OU qualifications within the last eight years:

Foundation Degree in Engineering (X11)
Diploma of Higher Education in Engineering (W11)
Foundation Degree in Materials Fabrication and Engineering (X12)
Diploma of Higher Education in Materials Fabrication and Engineering (W12)

Alternatively, you must have a completed vocational qualification from somewhere else that meets the following criteria:

in engineering or a closely related subject
includes a total of 240 credits, 120 of which are at FHEQ level 5 or SCQF level 8 (e.g. DipHE, HND or foundation degree)
passed within the last eight years
includes specific content as described in the advice sheet

How to apply

If you have an OU qualification, email the Partnerships Team at partnerships-enquiries@open.ac.uk to register.

If you have a qualification from somewhere else, download, complete and return the Top-up Bachelor of Engineering application form with evidence of your previous study. Applications to start in October 2024 are now closed. They will reopen in March 2025. Our academic assessors will review all applications.

How much time do I need?

Most of our students study part time, completing 60 credits a year.
This will usually mean studying for 16–18 hours a week.

Find out if you have enough time to study with our time planner

How will I study this course?

With our unique approach to distance learning, you can study from home, work or on the move.

You’ll have some assessment deadlines to meet, but otherwise, you’ll be free to study at the times that suit you, fitting your learning around work, family, and social life.

For each of your modules, you’ll use either just online resources or a mix of online and printed materials.

Each module you study will have a module website with

a week-by-week study planner, giving you a step-by-step guide through your studies
course materials such as reading, videos, recordings, and self-assessed activities
module forums for discussions and collaborative activities with other students
details of each assignment and their due dates
a tutorial booking system, online tutorial rooms, and your tutor’s contact details
online versions of some printed module materials and resources.

If you have additional needs, we can also provide most module materials in alternative formats. Find out more about materials on our accessibility webpage.

Tutor support

You’ll have a tutor for each module, who will introduce themselves before the module begins.

Throughout the module, they will:

mark your assignments and give feedback to help you improve
guide you to learning resources
support you, whether with general study skills or help with a specific topic.

Tutorials

Tutorials usually take place online, and they’re always optional.

Online tutorials are live presentations with module tutors in dedicated online tutorial rooms and are sometimes recorded.

Assessment

Our assessments are all designed to reinforce your learning and help you show your understanding of the topics. The mix of assessment methods will vary between modules.

Computer-Marked Assignments

Usually, a series of online, multiple-choice questions.

Tutor-Marked Assignments

You’ll have a number of these throughout each module, each with a submission deadline.
They can be made up of essays, questions, experiments or something else to test your understanding of what you have learned.
Your tutor will mark and return them to you with detailed feedback.

End-of-Module Assessments

The final, marked piece of work on most modules.
Modules with an end-of-module assessment won’t usually have an exam.

Exams

Some modules end with an exam. You’ll be given time to revise and prepare.
You’ll be given your exam date at least 5 months in advance.
Most exams take place remotely, and you will complete them at home or at an alternative location.
If a module requires you to take a face-to-face exam, this will be made clear in the module description, and you will be required to take your exam in person at one of our exam centres.

Progressing to a point where I felt more comfortable writing my assignments, and having my scores reflecting that, made me quite happy because it showed the hard work was being rewarded.
Patrick ‘Ricky’ Skene, BSc (Hons) Sport, Fitness and Coaching

Other support and resources

Throughout your studies, you’ll have access to our subject-specific Student Support Teams.

They’ll help you with any general questions about your study and updates to your OU account.

To help with your studies, you’ll also have access to:

our online library, with high-quality online resources to support your study
other university libraries in the UK and Ireland
the online Help Centre, which has general information about OU study and support, along with study skills advice
free Microsoft Office 365 software
IT and computing support from our Computing Helpdesk.

Find out more about student support and being a part of the OU community.

Skills for career development

The areas of knowledge, competence and skills that this degree develops include: the ability to use specialist knowledge to solve problems creatively; collaborative working and communication skills; project management skills; the ability to turn concepts into reality.

Your study will give you the skills expected of an Incorporated Engineer, in providing solutions to engineering problems. These may involve using existing or developing new technologies, designs, refining production systems or developing new services.

On graduation this qualification, combined with the appropriate evidence of professional practice, will enable you to apply (via an appropriate engineering institution) to the Engineering Council for registration as an Incorporated Engineer.

If you wish to carry on with your studies, you can work towards our Postgraduate Diploma in Engineering (E22), leading to the MSc in Engineering (F46).

Career relevance

Our BEng (Hons) is a general engineering qualification that provides an entry into a wide range of more specialist engineering roles. Examples include:

mechanical engineer
electronic engineer
structural engineer
production engineer
biomedical engineer
environmental engineer
materials engineer
other roles within engineering management
manufacturing engineer

Accreditation

This degree has been accredited by the professional institution(s) below under licence from the UK regulator, the Engineering Council. Accreditation is a mark of assurance that the degree meets the standards set by the Engineering Council in the UK Standard for Professional Engineering Competence (UK-SPEC). An accredited degree will provide you with some or all of the underpinning knowledge, understanding and skills for eventual registration as an Incorporated (IEng) or Chartered Engineer (CEng). Some employers recruit preferentially from accredited degrees, and an accredited degree is likely to be recognised by other countries that are signatories to international accords.

Accredited by the Institution of Engineering Designers (IED) on behalf of the Engineering Council for the purposes of fully meeting the academic requirement for registration as an Incorporated Engineer when combined with an approved qualification such as our Foundation Degree in Engineering (X11).

Accredited by the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET) on behalf of the Engineering Council for the purposes of fully meeting the academic requirement for registration as an Incorporated Engineer when combined with our Foundation Degree in Engineering (X11).

Accredited by the Institute of Materials, Minerals & Mining (IOM3) on behalf of the Engineering Council for the purposes of fully meeting the academic requirement for registration as an Incorporated Engineer when combined with our Foundation Degree in Engineering (X11).

Accredited by the Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE) on behalf of the Engineering Council for the purposes of fully meeting the academic requirement for registration as a Incorporated Engineer when combined with our Foundation Degree in Engineering (X11).

Other careers

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. Opportunities exist in research, design and development, commissioning, project management, technical sales and marketing, technical journalism and patent work. With appropriate experience and qualifications it’s also possible to be a self-employed consultant.

Exploring your options

Once you register with us (and for up to three years after you finish your studies), you’ll have full access to our careers service for a wide range of information and advice – including online forums, website, interview simulation, vacancy service as well as the option to email or speak to a careers adviser. Some areas of the careers service website are available for you to see now, including help with looking for and applying for jobs. You can also read more general information about how OU study enhances your career.

Register

To apply for this qualification, please refer to the Entry requirements (online registration is not available).

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