Mathematical modelling

The key technical skill of an engineering mathematician is mathematical modelling. Problem solving of this kind is best learnt by hands-on experience, so that's how we teach it: using case-study applications spanning engineering, the life sciences, medicine, climate science, energy, data science, robotics and more. Mathematical modelling units feature in all our degree programmes. In these you'll work in teams to tackle challenging, open-ended problems, putting theory into practice.

Research projects

Fourth year MEng students have the opportunity to consolidate modelling skills in an extensive individual project. Every project focuses on a genuine scientific, technological or industrial problem, many devised by students themselves. This showcase for your degree, can often lead to papers in scientific and engineering journals, PhD research or work in industry.

Why Bristol?

Besides enhanced career prospects, you'll get a great student experience:-

• We're in the top two (General Engineering) in the Times and Guardian University Guides 2023 and third in the Complete University Guide 2024.
• We're a close-knit department with excellent staff-student relations and an emphasis on pastoral care provided by academics and student support networks.
• The course is as flexible as we can make it, so your third and fourth year options really reflect your interests.
• We're the only UK mathematics department based in an Engineering Faculty.  Universities in Europe, the US and Japan also recognise the value of studying mathematics in an application-oriented environment. 
• We scored 91% for overall student satisfaction (NSS 2021).
• Because our lecturers are also world-leading researchers,  students have access to the latest developments, a wealth of industry contacts, outstanding facilities and unrivaled opportunities to specialise. 
• The University of Bristol ranked 6th in the UK for Engineering in the Times Higher Education analysis of the 2021 Research Excellence Framework.

Careers

Engineering Mathematics is a creative and exciting discipline, spanning traditional boundaries. Engineering Mathematics graduates are superbly employable. Most of our students have firm offers of employment before they have completed their final year.  These are just a few of the career paths they've taken:

• designing next generation Formula One cars
• working at the cutting edge of robotics 
• running a business creating autonomous vehicles
• developing innovative indices for leading global financial institutions

Most graduates actively use the technical skills they have acquired. Our many connections with industry, through collaborative research and consultancy, keep our courses relevant professionally. We are well placed to recommend the best graduate employers.

Transferable skills

As well as technical excellence, you'll gain a host of professional skills that are highly valued by employers:

• Problem solving – demonstrating patience, persistence and an innovative approach. 
• Team working – experiencing different roles in group work gives an insight into project management; how to deliver complex projects to tight deadlines, identifying and mitigating risk to arrive at the best solution.
• Communication – you'll learn to write reports, give presentations and create posters, webpages, wikis and more, so you can get your message across coherently and clearly to any audience. 
• Multidisciplinarity – stand out from the field with an understanding of both engineering and mathematics. Being around other engineering disciplines, you'll see how theory is put into practice and how it may need to be extended and adapted to meet real demands. 
• Computing – you'll learn industry-standard programming languages such as C, C++, Java and Matlab, as well as algorithm design skills so you can pick up new languages quickly and easily. IT skills are vital for problem-solving and help you communicate using both standard and specialist tools, including Microsoft Office and LaTeX.