| Degrees |
|
|---|---|
| Duration |
| Start date | September, January or April |
|---|---|
| Location | Streatham Campus |
| Study modes | Full time and part time |
Overview
Engineering research is organised into six main areas which bring together the world-leading research activities of our Engineering academics and researchers. View our staff profiles for more info about our academics and their research.
Contact
Web: Enquire online
Phone: 0300 555 6060 (UK)
+44 (0)1392 723044 (non-UK)
Top 10 in the UK for General Engineering
8th in The Times and The Sunday Times Good University Guide 2025
Specialist facilities include microscopy suite, aerodynamics and fluids laboratories, additive manufacturing workshop and vibration testing rigs
£6.5million investment in our teaching labs, workshop spaces and equipment
Top 10 in the UK for General Engineering
8th in The Times and The Sunday Times Good University Guide 2025
Specialist facilities include microscopy suite, aerodynamics and fluids laboratories, additive manufacturing workshop and vibration testing rigs
£6.5million investment in our teaching labs, workshop spaces and equipment
Research overview
Materials and manufacturing
- Additive Manufacturing
- Multi-functional Materials
- Low-carbon Manufacturing and Sustainable Technologies
- Biomedical Engineering
- Manufacturing Systems, Supply Chains and Logistics
Civil and structures
- Civil Engineering
- Biomechanics
- Computational Geomechanics
Dynamics and control
- Vibration engineering
- Control systems
Nano engineering science and technology
- Graphene and 2D materials and devices
- Metamaterials and metadevices
- Energy harvesting and storage
- Phase-change materials and devices
- Magnetics and spintronics
- Nanomaterials and nanocomposites
Renewable energy
View the Renewable Energy PhD page for full information on research degrees in this area.
Water and environment
The internationally-leading Centre for Water Systems provides vital research into water systems planning, design and operation.
Further information
- Vibration Engineering section
- Computational geomechanics
- Exeter Digital Enterprise System (ExDES) (Engineering Management)
Centres
How to apply
You should have at least a 2:1 Honours degree in engineering or science or have an appropriate MSc qualification.
Requirements for international students
If you are an international student, please visit our international equivalency pages to enable you to see if your existing academic qualifications meet our entry requirements.
English language requirements
International students need to show they have the required level of English language to study this course. The required test scores for this course fall under Profile A: view the required test scores and equivalencies from your country.
Fees and funding
Tuition Fees per year 2025/26
- Home: £5,006 full-time; £pro-rata part time
- International: £29,600 full-time
For those studying for more than one year, our fees are expected to increase modestly in line with Consumer Price Inflation measured in December each year. More information can be found on our Student Finance webpages.
Tuition Fees per year 2024/25
- Home: £4,786 full-time; £pro-rata part-time
- International: £28,500 full-time
For those studying for more than one year, our fees are expected to increase modestly in line with Consumer Price Inflation measured in December each year. More information can be found on our Student Finance webpages.
Our Postgraduate Funding webpage provides links to further information. If you are considering a PhD in the future, in addition to University of Exeter funding, we have been successful at securing postgraduate funding for PhD research through our Funded centres.
Current available funding
| Award | Value | Application deadline | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Optimisation of Power Management Circuit for Self-powered Systems[Engineering - PhD (Funded)] | For eligible students the studentship will cover Home or International tuition fees plus an annual tax-free stipend of at least £19,237 for 3.5 years full-time, or pro rata for part-time study | Wed 20th Aug 2025 | The University of Exeter’s Department of Engineering is inviting applications for a PhD studentship fully funded by the department to commence on September 2025 or as soon as possible thereafter. For eligible students the studentship will cover Home or International tuition fees plus an annual tax-free stipend of at least £19,237 for 3.5 years full-time, or pro rata for part-time study. The student would be based in the Faculty of Environment, Science and Economy at the Streatham Campus in Exeter. |
| Quantifying natural flood management through peatland restoration in the upland moorland environment, Physical Geography – PhD (Environment Agency and South West Water Funded). | UK tuition fees and an annual tax-free stipend of at least £20,780 per year | Fri 22nd Aug 2025 | The University’s Department of Geography invites applications for a PhD studentship funded by the Environment Agency and South West Water and the University of Exeter to commence on 1st of November 2025 or as soon as possible thereafter. For eligible students the studentship will cover Home tuition fees plus an annual tax-free stipend of at least £20,780 for 3.5 years full-time, or pro rata for part-time study. Students will be based at the CREWW building on Streatham Campus in Exeter. |
| University of Exeter Alumni Scholarship 2025/26 | 20% reduction in the first year tuition fee | There is no application for this award. You will be automatically considered. | A tuition fee discount for University of Exeter alumni who start a postgraduate degree with us in 2025/26 |
| University of Exeter Class of 2025 Progression Scholarship | 20% reduction in the first year tuition fees | There is no application for this award. You will be automatically considered. | A tuition fee discount for current University of Exeter students completing a degree in 2025 and progressing directly to a standalone postgraduate programme with us in 2025/26 |
| Exploring open source data to improve surface water flood risk assessment | Home (UK) tuition fees and an annual maintenance allowance at current Research Council rate of £20,780 per year (2025/26 rate) | Fri 5th Sep 2025 | UK tuition fees and an annual tax-free stipend of at least £20,780 per year |
| Human-centric generative design for absolute sustainability | UK tuition fees and an annual tax-free stipend of at least £20,780 per year | Sun 7th Sep 2025 | The University’s Department of Engineering invites applications for a PhD studentship on sustainable design to commence in October 2025 or as soon as possible thereafter. The studentship will cover Home tuition fees plus an annual tax-free stipend, currently £20,780 for the 2025-2026 academic year, for 3.5 years full-time. Students will be based at the Streatham Campus in Exeter. |
| Hybrid physics-based and data-driven modelling for fault and anomaly detection on wind energy systems-PhD | UK tuition fees and an annual tax-free stipend of at least £20,112 per year | Wed 17th Sep 2025 | The University of Exeter’s Department of Engineering is inviting applications for a PhD studentship funded by RTDT Laboratories and the University of Exeter to commence on September 2025 or as soon as possible thereafter. For eligible students the studentship will cover home tuition fees plus an annual tax-free stipend of at least £20,112 for 3.5 years full-time. The student would be based in the Department of Engineering in the Faculty of Environment, Science and Economy at the Streatham Campus in Exeter |
| AI-Enhanced Digital Twin for Sustainable Manufacturing – PhD (Engineering Department Funded) | UK tuition fees and an annual tax-free stipend of at least £20,780 per year | Sat 20th Sep 2025 | UK tuition fees and an annual tax-free stipend of at least £20,780 per year |
Supervision
You can expect:
- High-quality research supervision to develop and nurture your potential
- A tailored supervision approach to help best suit your requirements
- Accessible supervisors who are enthusiastic about working directly with postgraduate research students
- Regular timetabled meetings with your supervisor
- 'Open door' policy to all postgraduate students - instant access to world-leading researchers who will share their expertise and ideas with you
- Regular meetings with your supervisory team, other members of your research group, and mentors
You will only be able to apply for a PhD when you have received a letter from potential supervisors stating that they are willing to supervise your PhD thesis. You therefore need to initiate contact with faculty who are working on topics that you are interested in and present them with a proposal of no more than 2000 words.
Facilities
Engineering is housed in a purpose-built centre with comprehensive laboratories, workshops and computing facilities. There is an extensive range of equipment and facilities supporting the activities of postgraduates including
- an advanced manufacturing suite
- a class 10,000 clean room
- laser laboratories
- materials characterisation laboratories
- scanning electron and scanning probe microscopes
- DSP and microprocessor laboratories
- wind tunnels
- wave tanks
- geotechnical laboratories
- 3D visualisation suite
- 3D printer
Research students at Exeter are allocated a desk and computing facilities in newly refurbished offices and provided with a PC on arrival.
Careers
Career opportunities for engineers are almost limitless and engineers can be found working in the public sector, in health, construction, defence, communications, education, finance and manufacturing. Engineers have a reputation as being articulate, numerate, problem solvers, who claim great job satisfaction, a good salary and a huge range of career possibilities. Salaries are typically significantly higher for engineering graduates than the average for all other graduates.
Our students directly benefit from the hundreds of links with industry we have established through collaborative research and consultation. Student projects are usually industrially driven and often directly involve a company. This provides an opportunity for you to undertake commercially important projects at the forefront of technology, gain invaluable experience and enhance your employability.
There is a dedicated Careers Adviser who provides specific services such as careers workshops tailored to careers in Engineering and support in matters such as applications and job interview skills.
Below are some examples of initial jobs undertaken by Engineering postgraduates who studied with us in recent years.
Please note that, due to data protection, the job titles and organisations are listed independently and do not necessarily correspond.
| Job Title | Organisation |
|---|---|
|
Company Director |
WSP Parsons Brinckerhoff Atkins University of Oxford Water Engineer University of Exeter Babcock Marine Rolls Royce ADvise Ltd University of Sheffield Manufacting Technology Centre K-water University of Gloucestershire Dunnhumby Hydro International Cornwall Development Company Bodle Technologies Ltd |
