What are the steps to doing electrical engineering at university?

rpc

Year in Industry scheme might be a better bet? Spend a year working with a company before going off to do your degree, then usually you go back each summer and may even get sponsorship.

Apprenticeships or vocational courses like BTEC and graduate routes tend to lead to different places but there is overlap.

Physics and maths A levels are the key things for uni entry.

egoode

When I went to University I started an electrical engineering degree but after 18 months decided to drop that and switched to an IT degree instead which suited me better.

I did this in Australia so don't know exactly what A-levels would be required but in Australia it was assumed you had done the highest or second highest level of Maths and Physics and a lot of the subjects revolved around these. Also it would be useful to do computer programming as that is also a large part of the degree.

If he's really interested in this area then I found most of the people doing the degree had been playing with electronic sets from a young age. One of my closest friends had been building circuits from about the age of 8 and had designed his own alarm system for his room, a card entry reader for his door, etc. I must admit one of the reasons I didn't continue with this degree is I didn't have the same level of passion as most of the people in my classes who had been doing things like that from a young age.

One other thing to do is contact some of the Universities and see if they offer any summer taster sessions. In Australia I went to a Women in Engineering Summer School which was for female high school students to learn about different engineering options and involved some practical exercises as well as finding out about what subjects were best to study. There were also similar summer schools for guys to attend and definitely gave a good overview of what to expect when you got to Uni.

Fluff15

He can do a L3 extended BTEC in engineering, which is the equivalent of A levels and is taken by universities and he can go straight from there. For A levels, he will need maths/physics and another relevant subject such as D&T.

Alternatively after A levels/BTEC, he can study for a HND/C whilst working in a relevant field gaining experience, then move on to university.

During university, he can either study full time, or sandwich it around relevant employment and go to university on day release - takes much longer but when you can potentially get an employer to pay your fees so it's probably better!

My colleague dropped out of sixth form after completing his AS levels - he then went on to work, went back to study for a HND (he was accepted due to good AS levels/relevant work experience), then onto a 5 year masters degree in engineering on day release (which he is still studying for). It's a long process and difficult, but a very good field to be in.

Have a look on the UCAS website at universities and what they accept - it's all on there and will vary from university.

RAS

CATS

Get him to research www.ucas.com which lists all the courses and has links to all the university web-sites and their entry criteria.

And mabe vist one or two Open Days at local universities that teach Electrical Engineering and talk to their admissions tutors. Much better than being given completely duff advice by schools and colleges whose main concern if their own recruitment.

onomatopoeia99

It's a while ago now, but I did Computer Systems Engineering (University of Bristol, long enough ago that Bristol only had one university at the time), which was a joint effort run out of the Engineering department and comprising large parts of the Electrical & Electronic Engineering and Computer Science courses plus some of the Engineering Maths course. My entry requirements were set by the Engineering department and were the same as for the E&EE students, three A levels. Maths and Physics absolutely required with very good grades, one other A level as well. There was no vocational qualification option.

Electrical and Electronic Engineering is a highly scientific and technical course, IMO anyone without a ready grasp of complex mathematics and physics will struggle (this is true of all Engineering subjects though). So I'm going to say based on my experience, get the A levels. Unless what the universities teach has changed a lot, the level of understanding required to get a good A level in Maths and Physics will be required to even comprehend what is taught in the first year as an undergraduate.

onlyroz

If he's bright enough then A-Levels in Physics and Maths will open all manner of doors. And while he's studying for them he has two years to figure out whether a career in engineering is right for him, or whether he'd prefer to go into something different like computing, science, finance etc etc.

thorsoak

If he really doesn't want to take A levels and go straight to university, you should look to see if any of the large manufacturing companies still take on electrical apprentices. The son of a friend got an electrical apprenticeship with Fords, progressed through Fords to get his degree and he still works for Fords, travelling all over the world designing the electrical plans for their new factories.

Oakie

My daughter is currently studying engineering,she is just finishing a year in industry .
She did a taster course at Bath university, which definitely helped her in her decision.

TBagpuss

I would second the suggestions that he look at Universities offering the kinds of degree he is interested, and read their literature to see what the entry requirements are, what alternative routes are possible etc.

He should also look at taster courses, which may give him some practical feel for the subject.

Get him to think about what specifcially appeals to him - does he have a particular career in mind?

My sister studied Electrical and Electronic engineering - she did A Levels including Maths and Physics, and then did the 'year in industry' before going to university.

My brother also studied Electrical Engineering at University (following A-Levels) but then ended up going back and getting an OU degree in Maths and computer science to allow him to get the type of job he actually wanted.

redpete

CATS wrote: »

Hi daisiegg, yes instead of the A level, he wants to do a practical course, that will show his what engineering is actually about and then continue at university.

Engineering is a pretty academic career for which the normal route is A levels and 4-yr degree (will often include a year in industry as part of the course). If he's looking for a career / job that is hands-on electrical work then an apprenticeship with HND / BTEC and a job as a technician rather than an engineer would be more appropriate .