The United Kingdom has maintained a stellar reputation as a higher education destination for a number of years. 3 of the top 10 universities in the world for engineering and technology subjects, according to the QS World University Rankings 2020, are located in the UK. This article seeks to shed some light on why you should study electrical engineering in the UK and the top universities, along with some of the best courses they have to offer.
Study Electrical Engineering in UK Reasons to Study in the UK
1. Quality of Teaching The UK has a reputation for academic excellence and providing world-class facilities to their students. The engineering departments in the country are highly sophisticated and allow you to specialise in every area of your chosen spectrum of engineering. Whether it is electrical/electronic or mechanical engineering, youll be learning from the best teachers in the world.
2. Classroom Instruction The classroom instruction in the UK is a blend of theory with a lot of practise for a more in-depth and better rounded education. Students can choose their elective subjects to specialise in certain areas within their chosen fields of study. A significant emphasis is placed on the real-world applications and this blend of theory with hands-on teaching prepares students for their workplace.
3. International Students Almost 20% of students in the UK are from overseas. What makes it an appealing destination for international students is the support system that allows them to reach their full potential. The UK government ensures that foreign students are supported every step of the way from applying to preparing to even helping them secure employment opportunities once their courses end.
4. Engineering Career Prospects Engineers are in high demand and come under the highly skilled workers visa programs. This means that an engineering degree obtained in the UK will make it significantly easier to find jobs and may even lead to permanent residency, eventually. 
Study Electrical Engineering in UK Top Universities and Courses
1. Imperial College London
Located in South Kensington in London, the Imperial College is a unique institution that focuses exclusively on science, engineering, medicine and business programs. With an emphasis on research based education, the university exposes its students to real world challenges that they might face at their future workplaces. The teaching system is based heavily on students questioning everything and provides them with the opportunity to work as a part of multicultural and multinational teams. 59% of the student body at Imperial is composed of international students representing 140 countries.
| QS World University Rank 2020 – #9 |
| QS Subject Rank (Electrical and Electronic Engineering) – #7 |
| International Students 10,013 |
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Courses offered: B.Eng in Electrical and Electronic Engineering
Course Fee – 31,750 per year The bachelors course offered by Imperial College follows a core programme for the first 2 years that covers the fundamentals of electrical and electronic engineering in areas such as:
In your third year, students will be given a choice to tailor their degrees to fit their interests and select from a number of topics that will broaden and deepen their understanding of the subject material covered in year 1 and 2. M.Eng Electrical and Electronic Engineering Course Fee – 31.750 per year The masters course follow the same general structure as the bachelors course where the first 2 years of your degree are based on studying the fundamentals of electrical engineering by covering topics like:
The third year once again gives students the chance to narrow down their area of interest by choosing a particular avenue within the curriculum. M.Eng. students also have the option to complete a 6-month long industrial placement which provides them valuable real-life experience and allows them to gain the skills needed to solve real engineering problems. You can also take part in a 3-month group project where you will be acting as a technical consultant to a brief provided by an industrial client. |
Most Popular Reads: Masters in UK (MS in UK) Structure, Courses, Entry Requirements, Tuition Fees
2. UCL (University College London)
A world-leader in research, UCL is one of the best multi-disciplinary universities that has a stellar reputation internationally for the quality of its research and teaching. UCL is home to faculties of medicine, language, and law and engineering along with history and astrophysics. This wide variety of subjects falls in line with the universitys ideals of interdisciplinary study, which states that all areas of study can inform and enrich each other.
UCL has produced 29 Nobel laureates since its inception, a testament to its academic excellence. International students make up nearly half the student population at UCL and represent the best and brightest minds from over 150 countries.
| QS World University Rank 2020 – #8 |
| QS Subject Rank (Electrical and Electronic Engineering) – #48 |
| International Students 16,750 |
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Courses Offered: B.Eng in Electronic and Electrical Engineering
Course Fee – 28,610 per year The B.Eng degree offered by UCL provides a broad education in mathematics, science and engineering that covers the fundamentals of this subject. Students will be able to garner the following benefits if they opt for this degree:
M.Eng in Electronic and Electrical Engineering Course Fee – 28,610 per year This 4 year programme offered by UCL provides a thorough coverage of the theory, devices and systems that electrical and electronic engineers have to deal with during their professional careers. The M.Eng degree provides flexibility to students by giving them the opportunity to specialise in their chosen field at the end of the 2nd year. The degree is also part of an integrated programme across multiple engineering fields providing you with the chance to broaden your horizons through interactions with other disciplines. The most interesting part of this programme is the flexibility to add a specialization to your degree at the end of the second year to keep the programme in line with your evolving interests. |
3. The University of Manchester
The University of Manchester offers over 1000 degree programmes in a wide variety of topics like humanities, business, science and engineering. It is a member of the Russell Group: an exclusive network of highly ranked research-intensive universities in the UK.
With 25 Nobel Prize winners among its current and former students and staff, the university has helped with the development of the worlds first modern computer in 1948, and it was in their laboratories that Ernest Rutherford first split the atom in 1917, forever changing our understanding of the world around us.
Today, the University of Manchester is spearheading cutting edge research in science and engineering.
The university also boasts a 94% graduate employability rate, according to the QS Graduate Employability Rankings, which take into account how well fresh-graduates perform after being recruited straight from the university.
| QS World University Rank 2020 – #27 |
| QS Subject Rank (Electrical and Electronic Engineering) – #31 |
| International Students 14,707 |
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Courses Offered: B.Eng. Electrical and Electronic Engineering
Course Fee N/A The B.Eng. course offered by the University of Manchester comprises a strong practical element with lab work that supports and enforces the theoretical elements of the subjects. By providing a variety of option choices, the course can be tailored to your exact needs with key elements like:
M.Eng. Electrical and Electronic Engineering Course Fee N/A The M.Eng course provides students the opportunity to learn from academics working on the cutting edge of research to solve the biggest challenges faced by the world in the realm of technology. Just like the B.Eng. course, a strong practical element is combined with theoretical learning in the classroom with project work every year. In the 2nd year, students work on an embedded systems project that encourages friendly competition between student teams. In the final year, 50% of your time is spent working on a group project that has strong links to the electrical/electronic engineering industry. |
4. Kings College London
Kings College is ranked amongst the top 50 universities in the world and is among the oldest colleges in England. With an international student population representing 150 countries, Kings attracts some of the best and brightest minds from all around the world.
With an outstanding reputation for world-class classroom instruction and cutting edge research, King’s College is ranked amongst the top 7 universities for research earnings and has an overall annual income exceeding 684 million through its various research and development projects.
| QS World University Rank 2020 – #33 |
| QS Subject Rank (Electrical and Electronic Engineering) – #101 |
| International Students 12,476 |
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Courses Offered: B.Eng Electronics Engineering
Course Fee – 26,700 per year The electronic engineering course offered by Kings college focuses on 4 key areas of study:
Through this program, students will develop an in-depth knowledge, both theoretical and practical, about circuit analysis and design, communication systems, computation and software programming for engineers and hardware design. All of these avenues combine to form a solid foundation for post-degree careers in electronics, signal processing and communication industries. The students will also benefit from the colleges association with major companies like:
M.Eng. Electronic Engineering Course Fee – 26,700 per year With a unique combination of electronic engineering, computer science and robotics modules, the M.Eng course offered by Kings college will provide students with a thorough understanding of electronic engineering and design techniques. There is also a strong focus on developing mathematical skills, which can be applied to all facets of your post-degree careers. Some of the modules included in this program are:
This course will challenge you to expand your horizons and work on gaining practical and real world applications of laboratory research. |
5. University of Nottingham
The University of Nottingham is a truly international university with campuses across the globe in China and Malaysia. Ranked amongst the top 100 universities in the world according to the QS Rankings 2020, the University of Nottingham aims at promoting world-class research and produce graduates that are highly employable in their chosen fields.
The university maintains a stellar reputation for teaching by obtaining a gold rating in the teaching excellence framework. The graduate outcome reports published on the universitys official website show that 6 months after leaving the university 98% of graduates were able to find gainful employment or move on to higher education. The average graduate salary 6 months after leaving the University of Nottingham is 22,000 per year, although these numbers are subject to revision.
| QS World University Rank 2020 – #96 |
| QS Subject Rank (Electrical and Electronic Engineering) – #51 |
| International Students 8,475 |
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Courses Offered: B.Eng in Electrical Engineering
Course Fee TBA in July 2020 Ranked 1st in the UK by The Guardian University Guide 2020, this course offered by the University of Nottingham is based primarily on practical, lab-based sessions to help you develop skills for your career in the future. The degree is highly customizable with students having the option to choose their specialization subjects at the end of their 1st year. You will be working on developing new designs and solving problems through lab-based projects where youll be working individually as well as in small teams to gain experience in working as a part of a large group. With the broad range of skills acquired from this degree you can have excellent career prospects in areas like:
MSc in Electrical Engineering Course Fee – 24,390 The MSc in Electrical Engineering course offered by the University of Nottingham allows the students a chance to study a wide range of topics in the electrical engineering field. Some of the topics are:
The aim of this course is to provide students with the skills they need to perform at a high level in their professional lives after the completion of their degrees. The course is designed to solidify your foundations in the conventions of the discipline so you can tackle any area of research and development within electrical engineering. |
Note: All course fees given above are subject to change at the time of application, so please ensure your research is thorough at the time of applying. The courses that do not have their fees mentioned are the ones for which the university does not have set a fee at the time of writing.
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Study Electrical Engineering in UK Career Prospects and Salaries
Electrical and Electronics engineers are at the forefront of many life-changing technologies. The research you conduct has the capability of impacting the daily lives of millions of people around the world. The following sectors are where most of your work as an electrical/electronics engineer will be applicable:
- Construction and services including lighting, heating and ventilation
- Transportation networks
- Manufacturing
- Production and Distribution of power
Compared to similar positions and experience in other fields, electrical engineers have the best starting salaries. The following is a breakdown of some of the salary information:
- Average starting salary for graduates: 24,000 to 28,000
- Average salary for senior engineers: 35,000 to 60,000
- Average salary for specialists or chartered engineer: 85,000+
Note: Salaries vary widely depending upon the location, size of the company and the nature of its business. The numbers given above are an approximate representation and should not be taken as actual figures.
Study Electrical Engineering in UK – FAQs
Q. What are electrical and electronics engineering all about?
A. The electronic part of the question refers to the development of electronic components like transistors and microprocessors along with the design and implementation of electronic circuits. On the other hand, the electrical part deals with large scale applications like electricity supply, generation and other power related technology.
Q. What sort of jobs can I get after an electrical/electronic degree?
A.There is a large variety of jobs that you can secure after completing an engineering degree in the above mentioned subjects. Except for specialist fields like law and medicine, you can find roles that fit your personality in fields like: Communications, Computing, Aerospace Engineering, Railways, Corporate Consultancy, Chartered Engineers.
Q. What are the salary prospects?
A. Generally speaking, engineers earn competitive starting salaries, that are, on average, higher than those of regular science graduates. The median starting salary can range from 25,000 to 33,000 depending upon your degree programme, your employer and where they are located.
Q. What is the difference between BEng and MEng?
A. The degree system in the UK differs from other countries. A MEng degree is the most advanced undergraduate degree where the 4th year involves studying advanced courses at a masters level. The BEng degree, however, is the same as other undergraduate courses around the world
Q. Should I choose the BEng or MEng course?
A. Whether you go for the BEng or MEng course, the first two years of both programs share the same study material. However, to enter the 3rd year of the MEng course, you will have to pass a certain benchmark set by the university which you will be informed about during the application and admission process.
