Undergraduate Courses & Admissions
1. About Engineering
2nd year undergraduates surveying - one of the optional coursework
modules. Engineering is about the application of mathematics and
science to those practical ends which affect our daily lives. Modern society
depends on it, and it is more sophisticated than ever before. The difficult
problems of sustainability and the environment which now preoccupy us can be
tackled not only by better discipline but also by better engineering.
The engineering profession is now exceptionally wide-ranging; it covers every kind of product from dams to chemical plant to silicon chips, all having this in common: they have to be understood, designed, and made. What's more, they have to be made economically, efficiently, and better than the last time (or better than the competition). The qualities of a good engineer include not only a high degree of technical competence but also imagination, strength of purpose, commonsense - and a social conscience. It is not surprising that engineering graduates are highly regarded not only in industry but also in other fields.
Although it is possible for graduates in some other subjects to become chartered engineers - that is, full members of one of the Institutions - it is very much more straightforward and more common to do so with an accredited engineering degree.
2. Engineering at Oxford
The Department of Engineering Science at Oxford is a unified department, covering all the important engineering disciplines in a single departmental structure within the Mathematical, Physical and Life Sciences Division (which also contains Chemistry, Computer Science, Earth Sciences, Materials, Mathematics, Physics, Plant Biology, Statistics and Zoology). There is ample evidence that employers welcome the versatility which our graduates have acquired from their general training in the first half or so of their courses; undergraduates, for their part, benefit from first-hand knowledge when choosing specialized options in the later stages, which take them to the leading edge of the profession.
The Department has about 160 undergraduates per year reading one of two courses or 'Honour Schools', each of which takes four years and leads to the degree of Master of Engineering (M.Eng.). In common with other top-ranking engineering departments, it aims to provide a professional training with a sound theoretical foundation. From the outset practical work, including design, is given a high profile and the Department's exceptionally extensive links with industry ensure continuing relevance. The quality and aptitude of our graduates makes them highly sought after, both within the profession and elsewhere. The majority read
the course still known by its original title.
The others read
which is taught with the co-operation of the Department of Economics and the Saïd Business School.
Both courses are accredited by the major engineering Institutions.
The admission of undergraduates to Oxford is the responsibility of the colleges; all undergraduates are members of a college, as are the academic staff of the Department. Most undergraduate colleges admit engineers. The majority of the academic staff are Tutorial Fellows of their colleges, which means that as well as their departmental duties of teaching and research they are also responsible for giving college tutorials. The tutorial system is a vital part of Oxford's academic life; it means, among much else, that all engineering undergraduates can expect to have at least one engineering Fellow in their own college who is responsible for their welfare, who regularly gives them some of their tutorials (typically in pairs) for at least the first two years of their course and arranges for the others, and who has taken part in their admission. The relation between undergraduate and tutor is therefore a close one, in which each expects much of the other.
In the later stages of the engineering courses, when the work is more specialized, the tutorial is largely replaced by classes arranged on an inter-college basis; but undergraduates remains in close touch with their own tutors, who continue to monitor their progress.
Typically, an engineer can expect two one-hour tutorials per week, for which a good deal of preparation is needed. In addition will be the commitments of lectures and practical work in the department.
3. Applying for Admission
Detailed information on the admissions procedure can be found on the University's Undergraduate Admissions web pages.
If you want to read hard copy, your school will probably have been sent a printed copy of the University of Oxford Undergraduate Prospectus, but it may in any case be obtained directly from the Undergraduate Admissions Office.
4. Engineering Admissions Criteria
The Admissions Process
All colleges work together to admit candidates for Engineering. Using the criteria below, each application is assessed by the candidate's college of preference and by one other college. All applications are then reviewed collectively to determine who should be invited to Oxford for interview.
We expect to interview a much larger number of candidates than there are places to be offered. (Candidates not resident in Europe are not called to Oxford, but interviews are conducted at centres in the Far East and North America.) Each candidate called to Oxford is interviewed by two colleges. To complete the selection of candidates, information is again pooled for consideration by all the colleges together. Candidates are ranked according to their perceived ability and academic potential.
Our aim is to make offers to the highest ranked candidates, regardless of their college of preference, or the college to which they were assigned in the open application scheme.
Qualities sought in the written application
The candidate's application should give evidence of the following qualities:
- High academic ability and potential, particularly in mathematics and
physical sciences, as evidenced by:
- Actual achievement in recognised national and international public examinations already taken during the course of schooling (eg, GCSE, AS-levels, etc).
- Predicted or actual achievement in recognised national and international public exams taken at the end of a candidate's school or college career (eg, A-levels, IB, etc).
- Academic references from independent and objective referees familiar with the candidate's recent work.
- An active and sustained interest in and enthusiasm for the engineered world, interpreted broadly.
Examples
As examples of 1a and b above, candidates invited for interview are likely to have the following profiles:
To have a substantial score of grades A and A* at GCSE (or their equivalents); and
either, if applying before taking final school examinations, to have predictions of A grades at A-level in Mathematics and Physics, and a good predicted grade in at least one other subject, or 7,6,6 at Higher Level in the IB (again to include Mathematics and Physics)
or, if applying after taking final school examinations, already to possess grades A in Mathematics and Physics at A level (or 7 in HL maths and physics in the IB), and a high grade in at least one other subject.
The Advanced Diploma in Engineering (Level 3) will be accepted for entry, provided candidates also obtain both an A-level in Physics and the new Level 3 Certificate in Mathematics for Engineering. These qualifications can be presented as the additional specialist learning component of the diploma. Offers will be formulated itemising performance in A-level Physics, the Level 3 certificate in Mathematics for Engineering, the Extended Project and the Principal Learning of the diploma on an equivalent basis with existing level 3 qualifications.
Qualities sought during interview
Candidates invited for interview (whether in Oxford, or at an Overseas Centre) should expect an academic or technical interview. They should be able to demonstrate:
- Fluency in expressing core knowledge and ideas in physics and mathematics
- Ability to apply existing knowledge methodically to new situations
- Ability to assimilate and apply new concepts
- Rapidity in thinking and reasoning
and to be able to discuss their:
- Commitment to intense and sustained learning
- Interest in and enthusiasm for the engineered world
These selection criteria relate specifically to candidates applying to Oxford for a first undergraduate degree. Second undergraduate degree candidates are considered on the basis of their submitted application, and are unlikely to be interviewed, except if resident in North America, South East Asia, or the Indian Subcontinent. Entry is very competitive. In Engineering it is rare for there to be any applications at all. For more information on second undergraduate degree applications, please see http://www.admissions.ox.ac.uk/grad/
Joint course with Engineering
Applicants for Engineering, Economics and Management should also be able to demonstrate enthusiasm, commitment and potential for the study of Economics and Management. Their panel of interviewers may include tutors in Economics/Management.
Deferred entry
Engineering tutors welcome applications for deferred entry, but expect this to incorporate a structured activity during the intervening year; this should preferably be relevant to Engineering. There is no significant difference between the offer rates to candidates seeking either immediate or deferred entry. After discussion with the candidates, a number of deferred entry applicants may be offered an immediate place instead, and vice versa. There is no policy for making more demanding offers to candidates seeking a deferred offer.
Information on gap year activities can be found in a number of places e.g. www.yini.org.uk/
5. Engineering Courses Booklet
A booklet about Undergraduate Courses in Engineering is available from:
Deputy AdministratorDepartment of Engineering Science, University of Oxford
Parks Road
Oxford, OX1 3PJ
Tel: (+44 or 0) 1865 273012
Fax: (+44 or 0) 1865 273010
Email: Deputy.Administrator@eng.ox.ac.uk
6. Visiting the Department
See the pages describing the Department's Open Days.
Last modified 28 January 2010 by WEB.EDITOR1.