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Design, Innovation and Creative Engineering

Entry Year: 2024

4 study options

Design, Innovation and Creative Engineering BEng (Hons)

Key information

Degree
BEng (Hons)
Duration
3 years
Start
September 2024
UCAS code
4A33
Institution code
Q50
Typical A-Level offer
Grades AAB at A-Level. This must include A-Level Maths or Physics. If students do not have an additional A-level in a creative subject they should be able to demonstrate creativity by another method, for example as a GCSE or an activity outside school. Excludes General Studies and Critical Thinking.
Full entry requirements (including contextual admissions)
Home fees
£9,250
Overseas fees
£28,350
Funding information
Paying your fees

Design, Innovation and Creative Engineering with Year Abroad BEng (Hons)

Key information

Degree
BEng (Hons)
Duration
4 years
Start
September 2024
UCAS code
4A3Y
Institution code
Q50
Home fees
£9,250
Overseas fees
£28,350
Funding information
Paying your fees

Year abroad cost

Finances for studying abroad on exchange

View details

Design, Innovation and Creative Engineering MEng (Hons)

Key information

Degree
MEng (Hons)
Duration
4 years
Start
September 2024
UCAS code
4L71
Institution code
Q50
Home fees
£9,250
Overseas fees
£28,350
Funding information
Paying your fees

Design, Innovation and Creative Engineering with Year Abroad MEng (Hons)

Key information

Degree
MEng (Hons)
Duration
5 years
Start
September 2024
UCAS code
4L7Y
Institution code
Q50
Home fees
£9,250
Overseas fees
£28,350
Funding information
Paying your fees

Year abroad cost

Finances for studying abroad on exchange

View details
Design, Innovation and Creative Engineering
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Overview

Future design graduates will need to be both artists and engineers, combining the latest technology with a creative process.

Good engineering alone can’t solve the complex challenges of the 21st century. Neither can design if the ideas go beyond the capabilities of today’s technology. And that’s where this course comes in. 

Our practical programme allows you to develop strong creative design capabilities alongside engineering expertise. You won’t just apply your knowledge to solve problems. You’ll become a creative designer who can step back and question why a problem exists and discover users that have been overlooked.

From pitches to portfolios

In tutorial-style sessions, we’ll encourage you to think and develop as an independent designer, with pitches, presentations and portfolios to put your skills to the test. You’ll explore material properties of artefacts as well as looking at their environmental impact and manufacturing. All with support from academics and technical staff, as well as visiting design consultants.

In your final year, you’ll identify and explore a design problem that interests you. Past students have designed kit for the London Air Ambulance, tools to help patients communicate pain more effectively and solutions to avoid single-use containers in the cosmetic industry.

Some students progress to postgraduate study in areas like robotics. Some find their first design role. Others work in strategy or marketing. Whatever you do next, you could be the person who solves problems faced by communities around the globe.

Professional recognition

The BEng (Hons) Design, Innovation and Creative Engineering programmes are accredited by the Institution of Engineering Designers as partially meeting the academic requirement for Chartered Engineer (CEng).

The BEng (Hons) Design, Innovation and Creative Engineering programmes are accredited by the Institution of Engineering Designers as fully meeting the academic requirement for Registered Product Designer.

This degree has been accredited by the Institution of Engineering Designers under licence from the UK regulator, the Engineering Council.  Accreditation is a mark of assurance that the degree meets the standards set by the Engineering Council in the UK Standard for Professional Engineering Competence (UK-SPEC).  An accredited degree will provide you with some or all of the underpinning knowledge, understanding and skills for eventual registration as an Incorporated (IEng) or Chartered Engineer (CEng).  Some employers recruit preferentially from accredited degrees, and an accredited degree is likely to be recognised by other countries that are signatories to international accords.

IED logo

Structure

You can complete your Design, Innovation and Creative Engineering degree in three, four or five years.

Year 1

You'll study a range of core principles including:

  • EMS402U - Engineering Design
  • EMS403U - Studio Practice Year 1 (30 credits)
  • EMS412U - Computational and Mathematical Modelling 1
  • EMS418U - Computational and Mathematical Modelling 2
  • EMS450U - Exploring Engineering
  • EMS406U - Data and Design
  • EMS430U – Materials Engineering
  • EMS499U - Skills for Engineers

You can look up module descriptions using our module directory.

Please note that all modules are subject to change.

Year 2

You will cover the following specialist topics:

  • DEN212 - Studio Practice Year 2: Human and Machine
  • EMS522U - Materials for Sustainability
  • EMS516U – Introduction to Robots
  • EMS527U - Materials Processing and Manufacturing
  • EMS512U - Instrumentation and Measurements
  • EMS501 - Designing for Sustainable Manufacture
  • EMS511U - Robot Design and Mechatronics
  • EMS599U - Professional Skills for Engineers

You can look up module descriptions using our module directory.

Please note that all modules are subject to change.

Year 3

Modules cover topics including:

  • DEN327 - Studio Practice Year 3: Group Industry Design Project
  • DEN329 - Studio Practice Year 3: Individual Design Project
  • ECS638U - Design for Human Interaction
  • EMS627U - Modelling and Control of Robotic Systems
  • EMS619U – Biomedical Device Development
  • EMS622U - Sustainability Assessment for Design
  • ECS661U - User Experience Design
  • EMS699U - Advanced Professional Skills for Engineers

You can look up module descriptions using our module directory.

Please note that all modules are subject to change.

Year 4

MEng only

Students choosing the MEng option spend an additional year studying advanced specialist modules and working on a large design project:

EMS723U - Design and Innovation Year 4: Major Design Project

Optional modules cover topics including:

  • EMS718U - Nanotechnology and Nanomedicine
  • EMS701U - Medical Robotics and Surgical Techniques
  • EMS706U - Clinical Sensors and Measurements
  • EMS714U - Modern Robotics: Fundamental and Applications
  • EMS719U - Medical Ethics and Regulatory Affairs
  • ECS733U - Interactive System Design
  • EMS729U - Cognitive Robotics
  • EMS705U - Environment, Ethics and Economics in Engineering Design
  • EMS726U - Engineering Design Optimisation and Decision Making
  • EMS703U - Introduction to Systems Engineering
  • EMS727U - Mechatronics

You can look up module descriptions using our module directory.

Please note that all modules are subject to change.

Study options

Apply for this degree with any of the following options. Take care to use the correct UCAS code - it may not be possible to change your selection later.

Master of Engineering (MEng)

Add on an integrated masters to complete advanced modules and a high-level group project.

Year abroad

Go global and add an optional year abroad to your degree. Queen Mary has links with universities in Europe, North America, Asia and Australia (partnerships vary for each degree programme). Your year abroad can be taken in Year 3 of your degree, with your Year 3 modules taken in Year 4.

Find out more about study abroad opportunities at Queen Maryincluding the progression requirements.

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Testimonial

"Design, Innovation and Creative Engineering is a unique course. You’re allowed to develop in your own way and engage in projects outside the curriculum. Visiting museums as part of the programme was brilliant because we could immerse ourselves in the world of design."

Hal Dubuisson and Mari Andersen, Design, Innovation and Creative Engineering (2019)

Teaching

Teaching and learning

You’ll learn through a combination of lectures, laboratory practicals and problem-based learning.

You should plan for 14-17 hours of formal teaching each week, plus time spent on group projects. For every hour spent in class, you’ll complete a further one to two hours of independent study.

Assessment

Assessment typically includes a combination of coursework, written reports, projects, presentations, group work and exams in the summer.

Resources and facilities

The School offers excellent on-campus resources to aid your studies, including:

  • a new Creative Engineering Hub, offering fabrication, 3D printing, maker and a machine tools room
  • the design studio
  • mechanical testing facilities.

Entry requirements

A-LevelGrades AAB at A-Level. This must include A-Level Maths or Physics. If students do not have an additional A-level in a creative subject they should be able to demonstrate creativity by another method, for example as a GCSE or an activity outside school. Excludes General Studies and Critical Thinking.
IBInternational Baccalaureate Diploma with a minimum of 34 points overall, including 6,6,5 from three Higher Level subjects. This must include Mathematics or Physics. If students do not have an IB creative subject at standard or higher level they should be able to demonstrate creativity in their personal statement by another method, for example through an activity outside school.
BTECSee our detailed subject and grade requirements
Access HEWe consider applications from students with the Access to Higher Education Diploma in a Physics and Mathematics based discipline. Entry will normally be to the BEng or BSc. The minimum academic requirement is to achieve 60 credits overall, with 45 credits at Level 3, of which 33 credits must be at Distinction and 12 credits at Merit or higher. Applications are considered on a case by case basis.
GCSEMinimum five GCSE passes including English at grade C or 4.
EPQ

Alternative offers may be made to applicants taking the Extended Project Qualification.

For further information please visit: qmul.ac.uk/undergraduate/entry/epq

Contextualised admissions

Our standard contextual offer: Grades ABB including A in Maths or Physics at A-Level. Excludes General Studies, Critical Thinking.

Our enhanced contextual offer (for care experienced students, refugee/asylum seekers or students who have completed Realising Opportunities or Access to Queen Mary): Grades BBB including Maths or Physics at A-Level. Excludes General Studies, Critical Thinking.

More information on how this information is used for a contextual offer can be found on our contextualised admissions page.

A-LevelGrades AAB at A-Level. This must include A-Level Maths or Physics. If students do not have an additional A-level in a creative subject they should be able to demonstrate creativity by another method, for example as a GCSE or an activity outside school. Excludes General Studies and Critical Thinking.
IBInternational Baccalaureate Diploma with a minimum of 34 points overall, including 6,6,5 from three Higher Level subjects. This must include Mathematics or Physics. If students do not have an IB creative subject at standard or higher level they should be able to demonstrate creativity in their personal statement by another method, for example through an activity outside school.
BTECSee our detailed subject and grade requirements
Access HEWe consider applications from students with the Access to Higher Education Diploma in a Physics and Mathematics based discipline. Entry will normally be to the BEng or BSc. The minimum academic requirement is to achieve 60 credits overall, with 45 credits at Level 3, of which 33 credits must be at Distinction and 12 credits at Merit or higher. Applications are considered on a case by case basis.
GCSEMinimum five GCSE passes including English at grade C or 4.
EPQ

Alternative offers may be made to applicants taking the Extended Project Qualification.

For further information please visit: qmul.ac.uk/undergraduate/entry/epq

Contextualised admissions

Our standard contextual offer: Grades ABB including A in Maths or Physics at A-Level. Excludes General Studies, Critical Thinking.

Our enhanced contextual offer (for care experienced students, refugee/asylum seekers or students who have completed Realising Opportunities or Access to Queen Mary): Grades BBB including Maths or Physics at A-Level. Excludes General Studies, Critical Thinking.

More information on how this information is used for a contextual offer can be found on our contextualised admissions page.

A-LevelGrades AAA at A-Level. This must include A-Level Maths or Physics. If students do not have an additional A-level in a creative subject they should be able to demonstrate creativity by another method, for example as a GCSE or an activity outside school. Excludes General Studies and Critical Thinking.
IBInternational Baccalaureate Diploma with a minimum of 36 points overall, including 6,6,5 from three Higher Level subjects. This must include Mathematics or Physics. If students do not have an IB creative subject at standard or higher level they should be able to demonstrate creativity in their personal statement by another method, for example through an activity outside school.
BTECBTEC qualifications are not considered for entry to this programme.
Access HEWe consider applications from students with the Access to Higher Education Diploma in a Physics and Mathematics based discipline. Entry will normally be to the BEng or BSc. The minimum academic requirement is to achieve 60 credits overall, with 45 credits at Level 3, of which 33 credits must be at Distinction and 12 credits at Merit or higher. Applications are considered on a case by case basis.
GCSEMinimum five GCSE passes including English at grade C or 4.
EPQ

Alternative offers may be made to applicants taking the Extended Project Qualification.

For further information please visit: qmul.ac.uk/undergraduate/entry/epq

Contextualised admissions

Our standard contextual offer: Grades ABB including A in Maths or Physics at A-Level. Excludes General Studies, Critical Thinking.

Our enhanced contextual offer (for care experienced students, refugee/asylum seekers or students who have completed Realising Opportunities or Access to Queen Mary): Grades BBB including Maths or Physics at A-Level. Excludes General Studies, Critical Thinking.

More information on how this information is used for a contextual offer can be found on our contextualised admissions page.

A-LevelGrades AAA at A-Level. This must include A-Level Maths or Physics. If students do not have an additional A-level in a creative subject they should be able to demonstrate creativity by another method, for example as a GCSE or an activity outside school. Excludes General Studies and Critical Thinking.
IBInternational Baccalaureate Diploma with a minimum of 36 points overall, including 6,6,5 from three Higher Level subjects. This must include Mathematics or Physics. If students do not have an IB creative subject at standard or higher level they should be able to demonstrate creativity in their personal statement by another method, for example through an activity outside school.
BTECBTEC qualifications are not considered for entry to this programme.
Access HEWe consider applications from students with the Access to Higher Education Diploma in a Physics and Mathematics based discipline. Entry will normally be to the BEng or BSc. The minimum academic requirement is to achieve 60 credits overall, with 45 credits at Level 3, of which 33 credits must be at Distinction and 12 credits at Merit or higher. Applications are considered on a case by case basis.
GCSEMinimum five GCSE passes including English at grade C or 4.
EPQ

Alternative offers may be made to applicants taking the Extended Project Qualification.

For further information please visit: qmul.ac.uk/undergraduate/entry/epq

Contextualised admissions

Our standard contextual offer: Grades ABB including A in Maths or Physics at A-Level. Excludes General Studies, Critical Thinking.

Our enhanced contextual offer (for care experienced students, refugee/asylum seekers or students who have completed Realising Opportunities or Access to Queen Mary): Grades BBB including Maths or Physics at A-Level. Excludes General Studies, Critical Thinking.

More information on how this information is used for a contextual offer can be found on our contextualised admissions page.

Non-UK students

We accept a wide range of European and international qualifications in addition to A-levels, the International Baccalaureate and BTEC qualifications. Please visit International Admissions for full details.

If your qualifications are not accepted for direct entry onto this degree, consider applying for a foundation programme.

English language

Find out more about our English language entry requirements, including the types of test we accept and the scores needed for entry to the programme.

You may also be able to meet the English language requirement for your programme by joining a summer pre-sessional programme before starting your degree.

Further information

See our general undergraduate entry requirements.

Funding

Loans and grants

UK students accepted onto this course are eligible to apply for tuition fee and maintenance loans from Student Finance England or other government bodies.

Scholarships and bursaries

Queen Mary offers a generous package of scholarships and bursaries, which currently benefits around 50 per cent of our undergraduates.

Scholarships are available for home, EU and international students. Specific funding is also available for students from the local area. International students may be eligible for a fee reduction. We offer means-tested funding, as well as subject-specific funding for many degrees.

Find out what scholarships and bursaries are available to you.

Support from Queen Mary

We offer specialist support on all financial and welfare issues through our Advice and Counselling Service, which you can access as soon as you have applied for a place at Queen Mary.

Take a look at our Student Advice Guides which cover ways to finance your degree, including:

  • additional sources of funding
  • planning your budget and cutting costs
  • part-time and vacation work
  • money for lone parents.

Careers

Our graduates find work in design consultancies and research and development, as well as going on to further study, at institutions such as the Royal College of Art and the Tokyo Institute of Technology. With design being such a broad discipline, graduates are well placed to work on products for the medical, sports, transportation and service industries, as well as consumer items. Some find work at start-ups, or set up their own businesses in manufacturing or consultancy.

Recent Design, Innovation and Creative Engineering graduates have been hired by:

  • Adidas
  • Dyson
  • Gravity Industries (working on a jet-engine suit)
  • RDA International

Career support

Throughout the course, students have access to a bespoke careers programme, including workshops on job hunting and job applications as well as employer events.

The Queen Mary careers team can also offer:

  • specialist advice on choosing a career path
  • support with finding work experience, internships and graduate jobs
  • feedback on CVs, cover letters and application forms
  • interview coaching

Data for these courses

Design, Innovation and Creative Engineering - BEng (Hons)

Design, Innovation and Creative Engineering with Year Abroad - BEng (Hons)

Design, Innovation and Creative Engineering - MEng (Hons)

Design, Innovation and Creative Engineering with Year Abroad - MEng (Hons)

The Discover Uni dataset (formerly Unistats)

About the Schools

School of Engineering and Materials Science - Engineering

The School attracts some of the brightest minds from across the country, and the world. The most recent national assessment of the quality of university research (REF 2021) placed us seventh in the UK for electronic engineering and seventh for our general engineering research (Times Higher Education).

Our students benefit from the personal contact with approachable teaching staff in small-group settings, where discussion and feedback is actively encouraged.

School of Electronic Engineering and Computer Science

The School of Electronic Engineering and Computer Science carries out world-class research – and applies it to real-world problems. Being taught by someone who is changing the world with their ideas makes for exciting lectures, and helps you to stay ahead of the curve in your field. 99 per cent of our research is classed as ‘world-leading’ or ‘internationally excellent’ (REF 2021).

We are proud of our excellent student-staff relations, and our diverse student body, made up of learners from more than 60 countries.

The School has a close-knit student community, who take part in competitions and extracurricular lab activities.

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