Skip navigation
Marine Technology at University of Plymouth - UCAS

University of Plymouth

Degree level: Undergraduate
Awarded by: Engineering Council, The Institution of Mechanical Engineers

Marine Technology

Course options

2024 - 20252025 - 2026
Apply

There are other course options available which may have a different vacancy status or entry requirements – view the full list of options

University of Plymouth has participated in the Teaching Excellence Framework. These ratings were awarded in 2023, for four years.

Course summary

Are you captivated by the technical side of the marine environment? Our marine technologists are engineers focused on engineering for life at sea. As problem solvers, engineers design, create and use tools in every industry from nanotech to agritech. You will develop skills in the fundamentals of engineering as well as in marine engineering and naval architecture. Our students use laboratory sessions to reinforce learning and are taught by enthusiastic staff with strong industry links. Our accredited BEng Marine Technology is designed to start your journey to becoming a qualified professional marine engineer. Our engineering courses rely strongly on practical work and you will develop your design skills throughout the course. We offer the opportunity to undertake a paid placement year to help consolidate and develop your engineering knowledge and many students receive job offers as a result of their time in industry.

  • Optional 'with composites' pathway available - in year 4, you have the option to choose a specialist 'with composites' pathway, which allows you to study the design and manufacture of specialist materials. Should you wish to choose this route, ‘with composites’ will appear as a named specialism on your degree certificate to acknowledge your specialism in this area.
  • Make use of cutting-edge facilities Students in engineering, science and the arts have access to a range of specialist equipment and innovative laboratories in our new engineering and design facility.
  • Join the upper ranks - in the Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU), also known as the Shanghai Ranking, we are eighth out of 50, and the highest ranked UK university, for Marine/Ocean Engineering.
  • Open the door to a successful future - with starting salaries from £23,000, our graduates have gone on to work for Hoare Lea, Babcock Marine, Becton Dickinson, e2v, Edwards, the Shaw Group and the Ministry of Defence.
  • Define yourself with a professionally aligned degree –The course has been designed to fully satisfy the educational base for an Incorporated Engineer (IEng) and partially satisfy the educational base for a Chartered Engineer (CEng).
  • Be flexible – our combined first year allows you to switch to mechanical engineering or civil engineering in line with your career ambitions.
  • Be unique – our courses are the only ones in the country to have a named with composites pathway; choosing this will allow you to stand out in the job market.
  • Learn hands-on with the latest industry-standard software, laboratory sessions and practical classes.
  • Aim higher – you may progress onto the MEng course at the end of your second year if you are doing well.
  • Put learning into practice by taking a paid year in industry - many of our students receive job offers or sponsorship as a result of their placements.
  • Go on to thrive in sectors as diverse as vessel design, naval architecture, ship safety, propeller design and manufacturing or engine energy efficiency.

Modules

In the first year of your marine technology course, you will study alongside other engineering students to learn about the fundamental principles underpinning the subjects studied throughout the course. You will develop your mathematical skills and study engineering materials, structural mechanics and fluid mechanics. You will learn about generic design processes and computer-aided design, and work in a team to undertake a real-world design challenge. Laboratory sessions will form an important part of your learning. The second year introduces you to naval architecture and control systems engineering while further developing your thermodynamics, fluid mechanics, mathematics and design skills. These subjects are explored in lectures, in laboratory sessions and workshops. At this point, it you can opt in to the 'with composites' pathway. The placements module will develop your professional and transferable skills for the workplace and support you in finding an appropriate placement. By taking the opportunity to spend an optional year in paid employment whilst still a student engineer, you will obtain recordable professional experience, build a network of industry contacts and often obtain offers of summer work, sponsorship or employment on graduation. Our placements team will support you in finding a placement, and we have an extensive network of employers across all sectors. In your final year, you will deepen your understanding of naval architecture and marine engineering. You will also focus your specialism choosing to further your understanding of computer aided engineering tools and systems design or choosing to study the theoretical and practical aspects of composites engineering on the 'with composites' pathway. Your dissertation project enables you to research the topics that interest you and will allow you to bring together all you have learnt so far. The modules shown for this course or programme are those being studied by current students, or expected new modules. Modules are subject to change depending on year of entry and up to date information can be found on our website

Assessment method

For up to date details, please refer to our website or contact the institution directly

Professional bodies

Professionally accredited courses provide industry-wide recognition of the quality of your qualification.

  • Naval Architects, Royal Institution of
  • Engineering Council
  • Marine Engineering, Science and Technology, Institute of

Qualified teacher status (QTS)

To work as a teacher at a state school in England or Wales, you will need to achieve qualified teacher status (QTS). This is offered on this course for the following level:

  • Course does not award QTS

How to apply

31Jan

This is the deadline for applications to be completed and sent for this course. If the university or college still has places available you can apply after this date, but your application is not guaranteed to be considered.

Application codes

Please select a course option – you will then see the application code you need to use to apply for the course.

Points of entry

The following entry points are available for this course:

  • Year 1
  • Year 2
  • Year 3

International applicants

The University of Plymouth has a dedicated International Student Advice (ISA) service who will support you from the day you accept an offer at the University, right through to graduation. They will offer help and advice so you can get the most out of your studies, and your time in the UK, visit www.plymouth.ac.uk/student-life/services/international-students/international-student-advice for more information. Once you have applied through UCAS, your conditional offer letters will also be sent to you by email, so be sure to enter your current email address on your application and to check this email regularly. You'll need your unconditional letter, and the Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS) that we'll send you, when applying for your student visa to the UK. A tuition fee deposit will be required before we'll send you the CAS. We're a licenced Sponsor under the Points Based System. To comply with our duties as a Sponsor, we're required to check other aspects of your application in addition to your academic achievements, for example any previous studies, financial status and your immigration history in the UK. For course entry requirements (inc. English requirements) please refer to the specific page for the course you are interested in (www.plymouth.ac.uk/study). A recognised English language qualification (e.g. IELTS) would be required or successful completion of one of the University's pre-sessional English Language courses. Check our country pages to find out more about application from your specific home country www.plymouth.ac.uk/international/study/international-students-country-guides. International fees, please visit our fees and funding pages www.plymouth.ac.uk/study/fees. If you have any questions please contact [email protected]

Entry requirements

Qualification requirements

Must have GCSE Maths and English at grade C/4 or above.

Student Outcomes

Operated by the Office for Students
80%
Employment after 15 months (Most common jobs)
100%
Go onto work and study

The number of student respondents and response rates can be important in interpreting the data – it is important to note your experience may be different from theirs. This data will be based on the subject area rather than the specific course. Read more about this data on the Discover Uni website.

Fees and funding

Tuition fees

No fee information has been provided for this course

Tuition fee status depends on a number of criteria and varies according to where in the UK you will study. For further guidance on the criteria for home or overseas tuition fees, please refer to the UKCISA website .

Additional fee information

For all information about tuition fees, please visit our fees and funding pages at www.plymouth.ac.uk/study/fees * Fees are correct at the time of publication and may be subject to change.
Marine Technology at University of Plymouth - UCAS