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Academic route to becoming an engineer

Work towards an engineering degree.

So, you've completed your GCSEs or Standard Grades and your results are excellent. Perhaps you've got 4 or 5, A to C grades or equivalent Standard Grades, including Maths, English and double Science. You are now in a great position to move on to A levels, Scottish Highers and/or Advanced Highers.

If your ultimate goal is to obtain an engineering degree and you have a more academic interest in engineering, you can go to one of the many different universities that offer these degree courses. In order to do so, you'll need to study three subjects at A level, Scottish Higher and/or Advanced Higher, with an ongoing emphasis on Physics and Mathematics. Depending on your results, you can move on to an engineering degree of your choice.

University

All of your exam results will provide you with a number of points (the UCAS tariff), which can help determine which university courses are available to you. The number of points required to get on to degree courses varies between universities, so you'll need to check out the prospectuses of places you're interested in for more information.

Many Universities offer BSc, BEng or MEng degrees, which are typically three or four years long, in a wide range of engineering subjects. Most are a mix of compulsory and optional specialist subjects, which allow you to direct your learning towards the things that interest you.

MEng degrees take a year longer to complete than a BSc or a BEng and normally contain greater depth and breadth of study, with increased emphasis on group work and management. MSc programmes are also available for BSc or BEng graduates who wish to specialise to post graduate level either immediately on graduation or later in their career.

Some Universities also offer work placements or sandwich courses, which are a great way to develop practical skills, as you will spend periods of time between your studies out in the work environment. Many also offer opportunities for study in other countries, which provides an interesting cultural experience and the chance to develop language skills in non-English speaking countries.