Electronic engineering preparation

Welcome to the Electrical and Electronic Engineering programmes within the School of Computer Science and Electronic Engineering. Many congratulations for choosing an exciting subject, bringing benefits for society in sectors as diverse as AI, machine learning, mobile and satellite communications, Internet of Things, space and satellite engineering, renewable energy. We are delighted to have you on board and look forward to meeting you in person in September.

Below you will find some general information about your course that may be useful before you arrive at the university. If you still have any questions before you arrive, please contact the Undergraduate Programme Leader for your programme, Dr Atta Quddus. At the University of Surrey, we provide an outstanding amount of academic and pastoral support, develop your wider transferable skills and provide advice to help you with your future careers. Within your programme, you will gain not only technical skills, but you will also learn to master scientific presentations, technical writing, communication, sustainability, employability, team-working, problem-solving, and many other useful topics.

Course information

We have several Electronic Engineering Programmes within the School at undergraduate level:

  • Electrical and Electronic Engineering
  • Electronic Engineering
  • Electronic Engineering with Artificial Intelligence
  • Computer and Internet Engineering
  • Astronautics and Space Engineering.

All of these degrees can be taken at either BEng (Hons) or MEng level. We have designed your degrees with flexibility in mind. That means you may be able to change course once you are here, typically up to the end of the first year to switch between disciplines. However, a number of students begin taking a 3-year BEng, but after recognising the value of an industrial placement decide to move to either a 4-year BEng with year in industry, or the 5-year integrated Masters MEng degree.

The academic year is split into two semesters October-January and February-June with coursework throughout the year and examinations at the end of each semester.

In year one, learning activities range from whole-class lectures to individual laboratory practicals and small group tutorials. Whatever your chosen pathway, you will be taking the following modules in your first year.

Semester 1

Semester 2

Re-familiarise yourself with notes from your A-level Mathematics studies (and physics if you took it). This will help to make sure you hit the ground running since it is easy to forget things after the long summer break. Our Maths Support Framework is a dedicated website to support new Year 1 students in all of engineering covering a wide range of topics and you will have an opportunity to identify which areas of maths you should revise before coming to Surrey. You will be contacted about getting access to the maths website in early September. But don’t worry, whatever your mathematical ability every relevant topic will be covered in your first year.

It would be useful for you to look at the material supplied by the University Library on general skills such as referencing and technical writing, as these will be invaluable to you throughout your degree and in future careers.

It’s not all work! We have some wonderful student societies, Electronics and Amateur Radio Society, Women in Engineering Society, and HackSurrey to name a few, which we hope you will join and get involved in their activities. 

Before you arrive, you can also explore the range of other societies that the university offers: Clubs and Societies - Surrey Students' Union.

Electronic engineers play a pivotal role in shaping our world. There are several professional bodies which regulate and support the profession including:

These organisations have lots of information on their websites about the diverse career pathways in electronics which you may find interesting to explore. Once you are enrolled, you can join these organisations as a student member at very low cost, giving you access to many useful resources, events, as well as the opportunity to get involved with the profession.

Recommended reading

Each module descriptor (see the list above) will have a list of required and recommended resources. You do not need to purchase any textbooks for your studies. All required resources are available electronically and/or physically through the University Library. If you still wish to purchase textbooks, we recommend you wait until you have started your studies and discuss this with the relevant module leaders who can advise you.

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