Engineering AcademyFAQs

We typically ask for 4 Highers at BBBC (Including Maths and Physics/ Engineering Science at B. For entry to Chemical Engineering, Higher Physics is not required but Higher Maths and Higher Chemistry at B are required, and for entry to Biomedical Engineering, Higher Biology or Human Biology at B is also required.).

We are happy to consider students who are considering applying through alternative routes. The Scottish Wider Access Programme (SWAP) entry route is an alternative way of meeting the minimum entry requirements for the Engineering Academy. A SWAP Programme prepares you for entry into Higher Education and can lead to a place at a college or university, if you complete the programme successfully. SWAP Access Programmes are one year full-time and are run at colleges across Scotland. You can find more information about SWAP, including how to apply, on the SWAP website.

As part of the University’s outreach objective, the Engineering Academy was established to increase widening access participation by delivering various pathways to a range of engineering degrees in our leading Faculty of Engineering.

Widening Access (also known as Widening Participation) is a strategic priority for the University of Strathclyde, the Higher Education sector as a whole and the Scottish and UK governments.

The term refers to the removal of barriers for groups of students who are under-represented in Higher Education (HE).  Such groups can include (but are not limited to) students:

• Who attended a school which traditionally sends a low proportion of pupils directly to university
• Living in the 40% most disadvantaged neighbourhoods, as identified by the Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation (SIMD)
• Who have spent time in local authority care
• Who are returning to education later in life (mature students)

Further information, including contact details for the University’s Widening Access team and a SIMD postcode look up tool, can be found on the Widening Access team's webpage.

In order to progress to the second year of your chosen degree programme, students are required to:

• Complete and pass all of the units of the HNC curriculum and obtain an A in the Graded Unit 
• Attend and complete Engineering Skills DR1V34
• Attend and complete all activities delivered at the University during Year 1

The Engineering Academy allows students to access the degree programmes offered by six Departments at the University:

• BEng Hons Biomedical Engineering*
• BEng Hons Chemical Engineering
• BEng Hons Civil Engineering
• BEng Hons Civil & Environmental Engineering
• BEng Hons Product Design Engineering
• BSc Product Design & Innovation 
• BEng Hons Sports Engineering
• BEng Hons Manufacturing Engineering with Management
• BEng Hons Electronic and Electrical Engineering
• BEng Hons Mechanical Engineering
• BEng Hons Naval Architecture with Ocean Engineering
• BEng Hons Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering
• BEng Hons Naval Architecture with High Performance Marine Vehicles

*please note that students will transfer to 1^st year of degree programmes within the Department of Biomedical Engineering.

The current list of partner colleges in the Engineering Academy are:

• Ayrshire College - Kilmarnock Campus
• City of Glasgow College
• Forth Valley College
• Glasgow Clyde College - Cardonald Campus
• Glasgow Kelvin College - Springburn Campus
• New College Lanarkshire
• West College Scotland - Paisley Campus

The college you’ll attend will depend upon which degree programme you want to transfer to. 

Upon receipt of your application, you’ll be contacted by the Engineering Academy to find out your preferred area of engineering. Any offer of a place on the Engineering Academy will also contain details of the college where you’ll complete the first year of the programme.

For students wishing to study Chemical Engineering, please note that the HNC programme is only available at Forth Valley College and all students wishing to study Chemical Engineering will be required to attend this college.

The deadline for applications for SAAS funding will be given on the SAAS website.

For the first year of the programme, you should apply for SAAS funding using the college’s programme details as the college will be responsible for reporting your registration and attendance for the first year of the Engineering Academy programme. As soon as you are offered a place on the Engineering Academy, you’ll be forwarded all of the information that you need to submit your application for SAAS funding.

As an Engineering Academy student, you’re eligible to apply for accommodation on the University of Strathclyde campus. 

Applications and further information can be found in our accommodation pages.

All applications for the Engineering Academy should be made via UCAS.

The UCAS code for the Engineering Academy is 0BRT. There is no need for you to complete a separate application for the HNC programme delivered within the college.

Once you submit your application to UCAS, it will be forwarded electronically to the University and the Engineering Academy will receive a copy. You’ll be contacted by the Engineering Academy to confirm receipt of your application and we will also ask you at that point for your preferred area of engineering.

No decision will be taken on your application until all of the applications have been received via UCAS and you will be advised via e-mail of when you should expect to receive a decision on your application.

Once the applications for the Engineering Academy have been assessed, a decision will be uploaded to UCAS for each application. 

If you’re not being offered a place on the Engineering Academy, an ‘unsuccessful’ decision will be uploaded to UCAS and you'll be informed of this.

If you are offered a place on the Engineering Academy, you may be offered either an unconditional place on the programme or a conditional offer.

Unconditional offer

If you receive an unconditional offer, you have already met the entry requirements, so if you wish to accept the place, you can do this via UCAS and your place on the programme is guaranteed.

Conditional offer

If you receive a conditional offer, this will tell you what conditions you have to meet in order to get your place on the programme confirmed. For most people, this means achieving certain grades in SQA examinations and your place will not be confirmed until such times as the SQA results are known and confirmation has been received that you have met the conditions set. 

Applicants will be able to access all offers being made to them via their UCAS account. The UCAS system will also provide information on the date when any offers have to be accepted or declined – please ensure you respond to all offers by this date. 

Applicants should note that during certain times of the academic year, the UCAS system may be unavailable for applicants to accept/decline offers – this is likely to be when examination results have been published and are being uploaded to the system. Again, information on dates when the system will be unavailable will be given on the UCAS website.