Motorsport and Automotive Performance Engineering

With over 40 years of experience in teaching engineering and maintaining excellent industry partnerships, it is no surprise that the University of Bolton has been ranked the number one university in Greater Manchester for student satisfaction by the Complete University Guide 2020 for the third year in a row. Moreover, the university has been ranked number five in the UK for teaching quality by The Times and The Sunday Times Good University Guide 2020. 

Thanks to such accolades, we currently enjoy collaborations with M-Sport, Prodrive, RML Group, Ensign and Keating Supercars; and with leading race teams including Ciceley Motorsport, Speedworks Motorsport and Albatec Racing.

Throughout your course, you can expect to work on live projects in our CAD suites, workshops and manufacturing areas, or at the racetrack with one of our partners; this year we have over 50 students gaining real-world experience. The NCME is well recognised in the industry and our undergraduate courses are accredited by the Institute of Mechanical Engineering (IMechE).

If you are with us for a foundation year, you will study a broad range of mathematics, science and engineering topics, as well as engineering-specific study skills. This year will provide the necessary foundations of knowledge which you will need in your undergraduate degree course. In the first year of your undergraduate course, you will develop your understanding of fundamental mathematics and the science behind motorsport and automotive performance engineering, as well as gain practical skills in CAD, machining, fabrication, composite manufacturing and race car set-up. In the second year of your undergraduate course, you will build on this knowledge while working on a live project to design, manufacture and run a race vehicle. In the final year of your undergraduate course, you will take part in Formula Student, competing against over 100 university teams from around the world to design manufacture, test and race a single-seat race car at the Formula Student event at Silverstone. Throughout your course, you'll have access to industry-standard design, analysis and simulation software, as well as access to our fully equipped workshops and laboratories.

Depending on your chosen course, you will have the opportunity to study a range of topics such as:

• Simulation
• Performance optimisation
• Data analysis
• Vehicle dynamics
• Aerodynamics
• Design
• Manufacturing

We offer a variety of courses in this field, and each course covers a broad scope of content so that you are readily prepared for a number of possible careers in (please note that some roles may require additional qualifications and/or work experience for entry):

• Automotive engineering
• Aerospace engineering
• Motorsport engineering
• Defence engineering
• Design
• Operations management
• Research and development
• Simulation
• Testing

If you have any more questions about studying at the University of Bolton, our award-winning student services team are here to put your mind at ease about any queries related to accommodation, finance, funding, health and wellbeing, disability support or anything else you may need.