Is Mechanical Engineering at Anglia Ruskin University (Chelmsford campus) worth it? Honest opinions + job prospects after BEng/MEng
Posted by Relative_Quarter4717@reddit | AskABrit | View on Reddit | 9 comments
I’m considering studying Mechanical Engineering at Anglia Ruskin University (Chelmsford campus) in the UK, and I wanted to get some honest opinions from students or graduates.
How is the BEng Mechanical Engineering course there in terms of:
Teaching quality and facilities
Practical/lab experience
Industry connections and placements
Overall student experience at the Chelmsford campus
Also, how respected is the degree in the UK job market?
And I’m also curious about the career side:
After completing a Bachelor’s in Mechanical Engineering, how good are the job opportunities in the UK or internationally?
Is it easy to get an entry-level engineering job, or
is a Master’s (MEng/MSc) usually needed to become competitive?
Finally, for those who went on to do a Master’s after their Bachelor’s, did it significantly improve job prospects and salary in mechanical engineering?
Any honest advice or personal experience would be really appreciated.
Breakwaterbot@reddit
I would definitely look into apprenticeships if I were you. That's the route I took and I'm an mechanical design engineer.
I went as far as HND and have a very strong and secure career.
BeaumarchaisApu@reddit
As an experienced chartered mechanical engineer in the UK the only way I’d study mechanical engineering at University at all is if I satisfied at least one of the following:
- it was an absolutely top University (Oxford, Cambridge, Imperial etc)
- I was absolutely desperate for the student experience
- It was been funded by someone (parents etc)
If the answer to all of these is no, then I would just do a degree apprenticeship somewhere. Plenty of big companies do it. You get paid for doing a degree and working.
Relative_Quarter4717@reddit (OP)
From your experience, what would you personally recommend in my situation? I have a strong passion for Mechanical Engineering and I really want to build a career in the UK.
Would you suggest doing a standard BEng/MEng with a placement year (industrial year), or going for a degree apprenticeship instead if possible? Or is there any other route you think is better for someone aiming to stay and work in the UK long-term?
Also, I’m an international student from Bangladesh, so I’m not fully sure how apprenticeships work for me. From what I understand, they are quite competitive and usually require UK residency or right-to-work status. Is there any realistic way for someone like me to get into a degree apprenticeship, or is it better to focus on university first and then try for placements and graduate roles?
I’d really value your honest advice.
BigJDizzleMaNizzles@reddit
If you're tempted by Anglia anyway head over to Sizewell C. Plenty of apprenticeships up for grabs there. The new college on the coast will be opening end of next year. They're going to have beng apprenticeships in civil, mechanical, electrical and nuclear engineering.
BeaumarchaisApu@reddit
No idea on the right-to-work situation, but if you can do a degree apprenticeship then I would absolutely do that.
If not then do a degree that has an industrial placement year.
Apply for the highest rated Universities that you can.
tinybabydream@reddit
do it if you’re passionate
headline-pottery@reddit
On the (not very reliably admittedly) rankings (https://www.thecompleteuniversityguide.co.uk/league-tables/rankings/mechanical-engineering) - Anglia Ruskin is dead last for Mechanical Engineering. So you are getting a degree from a low tier University that is not going to help you get a job. If you are international, paying £50k to get a degree from a low tier diploma mill Uni is going to leave you going back home with a massive bill and a bad experience.
Slight-Brush@reddit
r/UniUK or r/UCAS might be more use
qualityvote2@reddit
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