Electrical Engineer
I am looking to become and electrical engineer (in wales) and I am choosing my A levels, I have decided on Physics, Ict and business are these good?
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Original post by usfbullz
Pretty sure you need A Level Maths. (Further maths would be good too)
If the university I would like to go to doesnt require maths a level is it a bad uni?
Original post by DeclanGCSEs
If the university I would like to go to doesnt require maths a level is it a bad uni?
No university would not require maths. You need maths and physics.
The academic requirements for the course are 112 UCAS tariff points at GCE A-level or equivalent, including Maths or Physics.
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Original post by DeclanGCSEs
If the university I would like to go to doesnt require maths a level is it a bad uni?
weren't u the guy who was asking about getting a B grade in maths when ur at a C grade currently ?
I wouldn't say it is a "bad uni" but you would find the course hard without maths.
Unless one of your modules is maths based learning like "maths for electrical engineering" or something like that.
Pretty sure @uberteknik has a degree in Electrical Engineering so he may have some useful advice regarding this topic.
Unless one of your modules is maths based learning like "maths for electrical engineering" or something like that.
Pretty sure @uberteknik has a degree in Electrical Engineering so he may have some useful advice regarding this topic.
Original post by Ray_Shadows
weren't u the guy who was asking about getting a B grade in maths when ur at a C grade currently ?
Yes, It was A without a level maths.
Original post by usfbullz
I wouldn't say it is a "bad uni" but you would find the course hard without maths.
Unless one of your modules is maths based learning like "maths for electrical engineering" or something like that.
Pretty sure @uberteknik has a degree in Electrical Engineering so he may have some useful advice regarding this topic.
Unless one of your modules is maths based learning like "maths for electrical engineering" or something like that.
Pretty sure @uberteknik has a degree in Electrical Engineering so he may have some useful advice regarding this topic.
Okay, thanks for the reply.
Original post by DeclanGCSEs
Yes, It was A without a level maths.
whatever , you need a-level maths for any engineering course , unless you go to an extremely *****y university
Original post by Texxers
I'd pick Maths, Further Maths, Electronics, Physics, Chemistry maybe Some other random one like Computing/IT. Pick 3/4 out of these options.
ok
If I get the grades I will!
Original post by Ray_Shadows
whatever , you need a-level maths for any engineering course , unless you go to an extremely *****y university
Alright lol, Calm down
Original post by Texxers
Alright lol, Calm down
it's true though , it's like me saying can i do medicine at uni without a-level chemistry
Original post by Ray_Shadows
it's true though , it's like me saying can i do medicine at uni without a-level chemistry
I wonder if an applicant got A*A*A*A* in Biology, maths, further maths and physics, if a uni would accept him/get into a medicine course...
Original post by Texxers
I wonder if an applicant got A*A*A*A* in Biology, maths, further maths and physics, if a uni would accept him/get into a medicine course...
yeh maybe but his options would be limited because chemistry is an essential requirement...
You will almost certainly need Mathematics. EE is more mathematical than many engineering disciplines, so Further Mathematics would also be very useful (moreso than many others in a way, since the complex numbers and matrices content is much more prevalent in EE than others, from an earlier stage). Any EE degree will also have further modules in mathematics - probably several. If a degree doesn't require A-level Mathematics and only has a single token module in Maths...it may not provide the best preparation for working in industry, and would certainly be much weaker for continuing in a research capacity. You may also want to check the degree is accredited by the relevant engineering body - I think EE courses are usually done by the IET.
The long and short of it is, if you think you'd be unable to cope with A-level Maths, you would likely struggle on an EE (and in fact, probably any engineering) degree. While there may be some more "vocationally" oriented degrees in e.g. Engineering Technology, this is not the same as an engineering degree (as if it's accredited there is a core syllabus that the degree much cover, and this includes a considerable amount of mathematics and physics that underlies the core engineering principles). That said, the sorts of topics in A-level Mathematics tend to be more interesting and engaging than in GCSE, so you may well find that the change of pace and style is to your benefit.
Beyond Maths and Physics, anything is fine in theory - Further Maths is preferable as above (especially for the "top" courses), or another science as fundamentally engineering is normally taught as an experimental discipline and having exposure to scientific lab work and writing is useful. Further, while it may seem a more "vocational" area, as above engineering (any discipline) is a fully academic course - some courses more than others, but to some extent they are all based on a core academic backbone (as with the vast majority of university degree subjects). Thus, it's better preparation to take traditionally academic subjects over vocational ones, if you intend to pursue a degree (in any subject, but this certainly applies to engineering) - thus, Economics would be more advisable than Business Studies, and Computer Science would be more advisable than ICT. This isn't as critical as the core requirement of Maths and Physics, and isn't likely to affect your application outside of the "top" universities (like Oxbridge and Imperial), but engineering is a challenging degree so it's to your benefit to choose a challenging set of A-levels to prepare for this. I wouldn't suggest something such as ICT or Electronics except as a fourth A-level (for example if you're doing Maths, FM, and Physics) in some circumstances. Some familiarity with basic electronics (not necessarily to the extent of the A-level) is helpful but they don't expect anything beyond the A-level Physics curriculum in terms of circuits and electronics.
I was formerly studying EE at Exeter, in case you wanted some context for my comments
The long and short of it is, if you think you'd be unable to cope with A-level Maths, you would likely struggle on an EE (and in fact, probably any engineering) degree. While there may be some more "vocationally" oriented degrees in e.g. Engineering Technology, this is not the same as an engineering degree (as if it's accredited there is a core syllabus that the degree much cover, and this includes a considerable amount of mathematics and physics that underlies the core engineering principles). That said, the sorts of topics in A-level Mathematics tend to be more interesting and engaging than in GCSE, so you may well find that the change of pace and style is to your benefit.
Beyond Maths and Physics, anything is fine in theory - Further Maths is preferable as above (especially for the "top" courses), or another science as fundamentally engineering is normally taught as an experimental discipline and having exposure to scientific lab work and writing is useful. Further, while it may seem a more "vocational" area, as above engineering (any discipline) is a fully academic course - some courses more than others, but to some extent they are all based on a core academic backbone (as with the vast majority of university degree subjects). Thus, it's better preparation to take traditionally academic subjects over vocational ones, if you intend to pursue a degree (in any subject, but this certainly applies to engineering) - thus, Economics would be more advisable than Business Studies, and Computer Science would be more advisable than ICT. This isn't as critical as the core requirement of Maths and Physics, and isn't likely to affect your application outside of the "top" universities (like Oxbridge and Imperial), but engineering is a challenging degree so it's to your benefit to choose a challenging set of A-levels to prepare for this. I wouldn't suggest something such as ICT or Electronics except as a fourth A-level (for example if you're doing Maths, FM, and Physics) in some circumstances. Some familiarity with basic electronics (not necessarily to the extent of the A-level) is helpful but they don't expect anything beyond the A-level Physics curriculum in terms of circuits and electronics.
I was formerly studying EE at Exeter, in case you wanted some context for my comments
(edited 6 years ago)
Original post by artful_lounger
You will almost certainly need Mathematics. EE is more mathematical than many engineering disciplines, so Further Mathematics would also be very useful (moreso than many others in a way, since the complex numbers and matrices content is much more prevalent in EE than others, from an earlier stage). Any EE degree will also have further modules in mathematics - probably several. If a degree doesn't require A-level Mathematics and only has a single token module in Maths...it may not provide the best preparation for working in industry, and would certainly be much weaker for continuing in a research capacity. You may also want to check the degree is accredited by the relevant engineering body - I think EE courses are usually done by the IET.
The long and short of it is, if you think you'd be unable to cope with A-level Maths, you would likely struggle on an EE (and in fact, probably any engineering) degree. While there may be some more "vocationally" oriented degrees in e.g. Engineering Technology, this is not the same as an engineering degree (as if it's accredited there is a core syllabus that the degree much cover, and this includes a considerable amount of mathematics and physics that underlies the core engineering principles). That said, the sorts of topics in A-level Mathematics tend to be more interesting and engaging than in GCSE, so you may well find that the change of pace and style is to your benefit.
Beyond Maths and Physics, anything is fine - Further Maths is preferable as above, or another science, as fundamentally engineering is normally taught as an experimental discipline and having exposure to scientific lab work and writing is useful. Further, while it may seem a more "vocational" area, as above it is a fully academic course - some more than others, but to some extent they are all based on a core academic backbone (as with the vast majority of university degree subjects). Thus, it's better prepration to take traditionally academic subjects over vocational ones, if you intend to pursue a degree (in any subject, but this certainly applies to engineering) - thus, Economics would be more advisable than Business Studies, and Computer Science would be more advisable than ICT. This isn't as critical as the core requirement of Maths and Physics, and isn't likely to affect your application outside of the "top" universities (like Oxbridge and Imperial), but engineering is a challenging degree so it's to your benefit to choose a challenging set of A-levels to prepare for this.
I was formerly studying EE at Exeter, in case you wanted some understanding of my comments
The long and short of it is, if you think you'd be unable to cope with A-level Maths, you would likely struggle on an EE (and in fact, probably any engineering) degree. While there may be some more "vocationally" oriented degrees in e.g. Engineering Technology, this is not the same as an engineering degree (as if it's accredited there is a core syllabus that the degree much cover, and this includes a considerable amount of mathematics and physics that underlies the core engineering principles). That said, the sorts of topics in A-level Mathematics tend to be more interesting and engaging than in GCSE, so you may well find that the change of pace and style is to your benefit.
Beyond Maths and Physics, anything is fine - Further Maths is preferable as above, or another science, as fundamentally engineering is normally taught as an experimental discipline and having exposure to scientific lab work and writing is useful. Further, while it may seem a more "vocational" area, as above it is a fully academic course - some more than others, but to some extent they are all based on a core academic backbone (as with the vast majority of university degree subjects). Thus, it's better prepration to take traditionally academic subjects over vocational ones, if you intend to pursue a degree (in any subject, but this certainly applies to engineering) - thus, Economics would be more advisable than Business Studies, and Computer Science would be more advisable than ICT. This isn't as critical as the core requirement of Maths and Physics, and isn't likely to affect your application outside of the "top" universities (like Oxbridge and Imperial), but engineering is a challenging degree so it's to your benefit to choose a challenging set of A-levels to prepare for this.
I was formerly studying EE at Exeter, in case you wanted some understanding of my comments
Okay Thank you, would ICT go well with Physics and Maths as I would like to do an "easy" subject to get my ucas points up?
Original post by DeclanGCSEs
Okay Thank you, would ICT go well with Physics and Maths as I would like to do an "easy" subject to get my ucas points up?
As per the final paragraph, it's less ideal. Apart from the fact that not too many universities use the UCAS points tariff (particularly, none of the upper ~third or so of such courses), as stated engineering is a challenging academic subject. You usually have very limited opportunity for choosing "optional" modules before your third year, and so you won't be able to choose the "easy" subject for a large chunk of your course - and they can be very challenging, depending on your background and inclinations.
While other subjects may not be directly relevant, taking a more academic subject for a full academic complement of A-level options is better preparation in terms of transferable "soft" skills. Exam preparation, revision techniques, study skills, writing skills, etc, etc - these are all developed better by such subjects, and necessary to do well in a degree. Thus, something like another science, or an unrelated academic subject such as e.g. Economics or similar (or even a non-academic but demanding subject like Fine Art, which requires a much larger commitment from the student than otherwise would be expected for a similar non-academic subject, in a pinch) is better preparation. Taking ICT as a fourth subject would be fine, or taking something like Computer Science which is considered more academically rigorous, would suffice.
Getting into university isn't the end goal. If you "coast" in it's entirely possible you'll find the pace and nature of university a much greater leap up from your A-level experiences - and this could well prevent you from achieving your end goals, by meaning you don't get a good classification in your degree work, or need to change course because you aren't able to cope with the demands of your desired course. Wwhile this varies between universities, even at my former uni, Exeter, which is fairly well considered, there were was not insignificant attrition between each year as people failed modules, had to retake modules/years, switched to other courses, or left the university - while this is not the only reason this happened, it does make up part of that.
(edited 6 years ago)
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