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aeronautical engineering at university

hi, i am currently in year 11 and am thinking about doing engineering at blackcountry utc then doing aeronautical engineering at university, however i don't know where 2 go because i don't want 2 do a-level maths and it is one of the most common entry requirments, does anyone one know a university which i could look into? :confused:

Reply 1

FarawayTree

If you don't like maths, engineering is not for you! To do engineering at degree level, you WILL need maths A Level. You need to be VERY good at maths. The maths on the degree course makes A Level maths look like playschool!

You really need to speak with the college and see what the qualification will give you, and what is in the curriculum. For BTECs and the such, you will probably still do the maths, but it won't be a separate qualification like the A-levels... They'll integrate it somewhere into the course so you'll be qualified to go to university. I know a few people doing engineering who went down that route before.

If you want to avoid all maths entirely at this level, the best you could do is look at a foundation year, but they'll just teach you the A-levels maths then. Plus, you risk spending an entire year of university fees and it is no guarantee that you'll be able to get onto the full course. College, at your age, is a lot cheaper (basically free!). It's an option, but there's no real way to get around the maths. Engineering is applied maths (especially the mechanics side of it), so you'll eventually have to do it. I got in with an AS in maths with mechanics, but pretty much all the universities are looking to get candidates with at least an A-level in it. To be honest, I found the A-levels to be a lot harder, but your mileage may vary depending on the university you choose.

I'd also be wary of the universities who will take you in with few, or zero, qualifications. Their engineering department will probably not be great and I doubt they'd be accredited (the national/international seal of approval to show competence in that field) and so it would just be a set back to you when finding a job. A course with a placement/industrial year out ("sandwich", instead of "full time") is an advantage as you'll get experience and some job offers while still at uni.

You can use UCAS to find universities who offer engineering and foundation years and you can use "Unistats" to see what the mixture of coursework/exams is, and this may help you to find a university which is more practical or coursework based (I disliked doing the maths, so more coursework made my university more suitable for me. Each university sets their own curriculum, so there really are vast options at that level).

If you want to avoid the maths as much as possible, alternative degrees may involve something like "product design", which isn't the same as engineering and you won't be able to work on aircraft like you might with a mechanically based engineering degree.

But yeah, maths is crucial. Call up or arrange to meet with people from the college and ask them about the course they're running and how it will allow you to get to university. Then, look on UCAS to find suitable courses and contact the universities (send a quick email) to check that your potential qualification will be valid. They will have an entry requirements page, but it's useful to contact them directly for clarity. Explain which course you're doing, what it's worth and which modules you'll be doing.