Engineering student in a lab coat working on an engine.

International Year One in Engineering

The International Year One in Engineering builds your subject knowledge, English skills and confidence so that you can make a strong start to your degree. When you complete the programme and achieve the required grades, you will enter the second year of a degree at Cardiff University.

Key facts

Entry requirements

Check our academic and English language entry requirements

Fees

Visit the Fees page for full details.

Programme is subject to approval

Prepare to build a better world

Cardiff School of Engineering is a leading engineering school with links to industry, conducting internationally renowned research. It is ranked in the top 20 universities in the UK for civil engineering, general engineering and electrical and electronic engineering.*

Students have taken part in research projects with partners including Airbus, Huawei, Mercedes-Benz and NASA. You will also have the option of a paid year in industry.

*The Complete University Guide 2024

What will I study?

You will study a selection from the modules below, depending on which degree you have chosen within engineering. Modules are designed to give you a broad knowledge of engineering and a range of transferrable skills.

Core modules

The Academic English Skills course teaches students the specific academic language skills they need to develop for success at Cardiff University. The course focuses on the receptive (listening and reading) and productive (speaking and writing) skills through practice in semi and authentic task-based activities which build a strong foundation in preparation for each student's future studies. This critical module places particular emphasis on developing academic reading and research skills; research-based writing along with presentation and seminar speaking skills.

The Design Practice module is a core module for International Year One Engineering. The module aims to introduce the principles and theory underlying limit state design and its application to various design problems and materials. Students will be introduced the design process and the various stages of development towards construction and maintenance. Students will also be introduced to the principles and conventions of engineering drawing, and use drawings/visualisation as a communication tool and, in turn, familiarise themselves with 2/3D computer aided design (CAD) and visualisation software such as AutoCAD and Auto Desk Inventor.

The Engineering Math and Computation module is a core module for International Year One Engineering. The module aims to develop the basic mathematical knowledge and associated intellectual skills appropriate for a modern Engineering degree scheme and will provide the ability to apply such knowledge and skills in an engineering context. We will also introduce algorithm development, program design and structured approach to problem solving using MATLAB programming language. Students will develop knowledge and understanding of a practical programming language for engineering applications through several examples in science and engineering

The Fundamentals of Materials in Engineering module is core module for International Year One Engineering. The module will offer a fundamental knowledge of the materials that are used in engineering. The module provides an understanding of basic materials, in particular atomic structure and bonding, stress and strain, common crystal structures of metals and the constituents and structure of plastics, concrete, brick, timber and other materials. Students will analyse performance of materials and understand how the composition and structure of these materials determine their performance, limitations, and applications.

Route modules

Geomechanics

The Geodynamics module is a semester two module for the Civil Engineering pathway. The module aims to introduce the concept of a fluid and promote confidence in solving engineering problems involving fluids. Students will be introduced to the principles governing the engineering properties of soils, give an indication of the key sources of water pollution and how pollutants affect the aquatic environment to present in summary of the UK and EU legislation covering the quality of drinking water and that of treated effluents. Students will develop an appreciation of basic geology including mineralogy, petrology, and geological map interpretation.

Civil Engineering and professional practice

The Civil Engineering and Professional Practice module is a semester two module for the Civil Engineering pathway This module introduces students to the breadth of architectural, civil, and environmental engineering, the underlying concepts and principles associated with basic structures, materials, environmental fluid mechanics and geomechanics, and the ability to apply such knowledge and skills in an engineering context. Students will be introduced to the practical application of fundamentals through laboratory tasks allowing them to establish good research and analysis skills.

Fluids

The Fluids module is a semester two module for both the Civil and Mechanical Engineering pathways. The module aims to promote confidence in the understanding and addressing of basic problems involving thermodynamics and fluid mechanics. Students will be introduced to the fundamental definitions and basic principles of Thermodynamics and Fluid Mechanics, emphasising application of these concepts to both familiar and unfamiliar problems and they will develop an appreciation of the range of industrial applications to which these fundamental concepts may be applied.

Statics

Statics is a semester one module for the Civil, Medical and Mechanical Engineering pathways and is an optional semester one module for the integrated pathway. It is the study of methods for quantifying the forces between bodies. Where forces are responsible for maintaining balance and causing motion of bodies, or changes in their shape. Motion and changes in shape are critical to the functionality of artifacts in the man-made world and to phenomena in the natural world.This module introduces the fundamental principles of stress analysis for linearly elastic materials and their application to simple structures. It focuses on the behaviour of structures such as beams and shafts and provides underpinning knowledge for a range of analyses on applications relevant to civil, mechanical, and medical engineering.

Electromagnetism

The Electromagnetism module is a semester one module the Electrical Engineering pathway and an optional semester one module for the Integrated Engineering pathway. The module aims to give an understanding of the fundamental properties and calculation of electric fields. We will introduce COMSOL for the simulation of electric field distributions, the interaction of electric fields with metals and dielectrics materials, and the applications of these materials in Electrical and Electronic Engineering. Students will be introduced to the concepts of voltage, current and resistance, from a fundamental perspective and the basic principles of solid-state physics, bringing together the fundamentals of electronic structure and band theory and developing an understanding of semiconductors.

Power Engineering

The Power Engineering module is semester two module for the Electrical Engineering pathway and an optional semester two module for the Integrated pathway. The aim of the module is to demonstrate the principal features and operation of electrical power networks. It provides introductions to energy sources and their characteristics, concepts of real and reactive power flow in a power system. Students will gain an understanding of the fundamental properties and calculation of magnetic fields, the interaction of magnetic fields with electrical circuits and magnetic materials, and the applications of these materials in Electrical Engineering Students will also be introduced to the concepts of inductance, the ideal transformer and rotating electric machines from a fundamental perspective.

Communication and Green Technologies

The Communication and Green Technologies Module is a semester two module for both the Electrical and Integrated Engineering pathways. The module reviews the environmental consequences of key energy and resource management activities, including energy generation, waste management, food and water supply, consumer goods (sustainable production and consumption). The students will then go on to consider recent policy initiatives and drivers and examine key green technologies. Students will investigate topics such as energy generation & its environmental impact, Innovation and deployment of emerging green technologies, green technology policies and initiatives, energy policies and initiatives, resource management, policies and initiatives, waste management, geographical Information Systems (GIS) for green technologies and the contribution of green technologies to sustainable development.

Robotics

The Robotics module is a semester two module for the Medical, Mechanical, Electrical and Integrated Engineering pathways. Robots are becoming more widely used in society, with applications ranging from agriculture through to manufacturing, with increasing interest in autonomous systems. This module will introduce students to the fundamentals of robotic systems including kinematics and dynamics as applied to manipulators and mobile robots. To support many application sensors are required, the module will discuss tactile and vision sensing as applied to both fixed and mobile robots. Students will also be introduced in detail to the design and control of multi-fingered end effectors Students will also be introduced to how biological systems have influenced the development of current and future robotic systems, including swarms, humanoid, and other biomimetic robotic systems.

Statics

Statics is a semester one module for the Civil, Medical and Mechanical Engineering pathways and is an optional semester one module for the integrated pathway. It is the study of methods for quantifying the forces between bodies. Where forces are responsible for maintaining balance and causing motion of bodies, or changes in their shape. Motion and changes in shape are critical to the functionality of artefacts in the man-made world and to phenomena in the natural world.This module introduces the fundamental principles of stress analysis for linearly elastic materials and their application to simple structures. It focuses on the behaviour of structures such as beams and shafts and provides underpinning knowledge for a range of analyses on applications relevant to civil, mechanical, and medical engineering.

Dynamics

The Dynamics module is a semester two module for the Medical and Mechanical Engineering pathways and is an optional module for the Integrated Engineering module. The module aims to introduce students to the basic analytical methods, that is, the fundamental concepts and techniques of engineering dynamics. It will also show the implementation of these methods in the design and analysis of simple basic mechanisms. The module concentrates on dynamics where the concepts of Newton’s laws of motion, forces, work, energy, momentum, and impulse will be covered and explained in depth using examples from everyday phenomena. Students will obtain modelling knowledge, tools, and experience appropriate for a first year engineering module, providing the foundation for higher-level modules.

Fluids

The Fluids module is a semester two module for both the Civil and Mechanical Engineering pathways. The module aims to promote confidence in the understanding and addressing of basic problems involving thermodynamics and fluid mechanics. Students will be introduced to the fundamental definitions and basic principles of Thermodynamics and Fluid Mechanics, emphasising application of these concepts to both familiar and unfamiliar problems and they will develop an appreciation of the range of industrial applications to which these fundamental concepts may be applied.

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Research impact

Cardiff University is ranked 11th in the UK for the impact of their research.

(Research Excellence Framework, 2021)

Progress to your degree

After completing your International Year One and achieving the necessary grades, you can transition to your chosen undergraduate degree. Choose from the following degrees:

Degree Programme NameAwardOverall GradeEnglish GradeGrade Module
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