School of Engineering, Computing and Mathematics

BSc (Hons) Electronic and Computer Engineering

Planned new course

UCAS tariff 104 Contextual offers
A contextual offer is an offer to study at university that takes personal circumstances that may affect grades into account.
UCAS course code HH66
Institution code P60
Duration

3 years

(+ optional placement)
Course type

Full-time
Study location Plymouth
Register for open day
Apply at UCAS.com

This unique joint course across electronic engineering and computer science offers opportunities to respond to the growing worldwide demands in complex technologies and smart applications. This course provides you with the necessary synergistic skills between the computing systems and electronics applications.

  • HSubject to approval

Careers with this subject
Discover employment and further study opportunities that you could consider once you graduate with an electrical and electronic engineering degree.

Course details

  • Year 1

  • Core modules

    BPIE112
    Stage 1 Electrical/Robotics Placement Preparation 0 credits

    This module is aimed at students who may be undertaking an industrial placement in the third year of their programme. It is designed to assist students in their search for a placement and in their preparation for the placement itself.

    ELEC141Z
    Analogue Electronics

    This module provides an overview of analogue circuit characterisation, analysis, and design, linking theory to practice. It will examine how common analogue systems are constructed from elementary components.

    ELEC142Z
    Digital Electronics

    This module covers digital electronics, introducing digital devices and providing a background in the principles, design and applications of combinational and sequential logic circuits to computer and embedded systems.

    ELEC144Z
    Electrical Principles and Machines

    This module provides an overview of analogue circuit characterisation, analysis, and design, linking theory to practice. It will examine how common analogue systems are constructed from elementary components.

    MATH191Z
    Engineering Mathematics

    This module provides students with a number of fundamental mathematical skills, and techniques, which are essential for the analysis of engineering problems.

    PROJ100
    Embedded System Design and Build 40 credits

    The module enables students to work collectively to build prototype solutions to real-world problems using both software and hardware. This will include development and verification skills in both hardware and software.

    100% Coursework

  • Year 2

  • Core modules

    BPIE212
    Stage 2 Electrical/Robotics Placement Preparation 0 credits

    This module is aimed at students who may be undertaking an industrial placement in the third year of their programme. It is designed build on the Level 1 module (BPIE111) and to assist students in their search for a placement and in their preparation for the placement itself.

    COMP2000
    Software Engineering 2 20 credits

    Students’ understanding of software engineering is expanded by introducing a range of topics that instil best practice. Students will learn how to implement faster software using parallelism and consider aspects of human-computer interaction. Object-orientation and functional programming are revisited, while event-driven programming is introduced. Common design patterns used in the construction of software are introduced.

    100% Coursework

    COMP2002
    Artificial Intelligence 20 credits

    This module provides students with an introduction to the principles of artificial intelligence and the methods used in that field. Topics covered include search and optimisation, knowledge representation and reasoning, and machine learning. Students will gain experience of modelling and simulation, and will apply analytical tools to evaluating results, and will consider the ethical implications of the introduction of AI.

    100% Coursework

    ELEC239Z
    Communication Systems

    This module extends the student’s knowledge and understanding of electrical engineering in order to develop a deeper understanding of electronic engineering principles and their application to electronic and communication engineering.

    PROJ200Z
    Real Time Systems Project

    The module enables students to build robust and scalable real-time solutions to real-world problems using both Microcontroller and FPGA technologies. This will include both hardware and firmware development skills.

    ROCO219Z
    Control Engineering

    This module introduces basic concepts in how to control systems that have dynamics. This can involve making an unstable system stable, like balancing a Segway transporter to ensure it always remains upright. Or to get a system to follow a desired input and reach the desired goal. For example, controlling a robot arm so it moves directly to a target location without oscillating or overshooting.

  • Year 3

  • Core modules

    BPIE332
    Electrical Industrial Placement

    A 48-week period of professional training spent as the third year of a sandwich programme undertaking an approved placement with a suitable company. This provides an opportunity for the student to gain relevant industrial experience to consolidate the first two stages of study and to prepare for the final stage and employment after graduation.

  • Final year

  • Core modules

    COMP3001
    Parallel Computing 20 credits

    This module develops an understanding of problems in Computer Science which take advantage of general-purpose computing on GPUs. It provides practical methodologies to reformulate problems in terms of hardware architecture, graphics primitives and high-performance computing concepts, as supported by the most recent GPUs. It develops the skills to implement parallel solutions with common GP-GPU computing languages.

    100% Coursework

    COMP3003
    Machine Learning 20 credits

    This module introduces machine learning, covering unsupervised, supervised and reinforcement learning from a Bayesian perspective. This includes theory behind a range of learning techniques and how to apply these representations of data in systems that make decisions and predictions.

    100% Coursework

    COMP3008
    Big Data Analytics 20 credits

    The key objective of this module is to familiarise the students with the most important information technologies used in manipulating, storing and analysing big data. Students will work with semi-structured datasets and choose appropriate storage structures for them. A representative of recent non-relational trends is presented—namely, graph-oriented databases.

    100% Coursework

    ELEC351Z
    Advanced Embedded Programming

    The module aims to develop programming skills in embedded programming, by making use of advanced features of high-level programming languages and by deepening the knowledge of modern programming techniques in embedded systems. The module has a strong practical bias where students are required to solve various problems by programming existing microcontroller hardware.

    PROJ300Z
    Individual Project

    Investigate problems from industry or current research, define the problem boundaries, investigate possible solutions and present your results. You’ll have the chance to demonstrate a wide range of skills such as project management, ethics, IP, research, critical thinking, engineering decisions, hardware (electrical, electronic and mechanical) design and simulation, software implementation, schematic capture, testing.

The modules shown for this course are those currently being studied by our students, or are proposed new modules. Please note that programme structures and individual modules are subject to amendment from time to time as part of the University’s curriculum enrichment programme and in line with changes in the University’s policies and requirements.

Entry requirements

UCAS tariff

104

Contextual offers: Typically, the contextual offer for this course is 8 points below the advertised tariff. A contextual offer is an offer to study at university that takes into account individual circumstances that are beyond your control, and that can potentially impact your learning and your exam results, or your confidence in applying to university.

Check your eligibility for a contextual offer

A level
To include a pass at Level 3 Mathematics and a minimum of a grade C at a second relevant subject in science or engineering subjects. Relevant subjects include design technology, electronics, engineering, further mathematics, physics, pure mathematics, statistics, use of mathematics, computer science or chemistry.
BTEC
BTEC DMM in engineering/science/technology BTEC. To include merit in mathematics as a core module: mathematics for technicians, mathematics for engineering.
BTEC National Diploma modules
If you hold a BTEC qualification it is vital that you provide our Admissions team with details of the exact modules you have studied as part of the BTEC. Without this information we may be unable to process your application quickly and you could experience significant delays in the progress of your application to study with us. Please explicitly state the full list of modules within your qualification at the time of application.
All Access courses
Accept Access with 33 Level 3 credits at Merit or Distinction, with at least 12 Level 3 credits at Pass in Mathematics and 12 Level 3 credits at Merit in another Science, Engineering, or Technology subject.
International Baccalaureate
International Baccalaureate 26 overall IB pass in Maths and 5 in second science or engineering subject. English and mathematics must be included.
T level
Merit to Distinction depending on the mathematics/engineering/science units studying within the T level pathways.
English language requirements
We welcome applicants with international qualifications. To view other accepted qualifications please refer to our tariff glossary .

Fees, costs and funding
2024-2025 2025-2026 *
Home N/A £9,535
International N/A £18,650
Part time (Home) N/A £795
Full time fees shown are per annum. Part time fees shown are per 10 credits. Please note that fees are reviewed on an annual basis. Fees and the conditions that apply to them shown in the prospectus are correct at the time of going to print. Fees shown on the web are the most up to date but are still subject to change in exceptional circumstances. More information about fees and funding.

*UK Government announcement on tuition fees

Following an announcement in November, the government has confirmed its intention to increase undergraduate tuition fees for the 2025/26 academic year.

Subject to final Parliamentary approval (expected in early March 2025), the tuition fee for UK students is increasing to a maximum of £9,535 from 1 August 2025. This change applies to current and new students at the University of Plymouth. The Student Loans Company (SLC) has confirmed loans for tuition fees will be increased accordingly.

Amazon Future Engineer Scholarship
The Amazon Future Engineer Scholarship is a national programme aimed at supporting women A level and BTEC/OCR (or Scottish equivalent) students from low-income households who wish to study computer science or related engineering courses at UK universities.
Applications are open
Deadline: 13 May 2025, 4pm

How to apply
All applications for undergraduate courses are made through UCAS (Universities and Colleges Admissions Service).
UCAS will ask for the information contained in the box at the top of this course page including the UCAS course code and the institution code.
To apply for this course and for more information about submitting an application including application deadline dates, please visit the UCAS website.
Support is also available to overseas students applying to the University from our International Office via our how to apply webpage or email admissions@plymouth.ac.uk.

Progression routes

International progression routes

International progression routes
University of Plymouth International College (UPIC) offers foundation, first-year and pre-masters programmes that lead to University of Plymouth degrees. Courses are specially designed for EU and international students who are missing the grades for direct entry to the University, and include full duration visa sponsorship. You can start in January, May or September, benefitting from small class sizes, top-quality tuition and 24/7 student support.

You will explore a wide range of computer hardware and software, electronics, digital systems, embedded systems, machine learning, artificial intelligence, security, and software development for a variety of fields in today's fast-changing marketplace.
As a graduate of this degree, the students will be able to attain the required knowledge and expertise to become electronic and computing professional spanning the following subject areas:
  • Analogue/digital electronics, electrical principles, and programming
  • Design and test advanced embedded and real-time systems
  • Deep understanding of software development, control engineering, and communications systems
  • High level knowledge in artificial intelligence, machine learning, and parallel computing.
Additionally, during your time at the University of Plymouth, you will be able to enjoy the university’s new facilities - state-of-the-art lecture theatres, computer laboratories, study and social spaces – in the £63 million teaching and research Babbage Building opened in March 2024.
Furthermore, the course also shares the same stage one with Electrical and Electronic Engineering course, allowing the flexibility of transfer to stage two of this course if entry requirements are met.

New engineering and design facility

Situated on the western edge of our city centre campus, the landmark new facility is home to the School of Engineering, Computing and Mathematics and offers additional space for the School of Art, Design and Architecture .
We have one of the best-equipped undergraduate laboratory suites in the UK, and all courses are highly practical, with an emphasis on design and build. Use our dedicated robotics and communications laboratories to focus on industrial and intelligent robotic systems and high frequency electronics.
New engineering and design facility

Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Robotics and Computing

Our department offers strong teaching and research and we're very proud of the support we offer our students. Our facilities are world class, with bespoke laboratories and workshops where you will put your learning into practice.
Our satisfaction ratings are among the highest in the UK and 90 per cent of our graduates are in professional or managerial roles after six months.*
circuit board

Work placements

A ‘placement year’ is an excellent way to gain a competitive edge. It will set you up for when the graduate schemes launch and help you make better career decisions.
Josh Sullivan gained important skills and career-defining experiences working for Rolls Royce as an electronics engineer.
Student Placements - Josh Sullivan

Student Showcase

Celebrating the range of research and development projects students undertake, the event allows students to demonstrate their creations to industry.

Student experience
Jack speaks about his experience on the course and presenting his project at the Student Showcase event.

Employer insight
Kevin Stewart, Senior Designer at Alstom, talks about his experience as an employer at the Showcase.

Emily-Jane Rolley-Parnell

Student Showcase
Find out more about the event.

Meet some of your lecturers

Meet our school technical staff

Our technical staff are integral to the delivery of all our programmes and bring a diverse range of expertise and skills to support students in laboratories and workshops.
Athena SWAN Silver Award logo

Athena Swan Silver

The School of Engineering, Computing and Mathematics was awarded an Athena Swan Silver award in September 2024 which demonstrates our ongoing commitment to advancing gender equality and success for all.