MSc Motorsport Engineering
Industry-standard workshops and laboratories, industry-relevant assessments, and opportunities to work on live motorsport projects, together with teaching from experienced motorsport professionals, combine to make our MSc in Motorsport Engineering an excellent choice if you want to advance your career at the highest levels of the motorsport and automotive industries.
MSc Motorsport Engineering
Award
MSc
Start Date
22/09/2025
Duration
18 months
Mode
Full-time
Location
University of Bolton
Industry-standard workshops and laboratories, industry-relevant assessments, and opportunities to work on live motorsport projects, together with teaching from experienced motorsport professionals, combine to make our MSc in Motorsport Engineering an excellent choice if you want to advance your career at the highest levels of the motorsport and automotive industries.
Course Overview
A career in motorsport engineering demands advanced knowledge and specialist skills. By studying for your MSc in Motorsport Engineering at the University of Greater Manchester, you’ll focus on the cutting edge of motorsport design, simulation and operations, while benefiting from our innovative block-delivery model and strong industry links.This programme combines advanced study in engineering principles with motorsport-specific expertise. You’ll explore themes such as aerodynamics, vehicle science, systems engineering and operations management, alongside digital engineering skills in data science, advanced manufacturing and computer-aided engineering.
You’ll develop expertise using industry-standard tools such as Solidworks, Ansys, Simscale and Matlab/Simulink, supported by access to our outstanding facilities, including the Centre for Advanced Manufacturing, fully equipped machine shop, composite workshop, and race vehicle workshop. These specialist environments allow you to gain hands-on experience with CNC machining, polymer and metallic additive manufacturing, composite manufacturing, and practical race engineering tasks.
Hands-on experience is at the heart of the course. You’ll have the opportunity to join our Formula Student team, as well as take part in live projects with industry partners. Your learning will be enriched by masterclasses, guest lectures and factory visits with motorsport experts, teams and manufacturers.
Our lecturers bring real-world motorsport experience, ensuring that your learning is informed by current industry practice. With opportunities to apply for placements and internships in professional environments, you’ll graduate with the advanced knowledge, confidence and skills demanded by employers across the motorsport and automotive industries.
Highlights
- Hands-on experience with live industry projects, Formula Student and in-house race teams, plus opportunities for placements with partner organisations.
- Industry engagement embedded, with guest lectures, masterclasses and factory visits from motorsport teams and professionals.
- Study at the National Centre for Motorsport Engineering (NCME), a purpose-built facility dedicated to motorsport education and research.
- Designed in line with UK professional standards (AHEP4), supporting the academic requirements for Chartered Engineer (CEng) status.
- Access to specialist facilities, including the Centre for Advanced Manufacturing, machine shop, composite workshop and race vehicle workshop.
Key Features
- The University of Greater Manchester has a strong reputation for engineering education, with decades of experience in developing industry-ready graduates.
- Our student-centred approach means you’ll benefit from personal academic tutor support and a favourable staff-to-student ratio.
- We deliver this MSc in an innovative block teaching format, allowing you to focus on two modules at a time for deeper learning.
- You’ll develop skills in industry-standard software tools such as Solidworks, Ansys, Simscale and Matlab/Simulink.
- Assessments are designed to reflect real-world engineering practice, helping you apply your knowledge in authentic industry scenarios.
- By studying alongside students and professionals from other engineering specialisms, you’ll benefit from cross-disciplinary collaboration and thinking.
- Bolton is less than 20 minutes from Manchester, one of the UK’s most multicultural and lively cities, and the Northwest of England is renowned for its countryside, coastline and heritage.
Entry Requirements
- Normally, you should have at least a lower second-class honours degree (2.2) in a relevant subject, such as motorsport technology, automotive engineering or mechanical engineering.
- We’ll also consider applications from candidates with equivalent qualifications and relevant work experience, and from international applicants holding overseas degrees (assessed for equivalence). Applications based on Recognition of Prior Experiential Learning (RPEL) will also be considered.
- If English isn’t your first language, you’ll also need IELTS 6.0 with no less than 5.5 in any band (or equivalent). We also accept a range of other English language qualifications – please visit our English Language Requirements web page for more details.
- We're more than happy to have an informal chat with you about this course, either over the phone or in person. If you wish to meet in person, please contact the Programme Leader to arrange a mutually convenient time. (While we reserve the right to interview it's not our usual practice for this course.)
Where changes are made to material information contained in this course description or a decision is taken to suspend a course between the offer of admissions and enrolment, we will inform applicants at the earliest possible opportunity and will outline the various options available to the applicant.
Career Opportunities
This MSc Motorsport Engineering programme is designed to prepare you for advanced roles in motorsport and related industries. Alongside specialist technical knowledge in areas such as aerodynamics, vehicle science, simulation and operations, you’ll also develop high-level digital engineering and manufacturing expertise.
Employers in motorsport and automotive engineering value not only strong technical ability but also transferable skills such as problem-solving, teamwork, data analysis, and effective communication. Throughout this master’s, we’ll support you in strengthening these skills, helping you graduate as a confident, adaptable engineer ready for the challenges of a fast-moving, global industry.
What can I do with this qualification?
- Race Engineer
- Performance Engineer
- Aerodynamics Engineer
- Research and Development Engineer
- Manufacturing Engineer
- Operations Manager
Many of our graduates progress into trackside roles with race teams, while others take up positions with manufacturers, suppliers and engineering consultancies. Beyond motorsport, the advanced digital and engineering skills you’ll gain are also sought after in the automotive, aerospace and defence sectors, particularly in areas such as electric vehicles, simulation and advanced manufacturing.
For those considering further study, this MSc is designed to support the academic requirements for Chartered Engineer (CEng) status, and also provides an excellent platform for progression to PhD or research careers.
Alternative career options
Graduates can also use the qualification to enter a range of other careers, bearing in mind that relevant experience or additional study may be required. Some of these roles include:
- Teaching and education
- Project management
- Test engineering
- Consultancy
- Manufacturing
- Materials science
- Quality management
- Product management
Professional Recognition
The University of Greater Manchester’s MSc Motorsport Engineering uses UK-SPEC learning outcomes (AHEP4) and has been designed to support the academic requirements for Chartered Engineer (CEng) status. Please see the Engineering Council UK website for further details of UK-SPEC.
We will be seeking accreditation of the MSc Motorsport Engineering for Chartered Engineer (CEng) status from the Institute of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE).
Fees & Funding
Please note the total course fee for a Home student starting this course in 2023/24 will be £7,920. As this is an 18-month course, the fees are £5,280 for the first year and £2,640 for the final semester.
Home/EU Fees
Home students starting this course in the first year will be required to pay a Home fee of £5,664 for the academic year 2025/26.
International Fees
Overseas students starting this course in the first year will be required to pay a Overseas fee of £17,500 for the academic year 2025/26.
Bursaries
Click here for more information on our Master's Bursaries.
Important note regarding tuition fees: EU nationals who meet residency requirements (have settled or pre-settled status) may be eligible for 'Home' fee status. If you do not meet these residency requirements, overseas fees will apply. Irish citizens living in the UK or Ireland will be eligible for 'Home' fee status under the Common Travel Area arrangement. Please read the student finance for EU students web page on www.gov.uk for information.
The fees for a student's course of study will be set for the normal duration of that course subject only to inflationary increases – measured by the Consumer Price Index (CPI) recorded in March each year to take effect for subsequent start dates.
How to apply
Home Applicants
You may apply directly to the University using the University's online application form. Please select your chosen start date from the list below:
You should have to hand:
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Details of the educational establishments you attended and dates
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Your certificates for the qualifications you are using to gain entry to the course – you will need to enter the completion date and upload copies
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Details of any employment history including name, address, dates and role
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Personal statement – this can be either input into the relevant field or uploaded separately
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Details including e-mail addresses of two referees, at least one of which should be someone who can provide an academic reference
Please make sure any documents you wish to upload in support of your application are in pdf or jpeg format. Personal statements may be word documents.
Please ensure your data is correct at each stage of the application before you proceed to the next page. If you use the back button at any time during the application, you should check the validity of the data you have already input.
If you experience difficulties during the application process, contact the Admissions Team on 01204 903394 or admissions-team@greatermanchester.ac.uk
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Apply online: University of Greater Manchester MSc Motorsport Engineering - 22 September 2025
International Applicants
The University welcomes applications from international students from all over the world. We try to make the application process as simple and as fast as possible for our international applicants.
This course is not currently accepting international online applications.
Please contact Admissions by telephone on 01204 903903 or email enquiries@greatermanchester.ac.uk
Admissions
University of Greater Manchester
Deane Road
Bolton, BL3 5AB
United Kingdom
Tel: 01204 903903
Email: enquiries@greatermanchester.ac.uk
Teaching & Assessment
Our overall teaching and learning strategy is student-centred. We use a blended approach involving face-to-face sessions and online learning. Active learning is promoted using lectures, seminars, workshops, practicals, and tutorials, along with guided and self-directed study. These are supported by online discussions and activities posted on our VLE.
You’ll be expected to spend a considerable amount of time on independent learning, including literature searches, reading, completing work for seminars, preparing for workshops, presentations or group discussions. Some modules will have online resources and activities to complete.
Assessment methods include reports, presentations and portfolios, designed not only to evaluate your progress but also to help you identify strengths and areas for development.
Modules
The modules listed below may be a mixture of compulsory and optional. You may not have the opportunity to study all the modules shown as part of the course.
- Postgraduate Engineering Study Skills
- Computer Aided Engineering
- Engineering Data Science
- Advanced Manufacturing
- Motorsport Operations Management
- Motorsport Vehicle Science
- Motorsport Aerodynamics
- Motorsport Systems Engineering
- Individual Major Project
Assessment methods
Level | Assessment method |
---|---|
Level 1 | Coursework 95% Written exams 5% |
Learning Activities
Level | Activity |
---|---|
Level 1 | Guided independent study 82% Scheduled learning and teaching activities 18% |
The university will use all reasonable endeavours to deliver your course as described in its published material and the programme specification for the academic year in which you begin your course. The university considers changes to courses very carefully and the university will minimise any changes. Please be aware that our courses are subject to review on an ongoing basis and changes may be necessary due to legitimate staffing, financial, regulatory and academic reasons. The content of course modules and mode of associated assessments may be updated on an annual basis. This is to ensure that all modules are up-to-date and responsive to employment and sector needs. The published course material and the programme specification contain indicative ‘optional modules’ that may be subject to change due to circumstances outside of our control. For this reason, we cannot guarantee to run any specific optional module.
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