Mechanical engineering

The diversity of mechanical engineering allows graduates to work in design, development and manufacturing across multiple industries

Job options

Jobs directly related to your degree include:

• Aerospace engineer
• Automotive engineer
• CAD technician
• Contracting civil engineer
• Control and instrumentation engineer
• Design engineer
• Maintenance engineer
• Manufacturing engineer
• Mechanical engineer
• Nuclear engineer
• Product/process development scientist

Jobs where your degree would be useful include:

• Acoustic consultant
• Clinical technologist
• Land-based engineer
• Management consultant
• Mining engineer
• Patent attorney
• Production manager
• Project manager
• Technical sales engineer
• Water engineer

Remember that many employers accept applications from graduates with any degree subject, so don't restrict your search to the jobs listed here.

Work experience

Employers value relevant pre-entry work experience as it demonstrates initiative and commitment to your career. Some degrees offer a year in industry, which helps you build practical skills, develop commercial awareness and make useful contacts. It can also give you early access to graduate recruitment opportunities. You'll need to find a placement yourself, although your course provider and careers service will be able to support you.

If your course doesn't include a placement year, think about securing a summer internship, virtual work experience or a short-term work placement independently. Many large engineering employers advertise these opportunities on their websites and job boards. Structured placements - whether in person or virtual - often involve hands-on or project-based work, providing valuable insight into real-world engineering environments. Competition for these opportunities can be intense, so apply early.

Although smaller firms may not have formal placements, it's still worth reaching out to them directly and asking what kind of work experience opportunities they can offer. You could also ask about job shadowing different engineers to help you decide which area you'd like to work in.

Any relevant experience you gain will boost your CV and help you stand out in a competitive job market.

Search for placements and find out more about work experience and internships.

Typical employers

Mechanical engineers work in both the private and public sectors. Employers range from multinational engineering firms with thousands of staff to small, niche companies with only a few employees.

Typical employers include:

• aerospace and automotive engineering companies
• construction and building companies
• energy and utility companies, including renewable energy and nuclear
• engineering consultancies
• hospitals
• manufacturing companies
• oil and gas companies
• research institutions, in both industry and academia
• sports engineering companies
• the armed forces and government departments such as the Ministry of Defence
• the Civil Service and local authorities
• transport and logistics companies, including road and railways.

Your strong numerical and IT skills also make you well suited for roles in finance, project management and management consulting.

You can combine your technical knowledge with sales and marketing skills to work for companies that provide technical or industrial products and services.

There are also plenty of opportunities to work abroad as a mechanical engineer with multinational engineering and energy firms, for example.

Find information on employers in engineering and manufacturing, energy and utilities and other job sectors.

Skills for your CV

A mechanical engineering degree combines maths, science, technology, business and management. Most courses have a strong focus on preparation for professional practice, equipping graduates with a wide range of skills, including:

• analytical and technical - strong numeracy and advanced computer literacy skills to analyse data and systems
• attention to detail and decision-making - demonstrating precision, sound judgement and a strong sense of responsibility in engineering design and analysis
• communication and teamwork - excellent verbal and written communication skills with the ability to work in cross-functional teams
• problem solving - applying logical reasoning together with creative and innovative approaches to tackle engineering challenges
• project and time management - skilled in planning and prioritising tasks, working to tight deadlines and working well under pressure.

Further study

Many students enrol onto MEng programmes for their first degree. These are integrated four-year Masters courses, recognised as offering extended and enhanced programmes of study. Others complete a separate Masters after their first degree.

Some mechanical engineering graduates choose to do postgraduate study to further their expertise in a particular area of mechanical engineering. There are also opportunities to study a business or management-related subject to help improve your commercial awareness and leadership skills.

An EngD is essentially an industry-based PhD, combining Doctoral-level research with training in practical skills. Research engineers are usually placed with industrial (or sometimes academic) sponsors, and there is a possibility that you may be employed by your sponsor at the end of the programme.

For more information on further study and to find a course that interests you, see Masters degrees and search postgraduate courses in mechanical engineering.

What do mechanical engineering graduates do?

57% of mechanical engineering graduates employed in the UK are working as mechanical engineers (33%), engineering professionals (10%), engineering project managers and project engineers (6%), production and process engineers (3%), civil engineers (2%), aerospace engineers (2%) or engineering technicians (2%) 15 months after graduation. Further, programmers and software development professionals (3%), IT business analysts, architects and systems designers (2%) and management consultants and business analysts (1%) were also among the top ten most popular roles reported.

For a breakdown of what mechanical engineering graduates are doing after graduation, see What do graduates do?

Graduate Outcomes survey data from HESA.

Find out more

• The Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET)
• Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE)