University of Staffordshire

With a specialist Automotive and Motorsport Engineering degree, award-winning Formula Student team and strong industry partnerships, the University of Staffordshire provides students with practical experience and opportunities to develop the skills required for a career in motorsport. Graduates have gone on to work across the industry, from leading engineering companies to Formula 1 teams.

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Who are we?

At University of Staffordshire, we turn degrees into real jobs. From their first day to their graduation day and beyond, we help our students build their future careers. It’s why we were named Modern University of the Year (Daily Mail University Guide 2027) and came 7th in the UK for student positivity (NSS 2026).

Students have the opportunity to do a placement, internship or work-based project every year of their course. They also get hands-on, practising their skills in simulated environments, developing their confidence for the workplace. We ensure students have all the support they need to succeed. And through our brand new £100m Student Village and Hub, they become part of a community where they can really feel like they belong.

A dedicated automotive and motorsport-focused engineering degree, hands-on work throughout the curriculum and Formula Student, along with strong industry ties means studying at University of Staffordshire leaves graduates well positioned for entry into the world of motorsport.

Location

West Midlands

University Prospectus
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What courses do we offer?

University of Staffordshire offers a well established undergraduate Automotive and Motorsports Engineering degree. This specialist programme is developed with input from the automotive and motorsport industries and centres on the mechanical engineering side of automotive and motorsport design. Modules progress from engineering mechanics, thermofluids and vehicle principles in year one, through to electric vehicles, vehicle dynamics and automotive aerodynamics in year two, before applied CFD, structural/FEA analysis and acoustics technology in the final year.

Students from across our Aeronautical Engineering and Mechanical Engineering degrees are also often seen in the workshop if they are selected to participate in our award-winning Staffs Racing Formula Student team. Each of our Engineering specialities is available to study with a foundation year and an optional placement year in industry.

Automotive and Motorsport Engineering (BEng) Engineering Courses

What motorsport opportunities do we offer?

A well established Automotive and Motorsports Engineering degree (with optional placement year and/or foundation year) that has produced graduates now working in all levels of motorsport, right up to being in leading F1 teams.

With dedicated facilities, computational fluid dynamics (CFD), finite element analysis (FEA) and Ricardo WAVE engine simulation software, alongside a fully equipped workshop with an industry-standard rolling road and road, track and race cars. The Automotive, Motorsport and Future Transport Engineering hub is where you’ll often find our award-winning Staffs Racing Formula Student team, working on the challenge of designing, manufacturing, assembling and budgeting a single seater race car culminating in a competition at Silverstone in a series of dynamic and static events, against teams from around the world.

This process also provides students with a great opportunity to talk to industry experts at the competition which in the past has included representatives from: Aston Martin, Red Bull, Bentley Motors, Ford Motor Company, Mathworks, Babcock International, ANSYS and Multimatic. Through the Formula Student Project, several partnerships within industry have been gained through the sponsorship scheme, two notable companies would be Cosworth and Alton Towers, both of whom provide invaluable resources to aid the team.

Through the relationship with Cosworth, the Formula Student Team have access to Cosworth’s PI Data Software and a range of sensors to aid in the data acquisition package on the Formula Student Car. This software is industry standard and is used in a range of Motorsport Championships, including British Touring Car Championship, British GT, World Endurance Championship, European Le Mans Series and Indycar.

Find out more about Staffordshire University Racing

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What support is available?

University of Staffordshire are proud of our reputation for the provision of student support and encourage students to be proactive in preparation for higher education. The Student Life (Advice) Team will work with you, from the earliest opportunity to ensure that you access the support to which you are entitled. Support is provided from our professional qualified team. We offer a wide range of information, guidance and support to all our applicants.

University of Staffordshire offers a range of bursaries and scholarships to support students from different backgrounds, including financial support for local and lower-income students, employability funding, social work and education bursaries, as well as subject-specific awards in areas such as creative arts, film, games and television. Additional opportunities include sports scholarships and the BAFTA UK Scholarship Programme, which provides funding, mentoring and industry access for eligible students.

Find out more and apply here:

Automotive & Motorsport Engineering Automotive & Motorsport Engineering (with a Placement Year) Automotive and Motorsport Engineering (with a Foundation Year) Find out more 2026 Undergraduate Prospectus Student Support Bursaries and scholarships

Deadlines:

Standard UCAS deadlines.

Hear from Zac Young, Engineering graduate now working for Mercedes AMG Petronas Formula 1 Team...

The course at Staffs really laid the foundation for my future career in motorsport, especially being able to take what I learnt in lectures and workshops and then implement this into the Formula Student project. Going on to win the class with the team in 2021 was something that was a big discussion point in future interviews for years to come. Staffs also put me in contact with the first professional motorsport team I worked with in Slidesports. This was a team where races and championships were won and gave me a great insight to the demands of working in motorsport both at base and trackside. This is something I have carried over to my work in Formula 1.

Hear from Alex Youdale, Automotive & Motorsport Engineering graduate now working for Mercedes AMG HPP...

We’ve got a very dedicated Formula Student team here at Staffordshire, and my first ever time in 2023 going to Silverstone and seeing just the sheer scale of it, and knowing that I’m part of one of the best teams in the competition was a real highlight of mine.I did a 13 month placement at AP Racing. I was a race brake design engineer, so I was involved in braking systems for cars across basically any discipline in motorsport. Being able to be involved and get exposed to the motorsport industry firsthand. It’s massively helped me develop as an engineer and with career prospects, anything from skills in CAD to simulations to engineering drawings, it was all honed there and massively helped me moving forward.” I’m very lucky to be on a grad role at Mercedes AMG High Performance Powertrains, which is something that I would not have been able to achieve without doing Formula Student and also doing my placement.”