Luke, Year 3 Engineering Science student:

Engineering Science is a particularly varied degree that starts by covering a vast range of disciplines from which you then specialise. While difficult to therefore create a set reading list, the upside of this is it gives you plenty of freedom on which facets of engineering to research and get excited about this side of university. The eight branches Oxford enables you to specialise in are:

  • Biomedical
  • Chemical and Process
  • Civil and Offshore
  • Control
  • Electrical and Opto-electronic
  • Information
  • Solid Materials and Mechanics
  • Thermofluids and Turbomachinery

Take a look headings to see what the Engineering Science department is doing. Once you’ve found a couple of niches that interest you, do some more digging. Go far wider than just what Oxford offers! In particular look to answer:

What is the problem being solved here? Why is this research relevant? This is a big factor separating engineering from maths or physics and will in many cases lead you further in your own research.
Where does this overlap with my knowledge of A level maths and physics? For example, when looking at the shapes of wings in aircraft, separating the airflow into perpendicular components can give you a lot of insight into the speed, lift, and stall characteristics of planes. In some cases this can be particularly difficult, be it there’s too high a base of knowledge required or research is closely guarded. That being said stick with it. You’ll be surprised how much modern research is built upon principles you’re already familiar with and there’s a wealth of resources online to help you bridge any gaps.
Where can I take my knowledge of this sphere? Can I write an essay on it? Do a project such as build something related to my findings? Explain what you’ve learnt to others be them parents, teachers, pets to help you deepen your supercurricular knowledge.

Luke's Resources

  • Biomedical

    Here are some other starting points:

  • Control

  • Chemical and Process

    .

    Some other starting points:

  • Electrical and Opto-Electronic

    .

  • Information

  • Civil and Offshore

     

    - a youtube channel that reports on state-of-the-art construction projects.

  • Solid Materials and Mechanics

    - a youtube channel that clearly explains concepts you’ll see when analysing materials at university.

    - a phenomenal website that wholly summarises how engineers predict the response of materials and structures to mechanical or thermal loading. This is years beyond the scope of what you’d be expected to know and apply going into a degree (writing this 2 years into my degree I fear it) however it does host questions that will give you an idea of what studying materials modules at university encompasses.

  • Thermofluids and Turbomachinery

  • Other resources

    is an excellent YouTube channel that showcases exciting real life projects and goes into depth about the theory behind them.

    give an entry-friendly view into what different engineering disciplines hold.

  • Problem Solving

    The foundation of an Engineering degree and applying to an Engineering degree is your ability to break down and then solve problems. Here are some great places to help you hugely develop these skills:

    • to solidify your understanding of A level and teach you to apply it to University Interview level problems. Many of these problems would make a great springboard into independent research.
    • to further your familiarity with maths problems. These shouldn’t be your sole focus as the style of problem can stray beyond the scope of engineering admissions, however they’ll deepen fluency.
    • . A great opportunity to see how Oxford professors and students tackle difficult maths problems and a chance to interact and ask questions.
    • .

  • Application Extras

    Alongside an ability to solve funky problems and enthusiastic knowledge on areas of your prospective subject, it can be really helpful to have concrete examples of your interest when making an application. This can take many forms, but things to look out for are:

    • Relevant Work Experience
    • Online Courses
    • Self-Guided projects eg. Building a machine with an Arduino
    • Essay Competitions