School of Engineering, Computing and Mathematics

Our passion, your future
School of Engineering, Computing and Mathematics

About us

Our school is a friendly, creative and inspiring place to study. Including many internationally recognised experts, our staff are passionate about providing an innovative and inspiring learning experience.

It is the home of our engineering disciplines, navigation, computing and mathematical sciences which together provide a vibrant inter-disciplinary and collaborative environment dedicated towards producing graduates with the necessary applied knowledge and skills to meet the demands of employers today and tomorrow.

You will join a community of approximately 100 staff and 2000 students who work alongside one another in world-leading facilities. Our encouraging environment will enable you to learn in a supported manner while helping to develop pioneering, innovative solutions to real-world problems that have a genuinely positive impact upon society.

Our courses

Our achievements

  • 6 The University of Plymouth is ranked 8th worldwide in the field of Marine and Ocean Engineering in the 2019 Shanghai Rankings
  • 6 4th in the 2020 Mathematics Guardian League Table
  • 6 85%+ employability across our computing and engineering degrees
  • 6 100% student satisfaction in our robotics programme
  • 6 Cyber security - 100% intellectually stimulating

Athena Swan Bronze

The School of Engineering, Computing and Mathematics was awarded an Athena Swan Bronze award in October 2020 which demonstrates our ongoing commitment to advancing gender equality and success for all.

Our facilities

Creating stories, inspiring careers

“Plymouth is a really interesting place to study civil engineering, with lots of new developments going on.”

“From a course point of view, the University has a strong link to industry, which a lot of universities don’t have when it comes to civil engineering. At nearly every company I’ve worked with or had interactions with, I’ve nearly always found a University of Plymouth graduate. They want to help you because they know where you’ve been. The city has a lot of strengths, not just its university. You can’t beat chilling out on the Hoe, or Dartmoor.”

Conner Kearey, MEng (Hons) Civil Engineering

“I don't want to just put a plaster on the issues we face, but to empower remote communities to tackle issues themselves now and in the future.”

“I love living in Plymouth, but I also love to escape to Dartmoor. Running is a great opportunity to relieve stress. My favourite place to run is the Burrator Reservoir. It’s about four miles around, and it makes for a perfect running track. I also find it inspiring when I run across the dam. If in the 19th century, the Burrator Reservoir could provide water to Plymouth, why can’t 21st century engineering provide to other communities?”

“My goal is to change lives through my passion for water.”

Alex Phillips, MEng (Hons) Civil and Coastal Engineering

Harrison Drayton: Mechanical engineer 

Harrison and his team used their skills to build world record-breaking handcycles and a vehicle for the Red Bull Soapbox Race at London's Alexandra Palace.

Having completed their end of year exams, and seeing their ideas accepted by race officials, the students worked with technicians from the Faculty of Science and Engineering to turn their vision into reality. 

They used a lightweight aluminium chassis, repurposed two sets of old skis and car boot struts as the suspension, and installed brake and steering systems which they hoped would deliver a safe but speedy run.

Abishek Kalpathi: Robotics enthusiast

Abishek has always been interested in robotics but discovered Plymouth was one of the few universities that offered both a course in robotics at masters level and one that takes a practical approach alongside theory. Abishek is now a proud Plymouth alumnus after graduating from MSc Robotics Technology.

“My favourite memory is from the day classes started. The professor got up and the first thing he said is, ‘don’t think of this as work, because people believe in work and play, but if you assume that your work is play it makes things much simpler’ and that is what I have been doing the whole time I have been in Plymouth and it has always helped.”

Nicolle Reeves: Mathematics graduate

Since switching to a graduate scheme at Siemens, Nicolle Reeves has been able to kick-start her career as a Project Engineer.

“The most valuable skill I took from studying at Plymouth is being able to network. I never realised the importance of being able to communicate and create good rapport with someone until I left university. Studying at Plymouth really took me out of my shell and now I have no qualms about socialising – without it, I wouldn’t have been able to make the career change I did.”

Christopher Brake: Cyber security

Christopher Brake graduated in BSc (Hons) Computer and Information Security and is now working for BT as a Cyber Security Graduate in Cardiff. 

"When I started my degree I didn’t have a clue what I wanted to do, I took a degree in an area which I had an interest in. The University provided me with lots of opportunities both within the course and through extra-curricular activities."

Jobs in engineering, computing and mathematics


Information, advice and guidance for our students and graduates on building skills, experience and contacts to improve employability.


Learn more about your opportunities

Women in electronics and robotics

The School of Engineering, Computing and Mathematics are striving to eliminate the gender imbalance that exists nationally in the engineering sector.

Read more of our student stories 

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Engineering Project Showcase 2019

Proud students from the school found themselves the centre of focus at the University's Engineering Project Showcase Day. Celebrating the impressive work of our engineering students and the diverse range of research and development projects they undertake, the event allowed students to demonstrate their exciting creations to external visitors from industry, fellow students and members of academic staff, and discuss their plans for the future.

Our research

The School of Engineering, Computing and Mathematics is a collaborative and interdisciplinary community of world-leading academics and researchers focused upon the creation of knowledge and innovative solutions that have a positive impact upon society. Aligned to the Fourth Industrial Revolution, the school is home to an extensive portfolio of research from Offshore Renewable Energy, coastal engineering and robotics to cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, and data science.

The school hosts the Marine Building, home to the world-class Coastal, Ocean and Sediment Transport (COAST) Laboratory, amongst many other facilities including autonomous and robotic systems, the Wolfson Nanomagnetics Laboratory, a cybersecurity range and a High Performance Computing (HPC) cluster that provides the computational capacity to perform much of the Big Data research.

Vision for a new engineering building

This landmark building will be situated next to Babbage and will provide a new home for engineering in Plymouth, providing the environment and foundations for our teaching and research into the next decade.

“This new building will offer a state-of-the-art setting to inspire the engineers of tomorrow, giving us the ultimate place to bring together students, academics and industry in an environment that not only benefits them but also society as a whole.” Professor Deborah Greaves OBE, Head of school.

Learn more about the new facility

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