Motorsport focussed College courses and Degrees
Discussion
Hi All,
I thought I'd ask the great and the good of PH.
My young niece (14 years old) is a bit of a petrolhead and I mentioned to her about becoming a motorsport mechanic/engineer. I think there maybe colleges and Uni's that do courses that focus on race mechanicking and/or engineering. Can anyone point me in the right direction for any, preferably based south coast central plesae?
Or if you do this for a living or have any real world experience, what would you recommend?
I thought I'd ask the great and the good of PH.
My young niece (14 years old) is a bit of a petrolhead and I mentioned to her about becoming a motorsport mechanic/engineer. I think there maybe colleges and Uni's that do courses that focus on race mechanicking and/or engineering. Can anyone point me in the right direction for any, preferably based south coast central plesae?
Or if you do this for a living or have any real world experience, what would you recommend?
Back when I was applying, I looked at this:
https://www.uwtsd.ac.uk/beng-motorsport-engineerin...
Swansea obviously not being located there, but she may not want to stay local when the time comes.
I'd probably have enjoyed this course much more than plain Automotive Engineering in the end!
https://www.uwtsd.ac.uk/beng-motorsport-engineerin...
Swansea obviously not being located there, but she may not want to stay local when the time comes.
I'd probably have enjoyed this course much more than plain Automotive Engineering in the end!
I think what you want is Silverstone UTC. But it's in Silverstone.
https://www.utc-silverstone.co.uk/
Otherwise get results in "proper" A-Levels like Physics, Maths, and Computing. Then go to a Uni with a motorsport course. Wolves have an F3 race team.
https://www.wlv.ac.uk/courses/beng-hons-motorsport...
https://www.wlv.ac.uk/schools-and-institutes/facul...
There's all sorts of places have motorsport engineering degrees though. I'd think the key at 14 is to focus on being able to get onto the technical A-Level courses.
https://www.utc-silverstone.co.uk/
Otherwise get results in "proper" A-Levels like Physics, Maths, and Computing. Then go to a Uni with a motorsport course. Wolves have an F3 race team.
https://www.wlv.ac.uk/courses/beng-hons-motorsport...
https://www.wlv.ac.uk/schools-and-institutes/facul...
There's all sorts of places have motorsport engineering degrees though. I'd think the key at 14 is to focus on being able to get onto the technical A-Level courses.
bangerhoarder said:
Back when I was applying, I looked at this:
https://www.uwtsd.ac.uk/beng-motorsport-engineerin...
Swansea obviously not being located there, but she may not want to stay local when the time comes.
I'd probably have enjoyed this course much more than plain Automotive Engineering in the end!
Not sure when you went, automotive and motorsport are pretty much exactly the same course now. No modules are different. I graduated last year and currently doing an MSc in Motorsport enghttps://www.uwtsd.ac.uk/beng-motorsport-engineerin...
Swansea obviously not being located there, but she may not want to stay local when the time comes.
I'd probably have enjoyed this course much more than plain Automotive Engineering in the end!
Hi Ash,
My sons have been through all of this.... all I'll say is be very careful where they end up. It's worth going along to see exactly what they do as some are just plain crap. Some colleges you'll work on a old banger... other's your working on Formula Renaults, F3 cars etc. Some lecturers are just plain mechanics, some are ex-F1, WEC, Indy etc. Some teach how to rebuild a race car, some just teach how to weld two pieces of metal together and call it motorsport engineering.
I would look at the National College for Motorsport, also at Silverstone. You'll see their students working in the garages at events like the BTCC at Silverstone as they all have to wear the same kit and they all get turfed out to go and hang on to a team for the weekend. For students who need to travel, they have a very good scheme where the students are put up in homes in Silverstone for college days. The lecturers are all well respected experts in the industry.
Some of the courses do require some work experience... my son volunteers for a professional team one day a week and spends 3 days a week in college, others end up in Halfords so you need to be brave and go and ask team managers. He gets to go to race meetings with the team and is then back at college the next week. He gets way more from the team in terms of experience by volunteering and he gets to see how a proper race weekend works and gets to work on the best bespoke race cars in uk racing.
My sons have been through all of this.... all I'll say is be very careful where they end up. It's worth going along to see exactly what they do as some are just plain crap. Some colleges you'll work on a old banger... other's your working on Formula Renaults, F3 cars etc. Some lecturers are just plain mechanics, some are ex-F1, WEC, Indy etc. Some teach how to rebuild a race car, some just teach how to weld two pieces of metal together and call it motorsport engineering.
I would look at the National College for Motorsport, also at Silverstone. You'll see their students working in the garages at events like the BTCC at Silverstone as they all have to wear the same kit and they all get turfed out to go and hang on to a team for the weekend. For students who need to travel, they have a very good scheme where the students are put up in homes in Silverstone for college days. The lecturers are all well respected experts in the industry.
Some of the courses do require some work experience... my son volunteers for a professional team one day a week and spends 3 days a week in college, others end up in Halfords so you need to be brave and go and ask team managers. He gets to go to race meetings with the team and is then back at college the next week. He gets way more from the team in terms of experience by volunteering and he gets to see how a proper race weekend works and gets to work on the best bespoke race cars in uk racing.
FlabbyMidgets said:
Not sure when you went, automotive and motorsport are pretty much exactly the same course now. No modules are different. I graduated last year and currently doing an MSc in Motorsport eng
19 years ago, and it was Swansea vs Loughborough. They were hugely different.I've not been clear enough - I went to Loughborough to do Automotive Engineering instead of Swansea, in the end. I felt that the broader scope would be more useful, and Loughborough had better sports facilities.
The course at Swansea may well have been more fun - we had filler like Business courses at times, and some of the third year courses on control, thermodynamics and maths blew my tiny mind.
Would have been more fun working on race cars though, and my course put most who did it off engineering entirely!
The course at Swansea may well have been more fun - we had filler like Business courses at times, and some of the third year courses on control, thermodynamics and maths blew my tiny mind.
Would have been more fun working on race cars though, and my course put most who did it off engineering entirely!
Thanks for all the replies.
So, it seems that for college, it's just a case of doing the required A-Levels, Maths, Physics and Computing. (No specific automotive stuff at any colleges nearby).
Then the automotive stuff probably best at Silverstone? With a second option at Swansea? Where she'll be able to properly focus on motorsport and get some hands on, I like the sound of what Super 7 wrote, seems just what she may be after.
So, it seems that for college, it's just a case of doing the required A-Levels, Maths, Physics and Computing. (No specific automotive stuff at any colleges nearby).
Then the automotive stuff probably best at Silverstone? With a second option at Swansea? Where she'll be able to properly focus on motorsport and get some hands on, I like the sound of what Super 7 wrote, seems just what she may be after.
bangerhoarder said:
I've not been clear enough - I went to Loughborough to do Automotive Engineering instead of Swansea, in the end. I felt that the broader scope would be more useful, and Loughborough had better sports facilities.
The course at Swansea may well have been more fun - we had filler like Business courses at times, and some of the third year courses on control, thermodynamics and maths blew my tiny mind.
Would have been more fun working on race cars though, and my course put most who did it off engineering entirely!
After 19 years I can tell you that it is still the same in sunny LboroThe course at Swansea may well have been more fun - we had filler like Business courses at times, and some of the third year courses on control, thermodynamics and maths blew my tiny mind.
Would have been more fun working on race cars though, and my course put most who did it off engineering entirely!
My input if you are going to do it, do it early.
If you want to get into the motorsport industry at a later time in life with no experience, yet tons of relevant experience in aerospace or manufacturing you have literally no chance, they will not touch you.
You will be poorly paid, probably treated like crap and do insane hours, but if the end product is worth it, fair enough, my suggestion get into software or drawing etc, far more rewarding and less pressure at meetings where you are basically a flogged horse sometimes.
If you want to get into the motorsport industry at a later time in life with no experience, yet tons of relevant experience in aerospace or manufacturing you have literally no chance, they will not touch you.
You will be poorly paid, probably treated like crap and do insane hours, but if the end product is worth it, fair enough, my suggestion get into software or drawing etc, far more rewarding and less pressure at meetings where you are basically a flogged horse sometimes.
A lot of guys I know in motorsport went to Brooklands College, McLaren is just down the road and quite a few staff there also went to Brooklands. Oxford Brookes also have several Motorsport courses.
As important, some will say even more important is hands-on experience, volunteering to help out any race teams over a season or two while studying.
As important, some will say even more important is hands-on experience, volunteering to help out any race teams over a season or two while studying.
Total loss said:
A lot of guys I know in motorsport went to Brooklands College, McLaren is just down the road and quite a few staff there also went to Brooklands. Oxford Brookes also have several Motorsport courses.
As important, some will say even more important is hands-on experience, volunteering to help out any race teams over a season or two while studying.
Excellent, thanks Total Loss, and everyone else that has contributed to the thread, much appreciated.As important, some will say even more important is hands-on experience, volunteering to help out any race teams over a season or two while studying.
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