Careers and employability

The Department of Engineering runs degree programmes that produce talented graduates with strong academic and scientific competences, aligned to the needs of industry on a local, national and global level.

The Department is amongst a small number of general engineering departments in the UK. Engineering is viewed as an integrated subject and students are given opportunities to develop a diverse technical grounding during their degree courses. We believe this overarching understanding of engineering and how engineers work together not only provides wider knowledge but also equips graduates to be leaders in their fields.

The Department is closely linked to many industrial partners for both teaching and research purposes, which ensures that graduates are best placed to apply their learning on entry to the working environment.

“Gestamp Tallent have had a long and mutually beneficial relationship with Durham University’s Engineering Department. The graduates recruited have been well prepared for industry, professional and arrive with a thorough engineering background allowing them to progress exceptionally well in our business. Student placements and industrial projects have always provided valuable contributions and Gestamp employees have enjoyed supporting these activities with one of the strongest engineering departments in the UK.”

Adrian Chapple, R&D Technical Centre Manager, Gestamp Tallent

2nd

in the UK for graduate employability.

91%

of Durham University Engineering alumni are in graduate level paid employment or further study six months after graduation.

“Since 2011, we have built up a strong connection with Durham University. The graduates have proved to be bright, adaptable, able to learn quickly, able to think from first principles and always ready for a new challenge. These are the attributes we need in what is quite a dynamic working environment in terms of the variety of challenges we have to deal with. It means that the graduates pick up a variety of skills, including commercial/project management skills, very quickly. More than 1/3 of our engineers are ex-Durham; the proportion is in excess of 40% if we look at our recruiting over the last five years.”

David Udell, Chief Engineer, PDL Solutions (Europe) Limited “Rolls-Royce values engineering graduates from Durham University as the general engineering course approach transitions well into the multi-disciplinary nature of the technical challenges we are currently trying to solve. The experiences provided within the college environment help develop high-calibre, rounded individuals who are able to make significant contributions across the company. We also run workshops on campus looking at key skills such as leadership, to help students understand the attributes we look for. Maintaining a good relationship with Durham University Department of Engineering therefore provides mutual benefits to Rolls-Royce and students.”

David Debney, Chief of Future Aircraft Concepts, Rolls-Royce plc