Motorsport engineering or motorsport technology at Oxford brookes

[Montypig]

Motorsports Engineering / Motorsports Technology

Hi - does anyone have any experience of these courses ? Specifically about the amount of maths and how much maths confidence is needed ? Also would a levels or a btech be more appealing as part of the application?

Thanks !

It’s a B in maths but check the other subjects too. Physics is desirable. Oxford is a brilliant location for employers and I’d ask about the sandwich course. They take BTec at MMM. I’d see these as a minimum though and BTec must include the extended diploma and further maths module. So maths is needed at a reasonably high grade for both. I don’t know the course but it’s got a good reputation.

Friends son is at Oxford Brookes. He got a d in maths and was accepted.

An A level grade D (pass), or a BTEC grade D (distinction)?

On an engineering course?

And, as somebody else has just asked, at A level or BTec.

I know nothing about the specific courses - but Oxford Brookes is such a lovely environment, I’m always envious of their students.

(Oxford resident. Lots of my regular errands and favourite walks go through Brookes’ locations.)

A level

Oh not sure if engineering but definitely something to do with motor sports

Is he thriving there? DS had a fair few students with lower Maths grades in his engineering course and a fair few of them did drop out. It is a different Engineering course though.

OP have you checked out TSR too? You can usually find at least one person who is either studying now or has studied the course recently.

Yes he is. I think he finds Oxford quiet as we are from a big city.

Glad he’s thriving. That’s nice to hear

I would not think a D is good enough for MEng in any engineering and in many universities, there would be a huge gap needing to be filled to be secure on the course. I’m not sure the Motorsport Engineering needs the bums on seats approach either. Whether low A level grades lead to good results and a job is another matter.

I would not think a D is good enough for MEng in any engineering and in many universities, there would be a huge gap needing to be filled to be secure on the course

There could be reasons for a poor A level result other than lack of capability, but I would tend to agree. Even for BEng.

As well as TSR it might be worth your DC contacting the person responsible for admissions for both courses.

I do agree with this too.

Has he had a look at what the Modules are like in Y1? The first module is mainly maths, which seems common with most engineering courses. It tells you in the like which bits of maths is covered. Woukd he be comfortable with doing those topics in depth?

How is he at Physics?

I think anyone contemplating a degree in engineering should be confident at maths. It’s a basis for any engineering degree and work afterwards. This course is well known so I would expect dc to be confident and competent at maths. The employers in Motorsport have their pick of very talented engineers.

As someone who is married to a motorsport engineer - there is the maths level to get into the degree and then the maths to be successful in the employment. It is hugely competitive field and strong mental maths is very important. DH knows his times tables up to 17 and can calculate the number of holes needed to hold an engine to a plate in his head from the engine torque and the torque value of each bolt.
He has the 3D maths ability to look at a cad design and know how it will look and fit into an overall design.
He can look at a list of tolerance usage and instantly know if it exceeds the overall tolerance for the car.
He needed this to work successfully in the rally world that then enabled him to transfer into F1.
You don’t necessarily need all the A-level maths, but you do need good mental maths and an instinct if a number is ‘right’ for what you are looking at.
This applies to all areas if you are a performance or race engineer or strategist you need to be able look at the data and make an instant decision about what you are going to do. Your brain needs be able to handle a lot of data at once. One weekends he is working from he has two laptops running on to various screens pulling in ridiculous levels of data plus a TV screen showing the live footage that ties in with his data. He is then listening and speaking on a headset to people on the track and elsewhere.

My son has just completed a Motorsport Engineering degree & the course was pretty Maths and Physics heavy. He did not get good A level results, but that was primarily due to overconfidence and lack of work!