Unit information: Engineering Mathematics Study Abroad in 2025/26

Please note: Programme and unit information may change as the relevant academic field develops. We may also make changes to the structure of programmes and assessments to improve the student experience.

Unit name Engineering Mathematics Study Abroad
Unit code EMAT38001
Credit points 120
Level of study H/6
Teaching block(s) Academic Year (weeks 1 - 52)
Unit director Dr. Aitchison
Open unit status Not open
Units you must take before you take this one (pre-requisite units)

EMAT 20200, EMAT 20010, EMAT 20540

Units you must take alongside this one (co-requisite units)

None

Units you may not take alongside this one

None

School/department School of Engineering Mathematics and Technology
Faculty Faculty of Engineering

Unit Information

This 120 credit point unit will comprise a range of mathematics, engineering and related topics taken at a foreign institution with which Bristol has made a bilateral agreement. The subjects will be arranged on an individual basis, set out in a formal learning agreement and approved by the home Department. The programmes should include the core subjects at an appropriate level, where possible. Students are encouraged to do projects, where available, and to study specialist subjects which are not taught at Bristol.

Why is this unit important?

This unit represents your year of study at an overseas university; this year should cover the content in Year 3 of the MEng (Engineering Mathematics) as closely as possible, but you should have a significant amount of flexibility to choose units at your host institution that will make a coherent programme. Effectively, the content of this unit will be different for each student who takes it.

How does this unit fit into your programme of study

This unit is only available on the MEng (Engineering Mathematics with Study Abroad) programme, and it replaces the usual third year of study at the University of Bristol.

Your learning on this unit

An overview of content

This 120 credit point unit will comprise a range of mathematics, engineering and related topics taken at a foreign institution with which the Unviersity of Bristol has made an appropriate agreement. The subjects will be arranged on an individual basis, set out in a formal learning agreement and approved by the home Department. The units that you take should include (where possible) the core subjects that you would have studied in Bristol at an appropriate level. Students are encouraged to do projects, where available, and to study some specialist subjects that are not taught at Bristol.

How will students, personally, be different as a result of the unit

At the end of your year abroad, you will have learned a range of mathematical, engineering and related topics and have had experience of living and studying in a different country.

Learning outcomes

You will acquire broadly similar skills to those corresponding to the third year of the MEng Engineering Mathematics programme offered at Bristol. This will include being able to demonstrate knowledge of suitable technical mathematics and engineering topics, together with their application to mathematical and data modelling. In particular, it is required that you obtain a sufficient background in core material to provide pre-requisite knowledge for your option choices, and for an appropriate individual project, when you return to Bristol in year 4.

How you will learn

Teaching methods are run by the host institution.

How you will be assessed

Summary

Assessments for the year will be based on your work at the host University. Assessment methods are in the form of written exams, the submission of assessed coursework, and any other assessment format used by the host University. All assessments are run by the host institution. The number of credits that need to be undertaken is determined in accordance with the University's regulations at the time. The mark awarded by the chosen University will be adjusted to an equivalent Bristol mark using approved conversion algorithms.

Tasks which help you learn and prepare you for summative tasks (formative):

Formative tasks are run by the host institution.

Tasks which count towards your unit mark (summative):

Summative assessments are run by the host institution.

When assessment does not go to plan:

This is an exceptional situation that will be handled by collaboration between the School, Faculty and the host institution in accordance with the University's regulations at the time. Reassessment, where possible, will typically be bespoke for the student.

Resources

If this unit has a Resource List, you will normally find a link to it in the Blackboard area for the unit. Sometimes there will be a separate link for each weekly topic.

If you are unable to access a list through Blackboard, you can also find it via the Resource Lists homepage. Search for the list by the unit name or code (e.g. EMAT38001).

How much time the unit requires
Each credit equates to 10 hours of total student input. For example a 20 credit unit will take you 200 hours of study to complete. Your total learning time is made up of contact time, directed learning tasks, independent learning and assessment activity.

See the University Workload statement relating to this unit for more information.

Assessment
The assessment methods listed in this unit specification are designed to enable students to demonstrate the named learning outcomes (LOs). Where a disability prevents a student from undertaking a specific method of assessment, schools will make reasonable adjustments to support a student to demonstrate the LO by an alternative method or with additional resources.

The Board of Examiners will consider all cases where students have failed or not completed the assessments required for credit. The Board considers each student's outcomes across all the units which contribute to each year's programme of study. For appropriate assessments, if you have self-certificated your absence, you will normally be required to complete it the next time it runs (for assessments at the end of TB1 and TB2 this is usually in the next re-assessment period).
The Board of Examiners will take into account any exceptional circumstances and operates within the Regulations and Code of Practice for Taught Programmes.