Electrical Automotive Engineering MSc

Postgraduate

Learn the skills needed to design and develop the next generation of electric vehicles. Increase your understanding of automotive engineering and help the industry overcome challenges in automotive electrical systems.

Year of entry

2025-26

Location

Coventry University (Coventry)

Study mode

Full-time
With Professional Placement

Duration

1 year full-time
Up to 2 years full-time with professional placement

Course code

EEST004

Start date

September 2025
November 2025
January 2026
March 2026
May 2026
July 2026

How to apply

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Course overview

This course aims to provide you with a deep and comprehensive understanding of electric and hybrid electric vehicles, preparing you to become a highly sought-after specialist engineer in the electrical automotive engineering market.

This course will help you develop:

skills in electric power-related areas such as electrical machines and drives, automotive embedded applications and advanced energy storage, covering all aspects of the electric vehicle’s powertrain
a solid background in vehicular power electronics, signal processing and communications needs and challenges
technical and managerial skills and expertise, vital to progress into a career in system modelling, BMS design, hardware design and motor design.

5 QS Stars for Teaching and Facilities

QS Stars University Ratings

Ranked 9th Modern University in UK by the Times

The Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2025

Ranked 8th for Overall Satisfaction in PTES

Postgraduate Taught Experience Survey (PTES) 2024

Why you should study this course

Electric and hybrid electric vehicles represent a rapidly growing field of engineering that is likely to expand significantly in the coming years. Electric vehicles minimise pollution whilst increasing power efficiency. Moreover, areas such as autonomous vehicles and smart transportation grids are beginning to become reality.

Coventry has a rich history in the automotive and transport industries, with Coventry University contributing significantly to advancements in modern transportation. The university has actively participated in numerous projects and collaborations with industry and academia, leveraging its expertise and technical knowledge. Additionally, the Centre for Future Transport and Cities at Coventry University drives research and innovation in clean transportation technologies.

The distinctive features of the programme include:

learning outcomes delivered by a balance of traditional learning mixed with activity-led and flipped learning. This innovative approach involves you working individually and in groups to undertake project and laboratory work
incorporating real projects from companies within coursework and projects
a strong commitment to applied research that encourages you to become involved in research, especially in your individual projects
being part of a well-organised learning community
a contemporary and innovative teaching and learning environment offered within the Engineering and Computing building.

You will also have the opportunity to gain practical experience and boost your CV with an additional professional placement. See the modules for more details.²

What you'll study

This course combines theory, simulations and laboratory testing to create an engaging learning environment. It aims to develop a solid foundation in electrical automotive engineering while fostering critical and innovative thinking.

Modules

Power Electronics, Electrical Machines and Drives - 30 credits

Enhance your understanding of the analysis and design skills needed to study and integrate power electronics and electrical machines into modern electric drive systems used in industrial applications. Learn about the properties of semiconductor materials and devices, explore analysis tools for various converter topologies, and study advanced switching techniques for efficient power conversion and control. The module also covers the construction, operating principles, and electromagnetic behaviour of different types of DC and AC electrical machines.

Compulsory

EV Powertrain - 30 credits

Develop a comprehensive understanding of the subsystems and control mechanisms of Battery Electric Vehicles (BEVs) and use model-based design to validate BEV architecture in the context of electrical automotive applications. Develop an advanced knowledge of control theory, focusing on the mathematical tools for modelling and analysing BEV systems, and learn to design, implement and evaluate control methods. The integration of BEV components and subsystems will be studied at a system level using approaches like the V-Model. Simulation activities will help analyse and optimise BEV performance, efficiency and powertrain component sizing based on current automotive industry standards.

Compulsory

Advanced Energy Storage: Devices and Management - 30 credits

Develop your knowledge of various energy storage technologies, such as batteries, supercapacitors and hydrogen fuel cells within the context of electrical and electronic automotive applications. Module content covers the hybridisation of different energy storage devices, energy management strategies, their classification, comparisons, and the selection and sizing of energy storage technologies for electric vehicles. The module also introduces Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment (EVSE) and Battery Management Systems (BMS), covering concepts like state estimation, cell balancing, thermal management, testing and standards.

Compulsory

Automotive Embedded Applications - 30 credits

Develop your knowledge and experience in the engineering techniques and processes needed to develop complex automotive ECU systems. Module content includes a detailed study of advanced microcontrollers, their peripherals, and various analogue and digital sensors, along with practical laboratory experience. The module also covers automotive network protocols, including CAN, CAN-FD, LIN, FlexRay and Automotive Ethernet.

Compulsory

Master’s with professional placement

If you successfully secure a placement in industry within your first semester, this master’s with professional placement option allows you to extend your 12-month master’s course up to an additional year to complete the placement before starting your final 60-credit module.

Gain valuable industry insights and skills as you apply your academic knowledge and skills to a professional placement.
The placement must be sourced and secured by you during your first semester. Our careers and employability team are available to support you with the sourcing process.
Start your professional placement after completing the first 120 credits of your course.
You’ll be assessed on your learning through the 60-credit Professional Placement Project (dissertation). This project will be linked to your professional placement experience.
The professional placement option is subject to additional fees, living costs, visa requirements, availability, competitive application and university approval of the placement.²

For full terms and conditions please visit the extended master’s landing page.

Optional

Individual Project- 60 credits

Apply your prior and new learning from taught modules to solve a significant engineering problem professionally. The project will typically be industrial or research-based and technical in nature.

You will work independently, under the supervision of an academic staff member, and will acquire additional knowledge to complete the project. Regular meetings with your supervisor and others involved in the project will provide guidance, feedback and support.

Compulsory

We regularly review our course content, to make it relevant and current for the benefit of our students. For these reasons, course modules may be updated.

How you'll learn

Teaching and learning methods may include:

lectures
seminars
tutorials
presentations
group projects
workshops
practical laboratory sessions.

Teaching contact hours

As a full-time postgraduate student, you will study modules totalling 180 credits each academic year. A typical 30-credit module requires a total of 300 hours of study. Study hours are made up of teaching contact hours, and guided and independent study.

Teaching hours

Teaching hours may vary, depending on where you are in your studies, but on average you will have between 8 and 12 teaching and learning hours each week. You will also have the opportunity to attend optional sessions including time with a Success Coach or to meet with staff for advice and feedback.

Guided and independent study

Throughout your studies, you will be expected to spend time in guided and independent study to make up the required study hours per module. You will be digging deeper into topics, reviewing what you’ve learnt and completing assignments. This can be completed around your personal commitments. As you progress to the end of your studies, you’ll spend more time on independent learning.

Online learning

As an innovative university, we use different teaching methods, including online tools and emerging technologies. So, some of your teaching hours and assessments may be delivered online.

Assessment

This course will be assessed using a variety of methods which could vary depending upon the module. Assessment methods may include:

reports
tests
essays
exams
practical coursework
assignments
vivas
presentations.

The Coventry University assessment strategy aims to ensure that our courses are fairly assessed and allows us to monitor student progression towards achieving the intended learning outcomes.

Entry requirements

Typical entry requirements:

An honours degree 2:2 or above in a related discipline, or international equivalent.

We recognise a breadth of qualifications, speak to one of our advisers today to find out how we can help you.

Select your region to find detailed information about entry requirements:

You can view our full list of country specific entry requirements on our Entry requirements page.

If you do not have the typical entry requirements, you may want to consider studying this course with an international pre-master's. Upon successful completion our IPM should provide you with the knowledge and skills you need to progress onto this postgraduate degree.

Alternatively, visit our International hub for further advice and guidance on finding in-country agents and representatives, joining our in-country events and how to apply.

Typical entry requirements

An honours degree 2:2 or above in a related discipline, or international equivalent.

English language requirements

IELTS: 6.5 overall, with no component lower than 5.5.

If you don't meet the English language requirements, you can achieve the level you need by successfully completing a pre-sessional English programme before you start your course.

For more information on our approved English language tests visit our English language requirements page.

Fees and funding

Student	Full-time	Part-time
UK, Ireland*, Channel Islands or Isle of Man	£11,200 £1,500 professional placement fee (if placement secured)	Not available
EU	£11,200 per year with EU Support Bursary £1,500 professional placement fee (if placement secured) per year with EU Support Bursary £18,600 per year without EU Support Bursary £1,800 professional placement fee (if placement secured) per year without EU Support Bursary	Not available
International	£18,600 £1,800 professional placement fee (if placement secured)	Not available

For advice and guidance on tuition fees³and student loans visit our Postgraduate Finance page and see the university's Tuition Fee and Refund Terms and Conditions.

We offer a range of International scholarships to students all over the world. For more information, visit our International Scholarships page.

Tuition fees cover the cost of your teaching, assessments, facilities and support services. There may be additional costs not covered by this fee such as accommodation and living costs, recommended reading books, stationery, printing and re-assessments should you need them.

The following are additional costs not included in the tuition fees:

Any optional overseas ﬁeld trips or visits: £400+ per trip.
Any costs associated with securing, attending or completing a placement (whether in the UK or abroad).

*Irish student fees

The rights of Irish residents to study in the UK are preserved under the Common Travel Area arrangement. If you are an Irish student and meet the residency criteria, you can study in England, pay the same level of tuition fees as English students and utilise the Tuition Fee Loan.

**EU Support Bursary

Following the UK's exit from the European Union, we are offering financial support to all eligible EU students who wish to study an undergraduate or a postgraduate degree with us full-time. This bursary will be used to offset the cost of your tuition fees to bring them in line with that of UK students. Students studying a degree with a foundation year with us are not eligible for the bursary.

How do you know if you need to pay UK or international tuition fees?

We carry out an initial fee status assessment based on the information you provide in your application. Your fee status determines your tuition fees, and what financial support and scholarships may be available to you. The rules about who pays UK (home) or international (overseas) fees for higher education courses in England are set by the Department for Education. The regulations identify all the different categories of student who can insist on paying the home rate. The regulations can be difficult to understand, so the UK Council for International Student Affairs (UKCISA) has provided fee status guidance to help you identify whether you are eligible to pay the home or overseas rate.

If you meet all the criteria required by any one category, including any residence requirements, your institution must charge you the home rate. You only need to find one category that you fit into.

Facilities

Activity-led learning is a key element of this course. Activity-led learning is about providing you with a motivating and rewarding learning experience that will help prepare you for your professional working life. Further details on the facilities and resources, and teaching and learning strategies are provided below.

Electronics laboratories: there are three electronics laboratories with contemporary equipment from top brands in the field such as Tektronix and Keithley and include bench power supplies, multi-meters, signal generators and oscilloscopes. One of these labs contains a large variety of old and new bench equipment allowing you to get experience on a multitude of test and measurement equipment.

Battery laboratory: this is a facility for testing and characterisation of various battery chemistries and supercapacitors for use in EV applications. Using model-based thermal simulations of cells and battery packs with simulation software such as simulink, you can examine how employing various materials, geometric variations and operating temperatures affects a cell's performance.

In-house development board for embedded system: to support activity-led learning, you will use an experimental Peripheral Interface Controller (ePIC ) board developed by the electronics team of Coventry University. The board provides the flexibility of using different microcontrollers with other peripherals such as motors, sensors and LCD screens.

Electrical laboratory: a contemporary lab equipped with high voltage equipment allowing experimentation on topics related to power generation and regulation, motor control and motor investigations of behaviours under load.

People walking in front of a building which has a big library sign

Lanchester Library

The library is usually open 24/7, in term-time. It’s where you can access your course’s specialist Academic Liaison Librarian. It’s also home to specialist teams which can support you with your academic writing and maths and statistics questions.

Glass modern building with a spire in the background

The Hub

The Hub is the centre of student life on campus. Facilities include a food court, convenience store, multi-faith centre, medical centre, hairdresser, coffee shops and the Your SU offices. It has fully licensed function spaces and a bar.

Two people working together with a laptop in front of them

Careers and employability

Get one-on-one career and employability guidance lasting up to 36 months from the end of your course. We’ll help you find placements and graduate roles, offer CV and application checks, mentoring, skills workshops, employer events and more.

Facilities are subject to availability. Access to some facilities (including some teaching and learning spaces) may vary from those advertised and/or may have reduced availability or restrictions where the university is following public authority guidance, decisions or orders.

Careers and opportunities

Successful graduates may seek positions in:

electric vehicle battery engineering
automotive electronics engineering
control systems engineering
electrical automotive systems engineering
power electronics and battery engineering
energy systems engineering
project engineering/management
engineering consultancy.

Successful graduates of this course have gone on to work for companies including

JLR
Equipmake
TATA Technologies
Hall's Electrical Ltd
Kostal UK
Leonardo
EN+
Coventry University.

How to apply

UK students

To apply to study for a postgraduate course at Coventry University, you can apply online. Please read the entry criteria page before applying.

Start your application

For further support or more information about your course get in touch with us today.

+44 (0)24 7765 2222

ukadmissions@coventry.ac.uk

Complete our contact form.

International students

Full-time international students should apply directly to the university. Please read our application pages to find out your next steps to apply.

How to apply

For further support for international applicants applying for postgraduate degrees view our International hub.

You can also download our international mini guide for an overview of study options and why you should study with us.

Get in touch with us today for further advice and guidance.

+44 (0)24 7765 2152

applications.io@coventry.ac.uk

Complete our contact form.

Disclaimers

Coventry University together with Coventry University London, Coventry University Wrocław, CU Coventry, CU London, CU Scarborough, and Coventry University Online come together to form part of the Coventry University Group (the University) with all degrees awarded by Coventry University.

¹Accreditations, partnerships and memberships

The majority of our courses have been formally recognised by professional bodies, which means the courses have been reviewed and tested to ensure they reach a set standard. In some instances, studying on an accredited course can give you additional benefits such as exemptions from professional exams (subject to availability, fees may apply. See the relevant body website for more details). Accreditations, partnerships, exemptions and memberships are subject to successful renewal in accordance with the relevant bodies’ standard review process and subject to the university maintaining the same high standards of course delivery. If the accreditation, recognition or membership of this course changes, we will seek to notify applicants and students as soon as possible.

Where relevant, the Chartered Management Institute (CMI) module content is undergoing assessment by the CMI to confirm that all criteria are met to the required standard. Whilst it is expected that students who successfully pass the module will be eligible to be considered by CMI for the CMI Level 7 Certificate in Strategic Management and Leadership Practice as an additional qualification, we cannot confirm this until the accreditation is approved. This is a normal part of the continuous improvement process for our courses to ensure they remain up-to-date and reflect best practice.

²UK and international opportunities

Please note that we are unable to guarantee any UK or international opportunities (whether required or optional) such as internships, work experience, field trips, conferences, placements or study abroad opportunities and that all such opportunities may be unpaid and/or subject to additional costs (which could include, but is not limited to, equipment, materials, bench fees, studio or facilities hire, travel, accommodation and visas), competitive application, availability and/or meeting any applicable travel, public authority guidance, decisions or orders and visa requirements. To ensure that you fully understand any visa requirements, please contact the International Office.

³Tuition fees

The University will charge the tuition fees that are stated in the above table for the first Academic Year of study. The University will review tuition fees each year. For UK (home) students, if Parliament permit an increase in tuition fees, the University may increase fees for each subsequent year of study in line with any such changes. Note that any increase is expected to be in line with inflation.

For international students, we may increase fees each year, but such increases will be no more than 5% above inflation. If you defer your course start date or have to extend your studies beyond the normal duration of the course (e.g. to repeat a year or resit examinations) the University reserves the right to charge you fees at a higher rate and/or in accordance with any legislative changes during the additional period of study.

⁴Facilities

Student Contract

By accepting your offer of a place and enrolling with us, a Student Contract will be formed between you and the university. A copy of the current 2024/2025 contract is available on the website for information purposes however the 2025/2026 contract will apply for the 2025/2026 intake. The Contract details your rights and the obligations you will be bound by during your time as a student and contains the obligations that the university will owe to you. You should read the Contract before you accept an offer of a place and before you enrol at the university.