Welcome to Mechanical Engineering

Before you arrive

Part of the excitement of starting university is the chance to discover things for yourself and the freedom to explore a new city. We want to make your transition to university life as easy as possible so on this page, we're giving you some resources to help you prepare before you arrive in Sheffield.

Get ready for Sheffield by completing your to-do list tasks from this helpful student checklist

Make sure you’re registered

Registration is the number one task before starting your studies. You should have already received information separately about the registration process and related activities that are run centrally by the University. If you haven’t please go to the registration homepage to find out more. You must complete online registration prior to arriving in Sheffield. 

Semester dates 2025 - 2026

You can find out all of the Semester dates for study in Sheffield here 

Welcome Week

This is a week of events before teaching begins. It is full of important information and social events, so do make sure you attend. Your Welcome Week will begin on Monday 22nd September 2025. Once you have registered and have a university login, you will be able to view our School Handbook.

Monday 22 September

Time	Location	Activity
10.30 - 11.40	St George's Church	Programme Welcome  Dr Art Gower & Dr Jenny Prisutova
11.40 - 13.30	Communal Space Outside D10, Heartspace	Mechanical Engineering registration and collection of text books
14.00 - 14.30	Online	Welcome to the School of Mechanical, Aerospace and Civil Engineering Professor Martin Mayfield, Head of School

Tuesday 23 September

Time	Location	Activity
09.15 - 10.15	St George's Church	Academic Work Requirements Dr Jenny Prisutova
10.15 - 10.30	St George's Church	Introduction to the Students Union
10.30 - 11.00	break
11.00 - 11.30	St George's Church	Sign up to free membership of IMechE
11.30 - 12.00	St George's Church	Diamond Introduction Talk - Dr Rob Woolley
	lunch break - food not provided
14.00 - 15.00	St George's Church	Introduction to MechSoc, Railway Challenge (RCAS),  Sheffield Formula Racing (SFR), Sheffield EcoMotorsports and Women in Engineering (WIE)
11:00 - 16:00 (drop-in)	Octagon & Students’ Union	Union Clubs and Activities Fair

Wednesday 24 September

Time	Location	Activity
09:00 - 09:30	Diamond Lecture Theatre 01	Health and Safety Talk Tom Whitaker
09:30 - 10:20	Diamond Lecture Theatre 01	Design Problem, Group Work Briefing Dr Art Gower
10:20 - 11:00	Diamond Lecture Theatre 01	Meet your Academic Tutor and discuss design problem
11:00 - 12:45	38 Mappin Street Workroom 2 Tutor Groups 1-22  38 Mappin Street Workroom  3 Tutor groups 23-44 38 Mappin Street Workroom  4 Tutor groups 45-64	Do it! Design and Build (students)
12:45 - 13:30	Lunch break - food not provided
13:30 - 15:30	38 Mappin Street Workroom 2 Tutor Groups 1-22  38 Mappin Street Workroom  3 Tutor groups 23-44 38 Mappin Street Workroom  4 Tutor groups 45-64	Do it! Design and Build (students)
15:30 – 17:00	38 Mappin Street Workroom 2 Tutor Groups 1-22  38 Mappin Street Workroom  3 Tutor groups 23-44 38 Mappin Street Workroom  4 Tutor groups 45-64	Competition/Testing/Prizes (students and staff)

Thursday 25 September

Time	Location	Activity
13:00 - 13:30	The Diamond, lecture theatre 9	Introduction to ELTC (International Students only)
15.00 - 17.00	Online - you will need access to a computer	Consent, Race and Equality Sessions  please use this time to complete the online training sessions

Friday 26 September

Time	Location	Activity
11:00 - 16:00 (drop-in)	Octagon & Students’ Union	Union Sports Fair
09:00 - 12:00	Diamond Computer Room 1 this computer room is available to take the  PELLA should you wish,  but if you prefer you may  use your laptop. Please bring headphones	PELLA  (Post enrolment language and literacy assessment)  for Overseas Students from outside the EU For years 1 and 2 direct entrants.  You will receive an email if this is applicable to you,  with a deadline by when this must be done.  If you do not receive an email, then you do not need to  complete this assessment.
13:00 - 14:30	DIA-Computer Room 6 Tutor Groups  1-36 DIA-Computer Room 1  Tutor Groups  37-64	Introduction to MASH diagnostics (MASSA) MASH diagnostics activity Skills Audit Introduction Video
14.00 - 16.00	Firth Court	Engineering co-curricular activities fair

Recommended book list

None of our first year or second year courses require students to buy a particular textbook. However, having a textbook to hand can help with study and is an invaluable reference throughout an engineering career.

The following text books are recommended to all students in the first and second years of their course. To be on this list a book has to satisfy three criteria:

1. The lecturer of the relevant course believes them to be a useful aid to understanding the lectures.
2. Students have found them useful in the past.
3. The book covers material in at least two core modules.

We are aware that text books are not cheap but feel the following books would serve you well throughout your degree and beyond. Unless indicated, earlier editions can be purchased if available second hand.

Some places you might look for second hand books:
Abe Books, Amazon Marketplace, Biblio, Blackwells, Ebay

Maths revision

A good background in mathematics will make your first year at Sheffield easier and more enjoyable. If you want to revise, we recommend:

Khan Academy (Maths: High school and college Algebra 1, Geometry, Algebra 2, Trigonometry, Pre-Calculus) or Mathematics for Science and Technology which was developed by the Open University together with Russell Group universities.

Laptop advice

In terms of equipment, we would recommend a laptop of a higher specification as most engineering types of programs require a higher specification.  Ideally, an i5 processor with 8GB of RAM should be enough but for future proofing and to be on the safe side, if budgets allow, we would recommend an i7 processor with at least 8GB of RAM.  Many engineering type software is limited to Windows operating systems.  Some do run with MAC OS but to avoid any compatibility issues in the future we would advise a Windows laptop of a medium to high specification.  An alternative option would be to run MAC OS and Windows as a dual boot system but this would need configuring and doesn't always run reliably. 

Software

The University offers great support to students, making available free of charge a wide range of software, including Microsoft Office, various programming suites, statistics and plotting packages, and referencing software for use on their own computers (click here for a full list).  You’ll be able access all of these once you have registered with the University.Things to do when you arrive

Once you arrive in Sheffield and have registered, here are some things you should do:

• Visit the Students’ Union website and explore activities and societies that you can get involved with.
• Read the our Mechanical Engineering Students’ Handbook
• Learn more about the Disability and Dyslexia Support Service by watching this short online presentation.
• Familiarise yourself with the technologies you'll use for learning online. You can find more about these, and short introductions on the 301 Academic Skills Centre webpages. As a start, you should make sure you are familiar with Blackboard, Blackboard Collaborate and TurnitIn. You should also make sure that you are familiar with Google Mail and Google Calendar, and can find guides to these on the IT Services website.
• Watch the Library getting started guide
• Read the Library subject guide for Mechanical Engineering
• Take a look at the Uni Student Support Services available to you by visiting their web pages here.  And also the SU support pages here.
• Find out more about what digital resources are available to you.
• International Students - visit the ELTC web pages to see what English Language support is available to you.

Library Essentials

Our Library services teams will be holding some drop-in events, an opportunity to meet the library team and find out more about how they can support you. You can take a tour of the library spaces (including the Digital Commons in the Information Commons), learn about the programme of research skills and critical thinking workshops and pick up a library tote bag! More information about our Library services

Information Commons drop-ins

Tuesday 23rd September: 12pm - 1pm
Thursday 25th September: 1pm - 2pm
Tuesday 7th October: 1pm - 2pm

Western Bank Library drop-ins
 

Tuesday 23rd September: 1pm - 2pm
Thursday 25th September: 12pm - 1pm
Thursday 9th October: 12pm - 1pm

Mental health support

Starting university is a huge change, and there may be times when you need some extra support.

Your guide to Sheffield

Whether you already live in Sheffield, or you're coming to us from elsewhere, there's plenty to see. From the stunning Peak District right on our doorstep to the trendiest cafes and bars, all the way to Tramlines music festival - we've got it all.

We have a full guide to Sheffield here, including food and drink, sports, arts and culture and how to get around.

Another guide can be found here, which includes information on our festivals, augmented reality art trail 'Look Up' and an alternative LGBTQ+ guide to the city. 

There are also maps of Sheffield and information on local public transport to help you traverse Sheffield once you arrive. In fact, we have a range of different maps to help you find your way around:

• Interactive campus map
• Gender neutral toilets map
• Prayer rooms & quiet spaces