Higher National Certificate Manufacturing Engineering for England HTQ

• 32 UCAS points. We accept a full range of qualifications that carry UCAS points, including A-levels, BTECs and T-levels. Please see our guide to the UCAS Tariff for examples of how to achieve these points. For most courses, we are also able to consider non-tariffable qualifications.
• Any subjects are acceptable at Level 3.
• You should also have five GCSEs at grade C or above or grade 4 to 9 (or equivalent), including English and Mathematics.
• Entry to this course is also available to applicants with extensive, appropriate work experience in the engineering sector, who may not possess academic qualifications.
• We would normally expect a Level 3 qualification in maths, engineering or science. However, we will consider non-standard applications. Applicants without maths, engineering or science may be required to undertake a numeracy assessment as part of the application and admission process.
• You may be required to attend an interview and/or provide a portfolio of work.
• If English isn’t your first language, you’ll also need IELTS 6.0 with no less than 5.5 in reading and writing (or equivalent). We also accept a range of other English language qualifications – please visit our English Language Requirements web page for more details.
• If you intend to progress to a top-up degree course at a university after completing this HNC, you will usually need GCSE Mathematics and English at grade C/4 or above (or equivalent). If you have not already achieved this, please speak to the course leader about taking GCSE Mathematics and/or English while completing this course.
• If you apply or enrol on this course, Bolton College and the University of Bolton will share the information you provide. You’ll also receive communications from both organisations.
• This course is open to Home students only. Applications from International and EU students cannot usually be accepted because the study location for this course is not licenced by UKVI to sponsor students. Therefore, if you require sponsorship under the Student Visa Route to study in the UK, then, unfortunately, we'll be unable to consider your application for this course. Some EU students are eligible to study this course under the EU Settlement Scheme or Common Travel Area arrangement – for details, please visit https://www.gov.uk/guidance/studying-in-the-uk-guidance-for-eu-students.

Where changes are made to material information contained in this course description or a decision is taken to suspend a course between the offer of admissions and enrolment, we will inform applicants at the earliest possible opportunity and will outline the various options available to the applicant.

If you choose to complete our Level 4 HNC in Manufacturing Engineering for England, you're likely aiming to go on to employment or progress to further study. We have developed this qualification in close collaboration with experts from professional bodies and businesses to ensure you gain the skills and knowledge you'll need to succeed in the future – whichever route you take.

What can I do with this qualification?

This HNC is designed to prepare you for a range of careers, including engineering technician, manufacturing technician, integration and test technician and production technician.

If you successfully complete this HNC in Manufacturing Engineering, you'll be able to progress onto a higher-level qualification, such as the HND in Manufacturing Engineering. You'll also be able to apply for advanced standing to bachelor's degrees in a range of engineering disciplines.

Alternative career options

Certificate holders can also use the qualification to enter a range of other careers. Some of these roles may require relevant experience and/or further study. Some possibilities include:

• Teaching
• Research and development
• Finance
• Business
• Government and Civil Service
• Military

When completing your student finance application, please list your institution as 'University of Bolton', not 'Bolton College'.

Home/EU Fees

No fee information is currently available, please contact the University of Bolton’s Academic Fees team by emailing AcademicFees@bolton.ac.uk for more information.

International Fees

No fee information is currently available, please contact the University of Bolton’s Academic Fees team by emailing AcademicFees@bolton.ac.uk for more information.

Bursaries

Click here for more information about the scholarships and bursaries available to University of Bolton students.

Important note regarding tuition fees for the 2025-26 academic year: EU nationals who meet residency requirements (have settled or pre-settled status) may be eligible for 'Home' fee status. If you do not meet these residency requirements, overseas fees will apply. Irish citizens living in the UK or Ireland will be eligible for 'Home' fee status under the Common Travel Area arrangement. Please read the student finance for EU students web page on www.gov.uk for information.

The fees for a student's course of study will be set for the normal duration of that course subject only to inflationary increases – measured by the Consumer Price Index (CPI) recorded in March each year to take effect for subsequent start dates.

The varied nature of this HNC programme means that we use a wide range of teaching and learning methods. To ensure you acquire and develop the appropriate concepts, knowledge and skills, we combine timetabled classes with student-centred and independent learning. You can expect to attend lectures, practical sessions, workshops, tutorials and informal group study sessions. There will also be opportunities to go on site visits to view state-of-the-art projects, and attend guest lectures by specialists from industry, professional bodies or other academic institutions.

There are significant opportunities to spend time with the tutors and technicians during timetabled classes, practical work and tutorials. However, we'll still expect you to devote a significant amount of time to personal study. For example, this time might be spent engaging in general background reading, revisiting practical work, attending technical meetings and lectures provided by professional bodies or working on assignments.

We use a range of assessment methods depending on the learning outcome in question and the type of module content being assessed. You'll have opportunities to test your understanding of subjects informally before you complete the formal assessments that count towards your final mark or grade. Each module/unit will normally contain at least one piece of practice or 'formative' assessment for which you'll receive feedback from your tutor. Practice assessments are developmental, and any grades/marks you receive for them do not count toward your module/unit mark or grade.

There is formal or 'summative' assessment for each module/unit. Methods include a range of assessments such as exams, essays, reports, portfolios, presentations, and a final year major project. The grades from the formal assessments count towards your module/unit mark or grade.

Modules

The modules listed below may be a mixture of compulsory and optional. You may not have the opportunity to study all the modules shown as part of the course.

• Engineering Design
• Engineering Mathematics
• Managing a Professional Engineering Project
• Production Engineering for Manufacture
• Quality and Process Improvement
• Computer Aided Design and Manufacture (CAD/CAM)
• Industry 4.0
• Industrial Robots

Assessment methods

Level	Assessment method
Level 1	Coursework 87% Written exams 13%

Learning Activities

Level	Activity
Level 1	Guided independent study 60% Scheduled learning and teaching activities 40%

The university will use all reasonable endeavours to deliver your course as described in its published material and the programme specification for the academic year in which you begin your course. The university considers changes to courses very carefully and the university will minimise any changes. Please be aware that our courses are subject to review on an ongoing basis and changes may be necessary due to legitimate staffing, financial, regulatory and academic reasons. The content of course modules and mode of associated assessments may be updated on an annual basis. This is to ensure that all modules are up-to-date and responsive to employment and sector needs. The published course material and the programme specification contain indicative ‘optional modules’ that may be subject to change due to circumstances outside of our control. For this reason, we cannot guarantee to run any specific optional module.