EngD - that'll do nicely says ECUK
Introduced in 1992, the Engineering Doctorate (EngD) has been
something of a Cinderella qualification, its true worth never fully
appreciated by the profession as a whole. This may change after a
recent review of the EngD programme* concluded that this
work-based, post-graduate award has brought significant benefits to
a wide range of companies and industrial sectors.
ECUK, whose CEO Andrew Ramsay was a member of the eight-strong
review panel, firmly believes that the EngD scheme offers a
credible route to becoming a Chartered Engineer. It is now working
with the engineering institutions to ensure that the award gains
wide acceptability as a basis for CEng registration.
Developed by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research
Council (EPSRC), the EngD offers an alternative to the traditional
PhD that is more vocationally focussed and better suited to the
needs of industry. EngD students - who are known as research
engineers - spend around three-quarters of their time working in a
sponsoring company on an industrial project designed jointly by the
sponsor and a university-based 'academic centre'. There are
currently 22 such centres.
The EngD is open to articulate and highly motivated graduates
with a good degree in engineering or another relevant discipline.
Around 1230 individuals have gained or are working towards the
qualification and more than 500 companies have been involved. The
scheme has so far received £70M of government funding.
The EngD review panel reported that the programme is indeed
meeting real business needs. It found compelling evidence that many
of the research engineers are having a major impact on business
performance. The scheme was shown to be making a valuable
contribution to UK knowledge generation and transfer into industry,
while satisfying its goals in terms of scholarship and
publication.
The review also demonstrated that EngD research engineers are
gaining the skills necessary for future leadership roles in
industry - and for registration as Chartered Engineers. The
technical and commercial competences acquired on the programme,
coupled with its demanding entry requirements, make it an excellent
fast-track route to the CEng title. Like all CEng candidates, those
holding the award will still have to undertake a Professional
Review Interview, though in most cases their final year thesis will
go a long way to providing the basis for this.
The review panel's report calls for greater resources for the
EngD scheme and recommends that new programmes be considered in
important industrial sectors that are currently not covered.
(Though there is good coverage across most key sectors, and new
programmes have recently been introduced in areas such as
micro/nano materials and nuclear engineering, gaps still exist in
civil/structural engineering, electrical power generation and
transmission, transport logistics, computer science and healthcare
technologies.)
Among its other recommendations, the report advises EPSRC to
work with ECUK to ensure that EngD programmes are professionally
accredited through the relevant engineering institutions.
Currently, virtually none of them are. Accreditation would help
establish a clearly visible path to CEng status.
*The Engineering Doctorate review report is available on the
EPSRC website at:
www.epsrc.ac.uk/CMSWeb/Downloads/Other/EngDReviewReport.doc.