Engineering Doctorate

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The Engineering Doctorate scheme is a British postgraduate education programme promoted by the UK's Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council. The programme is undertaken over four years. Students conduct PhD-equivalent research and undertake taught business and technical courses whilst working closely with an industrial sponsor. Successful candidates are awarded the degree of Doctor of Engineering (EngD) and are addressed as doctor. The first programmes began in 1992. As of 2006, Engineering Doctorate schemes were offered by twenty UK universities.[1]. Students on the scheme are encouraged to describe themselves as 'research engineers' rather than 'research students' and as of 2006 the minimum funding level was £1,500 higher than the minimum funding level for PhD students.[2] Advocates of the scheme like to draw attention to the fact that EngD students share some courses with MBA students, however the same is true for some undergraduate MEng courses: at Cambridge, for example undergraduate engineers and MBA students share the same "Management Science" lecture courses.

In a stakeholder survey of the scheme conducted on behalf of EPSRC by Strategic Marketing Associates [3] it was found that the quality of output of research engineers is perceived to match or exceed that of a PhD. However, the majority of respondents disagreed with claims that EngDs were recruited to higher-paid posts than PhDs or that EngDs were more desirable to employers than PhDs. Observations were made that the EngD is not widely known, and that universities may offer EngD degrees that are not necessarily of the format promoted by EPSRC.

In summary, an EngD is essentially an engineering PhD with a solid industrial base and an additional taught element.

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[edit] References

  1. ^ Engineering Doctorate Centre Details. Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council. Retrieved on 2006-07-18.
  2. ^ Information for Students. Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council. Retrieved on 2006-07-19.
  3. ^ Review of the Engineering Doctorate Scheme: Stakeholders Survey. Strategic Marketing Associates. Retrieved on 2008-02-06.
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Academic degrees