The problem - You are considering studying engineering in the United Kingdom. You contact the British Council or your careers advisor and you are confronted with the UCAS directory listing dozens of universities offering the same or similar engineering courses. How do you choose?
Everybody "knows" the "good" universities for engineering - or do they?
The reputation of many universities has been based upon their research output. This is quantified by the Government through the Research Assessment Exercise (RAE). This is useful if you require a research post, but it is NOT a measure of a university’s ability to deliver an effective and high quality undergraduate degree programme.
Fortunately, there now exists an objective measure of how "good" each University actually is in terms of its undergraduate programme as opposed to its research programme. It is this measure which will enable you to make a sensible and informed choice.
The Solution - The British Government, through the Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education (QAAHE), is providing an objective measure of the quality of each university’s undergraduate engineering provision. This measure can be used to help you select "Which Engineering Department" to study at. It is a particularly valuable measure because from 1998/9 onwards, you and/or your parents will have to contribute financially towards your course. Clearly, you will be demanding value for money and good job prospects to enable rapid repayment of loans and the best possible career progression.
The QAAHE assessment of the quality of education, grades and reports on 6 areas of undergraduate provision. Each of the areas is graded between 4 (the highest) and 1 (the lowest), which gives a maximum possible overall score of 24. Before making any decisions you should contact the university department of interest and request either a verbal report on its grades, or request a copy of the QAAHE Report. If the department has not yet been assessed then you should ask the university questions related to each of the 6 areas and draw your own conclusions. Each of the 6 areas, together with some of the features you should expect from a good engineering department, are considered below.
Area 1 - Curriculum Design, Content, Evaluation
A good department should offer a range of undergraduate degrees which offer cater for a range of entry qualifications, allowing students to maximise their potential, providing support in areas of weakness and challenge in areas of strength. Courses should be practical and industrially based to satisfy both national and industrial needs. Routes to both chartered and incorporated engineer status should be available.
Additionally, courses should focus on integrated activities, for example, students on automotive courses should design, build and race cars, while students on aerospace courses should design and build aircraft and satellites, etc.
Students should work both individually and in groups on industrially-based design projects such as the Thrust Project and one year industrial training programmes should be strong feature of the department.
Area 2 - Teaching Learning and Assessment
The standard of teaching should be good and appropriate for students of varying abilities. The delivery should be responsive to areas of the curriculum which the students find difficult and the teaching should impart the transferable skills so sought after in industry.
Area 3 - Student Progression and Achievement
A good department should offer a comprehensive portfolio of courses which ensures that students leave with an appropriate qualification. If one course proves to be unsuitable then an alternative can be offered.
The ultimate measure of a department’s undergraduate programme must be the level of appropriate employment of its graduates: a good department should be able to demonstrate good links with industry, high levels of relevant employment and good career progression.
Area 4 - Student Support and Guidance
A caring attitude should be demonstrated with a good tutorial system and student services provision. Facilities to cater for special needs and disability should be available as well as support for students on industrial training. An established tradition and experience of dealing successfully with overseas students should be clearly demonstrated.
Area 5 - Learning Resources
There should be modern, spacious and well equipped accommodation, including lecture theatres, laboratories, equipment, library etc.
Staff should be well qualified, both academically and as teachers, with substantial industrial experience. They should be actively engaged with industrial projects.
Area 6 - Quality Assurance and Enhancement
Good quality assurance procedures should be well established. Course monitoring and development procedures should be clearly defined with student input.
In a recent QAAHE inspection, Kingston University’s School of Mechanical Aeronautical and Production Engineering was awarded the maximum score of 24 out of 24 for the quality of its provision. University departments offering provision of this quality make an excellent choice and offer extremely good value for money, maximising your chances of success and a good career in engineering.
