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Calling all graduate engineers!
Where do you start when you're looking for a postgraduate degree in engineering? Dr Tim Seller, former Director of the International Office at Imperial College, London provides some valuable pointers.
"It is characteristic of engineering masters courses that they emphasise the applied aspects of the subject, so that the training received will be relevant in practical engineering situations and consulting"
Postgraduate masters courses in engineering provide students with many different opportunities for advanced study in a subject of their choice. Generally, these can be divided into three types: a) courses that prepare students for a research career; b) specialist courses that extend their knowledge in a particular area of the subject; and c) courses that are designed for anyone with an engineering or similar training and provide an extension of knowledge into other areas of engineering. It is characteristic of engineering masters courses that they emphasise the applied aspects of the subject, so that the training received will be relevant in practical engineering situations and consulting.
"Frequently there is a wide range of choice in the original research that is undertaken and it is limited only by the range of expertise and equipment available in the department concerned"
Courses that prepare students specifically for research are not only relevant to PhD studies and a career in an academic environment; they are relevant to industrial research and development as well. They tend to have titles such as Advanced Chemical Engineering, or just Advanced Engineering. Many universities require students to take an MSc before starting a PhD research project. In these courses there are extended periods of original research or innovative design. You are given training in advanced research methods, use the latest equipment including CAD/CAM, and employ sophisticated techniques of data gathering and analysis. Frequently there is a wide range of choice in the original research that is undertaken and it is limited only by the range of expertise and equipment available in the department concerned.
The second type of masters course is designed to enhance your knowledge in a specialist area of the subject that formed your first or bachelor’s degree. An example is a course in Mechanical Engineering for Engineering Practice that prepares students for a career in professional engineering. Other examples of courses offered include MS or MSc in Engineering in the Coastal Environment, Microelectronic Systems, Space Mission Analysis and Design, and Advanced Vehicle Design, the list is enormous. Generally, engineering departments offer masters courses that are within the research areas of their staff. This means that you will receive the most up to date training from specialists. The programme is enhanced by a period of research or design that is a critical part of most courses and as a result, you will obtain the best qualification relevant to the career of your choice. The problem is that you may have to look around for the course you want, as it may not be available locally, and so you need to begin searching as early on in your first degree. On the other hand the search can be done relatively easily - start by talking to the faculty staff in your department and the use the internet to find the course that satisfies your requirements. Look closely too at the course requirements; a first degree in a specific engineering discipline is not always required.
"Look closely too at the course requirements; a first degree in a specific engineering discipline is not always required"
Engineering at the postgraduate level is not confined to specialist courses that continue your first degree study. The most obvious examples are those that provide enhanced training in computing for non-computing graduates, but this is by no means the only possibility. A close look at the requirements will show that many courses do not require training in a specific branch of engineering. You will need a good degree in any engineering subject or another closely related discipline. The key factor is that you have studied mathematics as a major component of you first degree. The courses allow students to change their subject area and move, for example, from a first degree in mechanical engineering into electronic engineering, or from chemical engineering to a career as a practicing civil engineer. Some non-engineering degree subjects will allow you move into engineering. A qualification in physics is seen by most universities as an excellent preparation for masters’ level courses in engineering; degrees in physical science or biological science can be accepted as well. Therefore you have to look in detail at the specific course requirements, and compare them with the qualifications you have been awarded.
