1. © Engineering Council 2011 UK Engineering Degree Accreditation Engineering Doctorate EngD ENAEE, 12-13 November 2012 Deborah Seddon, Head of Policy and Standards

2. © Engineering Council 2011 Background Standard of professional competence is set and maintained by the Engineering Council ‘UK Standard for Professional Engineering Competence’ (UK- SPEC) Criteria for accreditation of degrees are derived from this and set out in the Accreditation of HE Programmes manual (2011) 21 individual engineering institutions are licensed to carry out the process of accreditation to this standard in their discipline Accreditation is not a requirement in the UK Universities are subject to a separate rigorous external review at institutional level by the national Quality Assurance Agency QAA Qualifications frameworks, QAA degree level descriptors and benchmark statement

3. © Engineering Council 2011 Engineering Council requirements Academic accreditation is granted on the basis of the demonstration of learning outcomes Essentially a system of peer review Process requires a site visit, appropriate visiting panel including industrialists, trained members, published learning outcomes Judgements are made based on the evidence presented

4. © Engineering Council 2011 Professional Registration – Chartered Engineer Underpinning knowledge and understanding: demonstrate achievement to Masters level – variety of ways, but UK-SPEC was previously silent about the EngD Professional development – application of knowledge and understanding, development of competence – structured ‘training’, in-company schemes can be accredited Professional Review – evidence and interview; demonstration of competence (UK-SPEC) and commitment to the profession - competence, codes etc Education and development of competence may be integrated

5. © Engineering Council 2011 The EngD – common features Third cycle, partnership programme between industry and academia ‘Research Engineer’ – has an in-company role c75% Training and competence development are required elements Some taught elements Research project(s) Focus on innovation, developing solutions Highly respected by industry: a wage premium Vehicle for collaborative research with universities, technology transfer Graduates with skills that industry needs

6. © Engineering Council 2011 EngD and becoming a professionally registered engineer Strong support for a clear statement about the pathway from EngD to Chartered Engineer (CEng) Recognition that EngDs are varied Existing systems/processes were sufficiently flexible Academic or training? Evidence: mapping of EngDs to the UK-SPEC Learning Outcomes revealed a high degree of conformity

7. © Engineering Council 2011 Findings High level of confidence that an EngD could demonstrate ‘general’ (transferable skills) and specific learning outcomes Successful pilot academic accreditation exercise March 2012 Then, Detailed mapping of EngDs against CEng standards of competence revealed a similarly high level of conformity Few cautious responses: leadership (depends on the nature of the project); commercial/contractual experience varies; decision-making about implementation Concluded: an EngD holder is in a broadly comparable position to someone who has completed an accredited in- company initial professional development scheme

8. © Engineering Council 2011 EngD as accredited initial professional development Same process, standards etc as for a company accreditation Accredited status awarded to an EngD centre at University of Manchester Joint visit involving two discipline-specific engineering bodies Next step: to integrate the academic and profession development accreditations for efficiency and because it’s appropriate (pilot December 2012)

9. © Engineering Council 2011 Some reflections……. EngD graduates are the brightest and best, need to ensure they become professionally registered engineers Be clear about the type and format of evidence that is required from each stakeholder Mentoring of the individual’s development of competence Opportunity for joint visits Link to wider frameworks eg UK’s Researcher Development Framework Link to other external requirements eg funding agency Make use of other validation exercises (eg university or funding council)

10. © Engineering Council 2011 Contacts Deborah Seddon desddon@engc.org.uk desddon@engc.org.uk www.engc.org.uk