MEng, BEng or MSc 3

[dannyruttle]

Firstly I'd like to say hi to everyone as a new member.

The point of this thread is this,

I would like some active civil engineers or experienced professionals to settle a debte that has been going on for a little while now.......is there any significant difference between a BEng, MEng or Msc ??????

At this moment in time i am undertaking my final year of a MEng Civil Engineering Degree course at Portsmouth University, England.
I was torn between completing a BEng course and continuing (as a post graduate) to a Msc, and transferring to a MEng degree course.
Obviously i opted for the latter, however I would like some opinions posted please as i am increasingly getting worried i have made an error in judgement.
I am aiming to gain chartership as quick as possible and was told that this option was the best for this purpose.

Thanks

 

[MikeyP]

The MEng (like the BEng) is accredited by one of the professional engineering bodies (eg IMechE, IEE etc). It is probably a predominantly lecture-based programme with a research project contributing ~20% of the credits. The MSc could simply be the same but not accredited (in which case it is probably not worth doing) or more likely it is an MSc by research; i.e. 100% research project which includes a stubstantial amount of novel work.

Neither are likely to earn you a substantially higher graduate salary, but both (especially the MEng) may help you get a job in the first place.

As far as getting your CEng as fast as possible goes, I suspect that (unless you do a postgraduate degree in Management) an extra year working as an engineer is worth more that a PG degree.

M

--
Dr Michael F Platten

 

[ScottyUK]

The quickest way to get your C.Eng is to find an employer which runs an accredited structured training program. Doing it the hard way - on your own - takes roughly twice as long.

The general trend within engineering education seems to be toward the M.Eng being the future standard for accreditation by the UK professional bodies. In this respect you have probably chosen wisely.



----------------------------------

If we learn from our mistakes,
I'm getting a great education!

 

[HamishMcTavish]

The following is an excerpt from UK-SPEC, the standard for competency set by the Engineering Council:
"Formal education is the usual, though not the
only, way of demonstrating the underpinning
knowledge and understanding for professional
competence. The following qualifications
exemplify the required knowledge and
understanding:
Chartered Engineer – an accredited Bachelors degree with honours in engineering or technology, plus either an appropriate Masters degree accredited or approved by a professional engineering institution, or appropriate further
learning to Masters level or an accredited integrated MEng degree."

Given your original question the difference is simply that without an ACCREDITED Masters degree it will not be easy for you to become chartered.

I suggest that you read UK-SPEC and if you are looking for work, try to find a company with a recognised Monitored Professional Development Scheme (at least that's what the IMechE calls it) to take you through the process of becoming Chartered.

http://www.uk-spec.org.uk/

Regards, HM.


No more things should be presumed to exist than are absolutely necessary - William of Occam