Submit the FORM
and let me know your preferences. I can advise you on selecting
the course and the university and help make your admission process
easy and rewarding.
This service is offered FREE OF COST!
|
PG Courses > Science and Engineering
British science and engineering is renowned throughout the
world. UK scientists and institutions have won over 100 Nobel prizes for their
scientific achievements, while the engineering profession as we know it today
was created by Britain's 19th-Century pioneers.
The UK postgraduate provision in science and engineering isn't only defined
by tradition and past achievement however. Rigorous assessment procedures, particularly
in the sciences, coupled with media scrutiny have focused UK institutions on
a continuing drive to produce world-class research and to deliver top-quality
teaching.
At the same time, intense competition both nationally and internationally at
the postgraduate level has led UK universities to develop highly targeted programmes.
These factors have combined to create a rich and complex multiplicity of programmes
and qualifications that offer top-quality education, but whose rich texture
can puzzle even UK students.
Taught and research
The fundamental division to take into account is between taught and research-based
postgraduate programmes. Taught programmes are those in which a large proportion
of the learning is facilitated through classroom, seminar, tutorial and supervised
laboratory work and which are at least partially assessed by examination or
course work. The learning on a research programme, in contrast, will take place
through the pursuit of a self-directed project, which aims to make a new contribution
to human knowledge, although it will also usually be part of a broader research
programme at an institutional level.
There are three levels of taught programme: postgraduate certificate (PG Cert),
postgraduate diploma (PG Dip), and Master's, where those in science are usually
designated MSc. Postgraduate certificates and diplomas are short (under a year)
and can be part of continuing professional development (CPD). In some cases,
diplomas can be awarded to students who follow a taught Master's programme (one
year full-time, two years part-time) but who do not complete the final (up to)
20,000 word dissertation. These programmes will usually be designated MSc or
Diploma.
It should be noted that a Master's in Engineering (MEng) is awarded after an
extended period of undergraduate study that lasts typically one year longer
than a standard honours degree programme. They have replaced most Bachelor-level
qualifications in engineering. In contrast, MSc programmes in engineering are
stand-alone one-year programmes designed to focus on a specific area of the
discipline.
Research programmes at Master's level might be called a Master's in research
(MRes) or, regardless of the actual subject studied, a Master's in philosophy
(MPhil) which usually take two years. The highest research degree is the doctor
of philosophy (PhD). This takes a minimum of three years to complete. Apart
from some training in research skills, there will be very little taught content
on research programmes. The dissertation will be longer, 70,000 to 100,000 words
for a PhD. It should also be original and, in theory, publishable. Essentially,
possessing a PhD should mean that you are one of the leading experts in your
specialism in the world.
Despite this fundamental division, all postgraduate programmes will contain
an element of research, while there are also qualifications such as doctorates
in engineering (DEng), which combine both taught and research elements and which
are aimed at engineers who are established in their careers. There are also
integrated and funded four-year programmes, which are much coveted. These are
known as one-plus-three programmes because they are made up of a one-year MasterÂ?s
degree followed by a three-year PhD.
What's involved
Most international students will start with a stand-alone taught postgraduate
programme and then consider whether to move towards doing a research degree.
Indeed, in many circumstances, UK universities insist on this.
Instead of just being a means to continue your understanding of a subject you
already know well, some taught programmes will classify themselves as conversion
courses. This means they are aimed at students from outside the discipline who
wish to change the direction of their career. Conversion courses are characterised
by an intense and in-depth introduction to the subject. The classic conversion
course is one that moves a student from, for example, any undergraduate degree
into a position where he or she could embark on a career in IT.
Alternatively there are programmes which offer a subject that is not usually
studied at undergraduate level, for example neuroscience. This offers graduates
with related or cognate degrees an opportunity to specialise, in this case psychologists,
biologists, medics and computer scientists, among others. The entry criteria
and programme description should make it clear what type of programme is being
offered.
Study and teaching
Most taught postgraduate programmes are offered in two modes, full time over
one year or part time over two years, although there are some distance learning
options available. Teaching is by a very wide range of methods.
A report by the Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education (QAA) found that
students of physics for example could expect to be taught through 'lectures,
tutorials, seminars, laboratory classes, project work, group work, problem classes,
workshops, computer-aided learning, and independent study. Each provider offers
many, if not, all of these, although the majority of teaching remains lecture
based. Lecturing styles are disparate, ranging from the traditional chalkboard
to complex audiovisual presentations.'
Assessment by the QAA is one way in which the quality of programmes is maintained,
despite their diversity. Among other initiatives, the QAA conducts institutional
audits that look at each university and college once every six years. These
audits are publicly available on the QAA website. On top of this there is a
second mechanism, which guarantees quality. This is the Research Assessment
Exercise (RAE), which is used to allocate government money according to the
standards of research in a large number of subject areas.
The RAE is held about twice a decade with the next one due in 2008. Institutions
choose which of the sixty-seven subject areas they wish to be assessed. In the
last assessment in 2001 each subject area was awarded a grade on a seven point
scale (5*, 5, 4, 3a, 3b, 2, and 1). A 5* rating indicated an international standard
of excellence, while a rating of 1 indicated that virtually none of the research
is of a national standard of excellence (in 2008 the results will be graded
differently).
As a potential postgraduate student within the science and engineering category,
you are naturally going to find yourself closer to the researchers than are
undergraduates, particularly if you are thinking of doing a research programme.
So despite the gap in time since the last RAE, it is well worth checking the
RAE results in your subject area before choosing a programme. And it may be
worth asking whether the research at your chosen institution is going to be
submitted to the next RAE.
Money matters
A one-year taught postgraduate programme can cost anything between a few thousand
pounds to over £10,000, although there are different rates according
to whether you are an EU or non-EU student. Applications for funding or scholarships
must be made well over a year in advance and funding should always be arranged
before you leave your home country.
.
|
Advertisements
|
