Is BEng with OU well thought of?

[paininthepoinsettia]

I don't mean is OU in general well thought of, but the BEng in particular. Have been looking into this and compared to red brick unis that run labs for engineering I'm wondering if it is regarded as equal. I think some of the OU modules have summer schools but they are only 1 week long so you wouldn't get the same experience I think? I'm wondering all things considered are they equal?

There are lots of unis with good engineering degrees, redbrick and otherwise

Well yes - I'm sure that no-one would turn down a Cambridge offer, say, for Birmingham (the original 'red brick' university)? I sort of assumed , though, that the intended meaning was 'brick' university- i.e. one with a physical entity that you attend, rather than the 'virtual' experience of the OU?

At most universities, the first 2 years of both the BEng and the MEng is the same course - irrelevant of which one you selected initially. Towards the end of the 2nd year of study, you then get the choice to move between the two or if your results are not good enough, you get moved to the BEng. Obviously this differs slightly depending on whether you are opting to do a placement year and which year you do the placement year. Some students opting to do the BEng will have good results but have decided they don’t want to be an engineer - e.g. they have decided to apply for finance and banking jobs instead.

MarchingFrogs I am sure many students do decide to opt for unis like Birmingham rather than Oxbridge for engineering depending on what discipline they want to study

'Redbrick' is a specific set of older unis dating from the end of the 19th/start of 20th century (or which Birmingham is probably the most literal example) - I was thinking more of some of the others outside of this group eg Bath, Surrey, Loughborough.

I have just had a quick look at Sheffield university which is always well regarded for Engineering. They do General Engineering MEng and want A*AA. This is higher than their other MEng courses and you don’t have to specialise in Y3 and Y4 if you don’t wish to. However if you don’t think you will get those grades there is plenty more choice!

The big danger with general engineering is that you have to make a decision and become a student member of an institution at some point if you wish to be an engineer. You cannot be a jack of all trades and master of none because many employers want certain disciplines. There has to be a decision made at some point or what work experience or jobs will the student go for?

Ok, sorry, not a red brick uni. I meant a traditional uni with a good reputation as opposed to a more modern uni which would have been a polytechnic or a college 25 years ago and accepts lower a-level grades for admission.

That said it is worth looking at league tables and employability and take that into consideration in your choice as there may be some surprises. The most important thing for engineering is making sure the course is accredited with its relevant institution to get professionally qualified afterwards. I've met a few people who had come from newer universities who found chartership quite a painful process, though more of those unis are accredited now than were in my cohort's time.

Some of the ex polys have brilliant engineering courses. It’s not a case that RG is always best. It very much depends on individual course and what the student wants to do afterwards. Some polys have a longish tradition in engineering and have excellent links with employers. Their year in industry options also can be first class. So don’t ignore ex polys. Look carefully at employment stats, destinations, links with industry and MEng possibilities.

Some polys have a longish tradition in engineering

Very long in some cases ... the 'technic' part of their name was the main focus.

There are some excellent engineering courses with outstanding reputations at the former polytechnics.

However, if the OP's DS is uncertain about engineering and may want to cash in after three years and use his degree just as a degree to get a non-engineering graduate job, he may be better advised to look at the universities that offer the most general prestige, rather than specific prestige in engineering.

That’s true Phphion. However I’ve been clear that it’s best for engineers to know they want to be engineers before they start by showing en interest in some area of the huge subject. I gave lots of examples as to how the dc might follow this up. As have others. I would suggest that if he hasn’t anything to put on his PS, he doesn’t really want to be an engineer. So yes, go to the best university you can!