Help! Anyone had experience of the Dyson Institute?

[Vanta]

My DD is applying for a Mechanical Engineering degree. She is also thinking of applying to the Dyson Institute to do a degree apprenticeship, but there are a couple of things I am not sure about. Although the degree is a 'real' one (you get a BEng), unlike some unis, the degree has not got accreditation from the Institute of Engineering and Technology because it is so new - they are working on this, I'm told, and say once they get accreditation, it will be retrospectively applied to graduates.

I also wonder if just mixing with engineers on their campus is a good or a bad thing (compared to a uni where she would be mixing with other kinds of students). The fact that she will have no student debt and a job at the end of it seems too good to be true. Is it?? Do you know of anyone who has gone there and what did they think? Did they regret not having the university experience, or are they laughing all the way to the bank?? Give me your Dyson wisdom please!

This is normal for accredited degrees. The new medical and veterinary schools don't have fully accredited degrees yet: that only happens when they have students in their final year as the GMC/RCVS does visits every year to assure quality and can't do any inspection of year 5 until there are students in year 5.

Thanks @NoNotHimTheOtherOne that's helpful to know!

@Vanta
The bigger issue is that it is BEng. That means it’s a massive slog to be a chartered engineer. MEng is the best route for that. BEng leads to Incorporated Engineer. Do Dyson support further study to get a masters? Do they want apprentices to get Chartered? Most good employers do. Incorporated engineers earn less. Every salary survey tells you this. So there might be a ceiling on progression.

Yes they will have to get the degree accredited. It’s also not the same as working with a myriad of talented student engineers in a big engineering faculty. Look at somewhere like Sheffield if you want to see what is on offer. Bristol and many universities have great engineering courses in the uk. I imagine Dyson only really prepare for what Dyson want. So how broad is the course?

Lastly, what about IMechE registration? Dyson, I don’t think, is the same as mechanical engineering. It’s technology/product engineering.

@TizerorFizz My impression was she could get her Batchelor degree at Dyson and then go and do a two year Mech Eng masters and this way she is only two years in debt as opposed to four years in debt at a uni. In addition she will also have four years work experience which surely is better than one year in industry on a traditional masters course. To your point about the projects they offer- they seem to do a lot of blue sky projects as well as the more pedestrian stuff and some graduates end up developing software and financial stuff in their overseas offices. I was really impressed when I spoke to one of the staff there at a recent ucas event but I only ever hear from their perspective and really want to connect with graduates or parents of graduates who have come out the other side. I keep thinking the main reason you go to uni is to get a job and she will have one guaranteed if she gets in there - but I will look into the BEng as opposed to MEng degree that is something I haven’t thought about. So thank you for that. Dyson are trying to bring in an MEng degree but it isn’t something they offer yet. My hope is that they get it up and running while she is there but surely she can go to another uni (Bath? Bristol?) to do a masters? She is keen on Bath and Southampton but she has no guarantee of a work placement in her gap year and no guarantee of a job when she graduates. Plus she will be thousands in debt. It seems like a no brainer but I keep feeling there is an almighty catch I haven’t thought about.

MEng is 4 year undergrad. No year in industry. It’s the standard route for high flyers. No Ned to do a stand alone masters with that route. Engineers don’t always stay in engineering. Seems Dyson do the same.

I thought the MEng degree was accessed through BEng (3 years) plus two extra years to get the MEng. Some places allow students to decide at the end of the three years whether to continue to get their masters. I assumed that also meant students from outside the uni, if they hit the right criteria, could come in and do the extra two years to get their masters. If anybody has experience of this/first hand knowledge, I would love to hear it. Thanks all!

Definitely go for the Dyson degree. No debt and I assume learning how R&D and budgets and projects work in a real company isuch more valuable for her future life and career than mooching about with history students and thousands of pounds of debt.
If I was recruiting I'd take the Dyson graduate over a regular one.

Thanks @SleekMamma that's encouraging!

@Vanta Many well qualified student engineers do not do the separate BEng then separate masters. A MSc is 1 year not 2. The MEng integrated degree is 4 years but often offers better continuation. You may not be in exactly the same position with regards to your career with both paths, provided the BEng is accredited.

What some students do is transfer to MEng after y1 or Y2 if marks are good enough. You should look at some top universities like Sheffield or Bristol to understand the degrees. Plus the Engineering Council to check the qualification routes. The final qualification matters.

Dyson is a big name. No doubt places are competitive but do look at all the options for MEng for Mechanical Engineering because career paths might be broader and no less well paid. If the loan is the deciding factor, Dyson makes sense.

That's good advice @TizerorFizz I think we need to ask these questions on the open days about how the masters system works. I have an MA (not the same I know) and did a degree in one place and the 2 year MA in a different place. It sounds like it's more complicated when it comes to engineering. I guess an MA is advantageous but it would be great to be able to get one without paying for all those years of study when you can be paid for some of them instead. If Dyson ran an MEng it would be an easier decision, I guess.

@Vanta
Yes. I think that’s the discussion. Earnings for MEng grads who can get Chartered quicker is higher but you have the loan. Do look at a sample of universities and courses based on his grade predictions.