Is this the future or a hotch potch degree? AI engineering

[GreenSalon2]

https://www.bristol.ac.uk/study/undergraduate/2025/artificial-intelligence/beng-artificial-intelligence/

DC has an offer for this brand new course. He’s interested in it and went to the offers holders day recently but had more questions than answers after like why would a graduate of this degree be more employable than a computer science engineer. No real answers forthcoming and I work in a creative field and know nothing about stem. He wanted to go on his own so we have zero information though DH did go to initial open day.

His other options are mechanical engineering with Sheffield the front runner but the degree above was a curve ball. Any thoughts from anyone with knowledge in either field would be very welcome!

Nope, not clueless on that either.
Pretty clued up in both in fact.
🙂

Hi OP, I can't give you any technical advice as ai isn't my area of expertise but just wanted to share that my DC went through a similar decision making process (not quite the same course obviously as it's new) and is now doing mechanical engineering at Sheffield. I think the disciplines are quite different and in the end deep down he just knew which interested him more (which wasn't the one that he had initially thought when he was younger). Therefore I would say the advice from poetryandwine about listening to his intuition is spot on. It is a lot of hard work if he wishes he was doing something else but felt he should do particular course. Either course sounds great in terms of standing and job opportunities from what others have posted. Just one further thing, ds also knew that it would possible to do a masters in a computer science related degree later on following a mech eng course but not the other way around.

@WannabeMathematician it appears to matter to Bristol.

Another issue that this isn’t (probably) engineering. Who is giving it accreditation? Traditionally engineering courses have a route through to being a Chartered Engineer. I’m struggling to see how this course fits into that pattern but maybe grads don’t care anymore? It’s a cheap option for employers. Like many engineering and maths engineering courses, grads often go into finance for more money.

Engineering Maths is a branch of Applied Maths. At Bristol, the School of Engineering Maths & Technology is part of the Faculty of Engineering, but it could just as easily be part of the Maths faculty.

Accreditation by a professional body isn't needed for most degrees.

Good point. It is a question of which pathway you want.

@windiwetha You obviously aren’t an engineer! Accreditation of the engineering degree is everything IF you want to be a Chartered Engineer. Lots of people call themselves engineers but haven’t done the further training required or have the required MEng. For engineers the course does matter. However maths isn’t engineering.

At the University of Bristol, unlike other engineering degrees, the BEng in Artificial Intelligence does not include an option of an industrial placement year. This omission is most certainly deliberate.

In the UK, universities are producing very large number of postgraduate students in artificial intelligence (AI) and data science, leading to intense competition for jobs. Companies offering graduate roles in AI or data science often receive hundreds of applications within a matter of days. Undergraduates applying for roles in artificial intelligence (AI) and data science frequently lose out to postgraduates who possess more specialised experience and qualifications. For instance, a Mechatronic and Robotic Engineering graduate with a master's degree in AI is likely to have a competitive edge when applying for an AI role in robotics. Similarly, a graduate with an undergraduate degree in mathematics and statistics, coupled with a postgraduate degree in data science, will be better positioned for roles that demand strong quantitative skills.

Engineering graduates continue to be in high demand. However, graduates with undergraduate degrees in artificial intelligence (AI) and data science are finding it increasingly difficult to secure employment.

Sheffield is brilliant for M&E engineering. I too think a masters after BEng or integrated MEng is the way to go.

I am an engineer actually, and so are other members of my family. But you don't need chartership to be an Engineering Mathematician or an AI Engineer, any more than you need it to be a nuclear physicist or a software engineer.

"However, graduates with undergraduate degrees in artificial intelligence (AI) and data science are finding it increasingly difficult to secure employment."

No they aren't. You're making things up now. Not sure why you're so invested in talking down what looks like a perfectly good applied maths course. If the OP's son wants/needs to do a Masters then he would be able to do it after this course as much as after any other maths or engineering or CS degree.

As others have said, the DC should chooses based on which degree he likes best. If he is unenthusiastic or undecided about both, then a year off might be wise.

@windiwetha Most of those jobs are not really engineering though. That’s the difference. We encourage people to do jobs rather than professional qualifications. “Engineers” mend washing machines too. Aparently. My DH always thinks engineering isn’t just maths. It’s how you think and solve problems. Too many engineers don’t really have expertise in engineering. They have it in maths so they don’t stay in engineering.

An engineer is a person who designs, builds, or maintains engines, machines, or structures. It's a very broad term, which legitimately applies to a washing machine repairer just as much as it applies to someone who creates an AI application.

The op's son doesn't know what he wants to do in the future. Assuming he works hard and does well he will be very employable whether he does Mechanical Engineering or AI Engineering. Mech Eng is a more established profession, so gives him the option of chartership if he wants it.

Err . . . I looked to study Machine Learning and AI in 1989

There were a handful of courses back then, very niche, lots of code writing and stuff. I wrote a chatbot that my mate Marcus became emotionally attached to. Wrote a scissors, paper, stone game that beat me 90% of the time even though I thought I was being unpredictable.

Did Materials instead, because I 'couldn't seem me working with computers'.

Ironically, my first job as a graduate involved using machine learning to predict material properties. AI is not new, its been a growing field for 50+ years

@windiwetha You are totally wrong. My DH employed Chartered and incorporated engineers for 40 plus years. He is FICE, FIStructE and FCIHT. You actually think someone designing bridges and complex structures is the same as a washing machine repair person? Good grief!

Your DS who is doing civil engineering will soon notice the difference between a grad engineer and someone who mends the washing machine. It’s typical of people we have in this country who would never ever go to an unqualified technician in place of a GP but think an “engineer” is someone who mends a washing machine. You need to support your DS with a much greater understanding of what a professional engineer actually is and how someone becomes qualified. As usual engineering in the uk gets dumbed down and we don’t know how to support high achieving engineers. Worse than that, we deny they exist. After all, mending a washing machine is the same! Professional engineers suffer from the word engineer being used too broadly. It’s not a protected title as it should be. The best way to support and encourage engineers is to understand the qualification process and not pretend all jobs are equal.

@TizerorFizz you invest an extraordinary amount of time telling people about your husband's chartership status on these threads, which can be very helpful, but you are wrong to say that non-chartered engineers are not engineers. They may not have the same professional status as chartered engineers, but they are still very definitely engineers. It is very silly and wrong of you to deny this. Chartered engineers do not have ownership of the noun "engineer".

I am a chartered engineer. I have family members who are non-chartered engineers. They have other professional qualifications and many years of work experience, e.g. in software engineering.

Most professional jobs require professional qualifications beyond a degree. Anyone without that can call themselves what they like. However the institutions exist for a purpose. It’s only in the uk that no one cares. Engineering is broad but it’s poorly regulated. As I said, you need a doctor, you see a professionally qualified doctor. It should be the same for engineers. It should be a controlled title. It’s not so we have the word used for everything from designing bridges to mending a dishwasher. It’s a sad state of affairs. I’m not shutting up about DH as his company employed a lot of people and invested in employees. I only mention it when relevant. They didn’t expect them to be ready made. Dumbing down engineering also dumbs down salaries. It’s foolish. Unfortunately too many don’t see this.

It really isn't an issue. If employers want chartered engineers, they advertise for chartered engineers. If they want incorporated engineers, they advertise for incorporated engineers. If they don't care about either status, but nevertheless want an engineer with specific experience or skills, they put that in the advert instead.

Do you think that the word 'scientist' should only be applied to people with chartered status too?