Can you become an engineer with this course?

[Christmasish]

https://www.strath.ac.uk/courses/undergraduate/productdesigninnovationmsci/

What is the process? Do you do a master after?

There is a Product Design Engineering but DC doesn’t have one of the subjects

Hi, OP -

An interesting question.

I think the most important thing is: does the applicant see themselves primarily as a designer or primarily as an engineer? Obviously there is some crossover.

It appears at first glance that this programme only partly satisfies the educational requirements for Chartered Engineer status. That may not matter for a career in design. Because Strathclyde has an excellent reputation in engineering, I expect the technical aspects of the training will be very strong, which is important. The links with industry look very good. All of this should lead to good employability outcomes.

Plenty of engineers are not chartered, either, but for some pathways it is definitely helpful. If I saw myself primarily as an engineer, I would choose one of Strathclyde’s excellent engineering programmes rather than close those pathways off. If I was besotted by this programme I would email the admissions tutors to get the details regarding the Ch Eng status. They should be happy to answer this kind of question.

MEng programmes are a hybrid degree. You can go into graduate schemes, many jobs requiring an MSc, or (in my field) you can go directly into a PhD. The one thing you cannot do is an MSc in the same field, because you have already done a full complement of the course modules for the degree - the MEng has a less intense project/dissertation component than a full MSc.

Would your DC meet the requirements for Strathclyde's Engineering Academy. If you successfully complete the year you get 2nd year entry (so no time lost). One of my DCs friends went that route (changed from going to Art School). They would only have had AS level equivalent Maths and Physics which they crashed in S6 (had other subjects too like AH Art+Design and Graphics).

PS It is possible to become Ch Eng from a degree programme that is not (fully) accredited, but it is more difficult. And employers who value the Ch Eng credential may prefer ro hire from fully accredited programmes

Thank you. DC prefer Engineering but has not got physics which I am surprised is a requirement for Strathclyde Product Design Engineering. Bristol doesn’t require it for Design Engineering nor Loughborough for Product Design Engineering. They have Maths, Chemistry and Design Technology.

The course is accredited by 2 engineering institutions

Didn’t know about this. Will check it out. Thanks

Get him to contact the admissions tutor and ask questions. They'll know best.

I read this, too. I would confirm what it means. A great question for Open Day or email

Would they consider taking a foundation year to lead into an engineering degree?

Also, don’t get too hung up on CEng. I work in an automotive engineering company and very few of us have it. Most of us have IMechE accredited degrees but didn’t take the path to CEng. I’m not detracting from it, but it’s by no means a non-negotiable for career progression, and for us it tends to be quartered to niche parts of the business.

If Physics is the obstacle, an FY could work. And it is compatible with the loan, if DS is English.

Great idea, @SockFluffInTheBath

Does Strathclyde offer the foundation year? How long will the degree be?

A foundation year is one year added onto the start of the standard degree. No idea if Strathclyde do them, it will say on their website.

Found the info reg the engineering foundation year. Thanks

It’s an integrated program, so you get the master’s as part of the degree. No extra course needed. Product Design Engineering needs specific subjects that DC doesn’t provide.

Sheffield don’t require physics for their undergrad engineering courses. As long as you have maths and one of physics or chemistry it’s ok. I’m not sure how they manage that, but they were v clear about it at the open day. They don’t do design engineering though - I’m not sure if that is your son’s preference, or if it is for any engineering he can access without physics.

https://sheffield.ac.uk/undergraduate/courses/2026/mechanical-engineering-meng#entryreqs

Wonderful information from @Talipesmum . Sheffield is super for many engineering disciplines, OP, and known for a happy student body. Great small city, also. I always enjoy visiting SU.

Thank you. Will ask DD to look at Sheffield

Just looked at Sheffield and they do require physics for general engineering but not for mechanical engineering. All other engineering accepted a science in Sheffield except for general engineering which does require maths and physics; strange 🤔

Interesting, I hadn’t spotted that. But the mech engineering course at Sheffield is far bigger than the general engineering course - in some places with general engineering that’s the biggest option, and my DS was keen on it, but the gen eng course at Sheffield seemed less appealing to him than the mech one. They seemed to be run very separately too.

We did like Sheffield when we saw it but didn’t have product design engineering or design engineering; now DC is considering general engineering to have more options but unfortunately Sheffield ask for physics for that one

Thanks! We were so impressed with Sheffield, the engineering dept and facilities are amazing. Surrounded by mountains, great city but not too big. Son just got an offer from them too.

What are the kind of things he’s interested in doing? My feeling is that the engineering degrees are all pretty general and allow you to go in a multitude of directions afterwards. Mech eng in particular is closest to “general” in terms of breadth. That’s not exactly right, but there really are a lot of options etc.

I would definitely encourage your dc to look at requirements for employers he’s interested in and if possible for grad schemes find out if they actually accept from that degree. The chartered status isn’t the biggest thing, it’s whether they can get onto a grad scheme. My dsd did a degree on many grad scheme lists but when she got feedback from interviews they each time told her they decided to opt to take on only engineers

Thank you. That is useful, will ask her to look