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 Master's degree followed by a three-year PhD.
