Engineering doctorate

The Engineering Doctorate scheme is a British postgraduate education programme promoted by the UK's Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC). The programme is undertaken over four years. Students conduct PhD-equivalent research and undertake taught business and technical courses whilst working closely with an industrial sponsor. Successful candidates are awarded the degree of Doctor of Engineering (EngD) and are addressed as doctor.

The first programmes began in 1992. In 2009, Engineering Doctorate schemes were offered by 45 UK universities, both singly or in partnership with other universities as industrial doctorate centres. Students on the scheme are encouraged to describe themselves as 'research engineers' rather than 'research students' and as of 2009 the minimum funding level was £1,500 higher than the minimum funding level for PhD students. Advocates of the scheme like to draw attention to the fact that EngD students share some courses with MBA students.

In the UK a similar formation to doctorate is the NVQ 8 or QCF 8. However, a doctoral degree typically incorporates a research project which must offer an original contribution to knowledge within an academic subject area; an element which NVQs lack.

In summary, an EngD is essentially an engineering PhD with a solid industrial base and an additional taught element.

Countries following the German/US model of education usually have similar requirements for awarding Ph.D.(Eng.) and doctor of engineering degrees. The common degree abbreviations in the USA are D.Eng., D.Eng.Sc./Eng.Sc.D, whereas in the German-speaking world it is more commonly known as Dr.-Ing.

The Engineering Doctorate (EngD) scheme was established by the EPSRC in 1992 following the recommendations of the 1990 Engineering Doctorate Report, produced by a working group chaired by Professor John Parnaby. The scheme was launched with five centres - at Warwick, UMIST and Manchester universities and a Welsh consortium led by University College Swansea. After a 1997 review, a further tranche of five centres was established, and further centres were added in 2001 and 2006 following calls by EPSRC in particular areas of identified national need.

...
Wikipedia