Subject benchmark statement - Engineering - 2006

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Subject benchmark statement
Engineering
2006© The Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education 2006
ISBN 1 84482 526 4
All QAA's publications are available on our website www.qaa.ac.uk
Printed copies of current publications are available from:
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Registered charity number 1062746Preface
Subject benchmark statements provide a means for the academic community to describe
the nature and characteristics of programmes in a specific subject or subject area. They
also represent general expectations about standards for the award of qualifications at a
given level in terms of the attributes and capabilities that those possessing such
qualifications should have demonstrated.
This subject benchmark statement, together with others published concurrently, refers to
1the bachelor's degree with honours . In addition, some statements provide guidance
on integrated master's awards.
Subject benchmark statements are used for a variety of purposes. Primarily, they are an
important external source of reference for higher education institutions when new
programmes are being designed and developed in a subject area. They provide general
guidance for articulating the learning outcomes associated with the programme but are
not a specification of a detailed curriculum in the subject.
Subject benchmark statements also provide support to institutions in pursuit of internal
quality assurance. They enable the learning outcomes specified for a particular
programme to be reviewed and evaluated against agreed general expectations about
standards. Subject benchmark statements allow for flexibility and innovation in
programme design and can stimulate academic discussion and debate upon the content
of new and existing programmes within an agreed overall framework. Their use in
supporting programme design, delivery and review within institutions is supportive of
the recent and ongoing move towards an emphasis on institutional responsibility for
standards and quality.
Subject benchmark statements may also be of interest to prospective students and
employers, seeking information about the nature and standards of awards in a given
subject or subject area.
The relationship between the standards set out in this document and those produced by
professional, statutory or regulatory bodies for individual disciplines will be a matter for
individual institutions to consider in detail.
This subject benchmark statement represents a revised version of the original statement
published in 2000. The review process was overseen by the Quality Assurance Agency for
Higher Education (QAA) as part of a periodic review of all subject benchmark statements
published in this year. The review and subsequent revision of the subject benchmark
statement was undertaken by a group of subject specialists drawn from and acting on
behalf of the subject community. The revised subject benchmark statement was subject to
a full consultation with the wider academic community and stakeholder groups.
QAA publishes and distributes this subject benchmark statement and other subject
benchmark statements developed by similar subject-specific groups.
1 This is equivalent to the honours degree in the Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework (level 10)
and in the Credit and Qualifications Framework for Wales (level 6)Contents
Foreword 1
General introduction 2
Nature and extent of the subject 2
The characteristics of engineering graduates 3
Engineering at bachelor's and master's levels 3
Engineering degrees and professional practice 4
Professional accreditation of academic programmes 5
The international context for standards 5
The standards 6
Teaching, learning and assessment 7
Appendix A - UK-SPEC: The Accreditation of Higher Education Programmes
UK(EC , 2004) 9
Appendix B - Membership of the review group for the subject benchmark
statement for engineering 15
Appendix C - Engineering benchmarking group membership 16Foreword
Since the publication of the original Subject benchmark statement for engineering in
2000 there have been a number of important publications in relation to professional and
academic standards in engineering: the Graduate Output Standard produced by the
Engineering Professors' Council (EPC) in December 2000 and the UK Standard for
UKProfessional Engineering Competence (UK-SPEC) by the Engineering Council UK (EC ) for
both professional registration (December 2003) and the accreditation of higher
education programmes (May 2004). The outcomes-based approach of the subject
benchmark statement was certainly helpful in the development of these later documents
to the extent that, after the publication of the UK-SPEC for the accreditation of higher
education programmes, there was a strong feeling expressed by the academic subject
community that there was a pressing need to review and rationalise these different
standards documents.
UKEC and EPC jointly approached the Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education
(QAA) about the need to align these existing documents. It was recognised that there
was strong support from the academic community to work towards a single, unified
standard. Once the arrangement for the review of subject benchmark statements had
UKbeen finalised by QAA's Steering Group for Benchmarking, QAA invited EC and EPC
to form a review group for the subject benchmark statement for engineering. In putting
together the group care was made to take account of representation by engineering
bodies and stakeholders, including European and employer perspectives (see
Appendix B). The approach to the revision of the subject benchmark statement has
acknowledged and recognised the evolutionary nature of the output standards for
engineering and the way in which the UK-SPEC adopted the general model of the
subject benchmark statement while incorporating thinking and insights developed
through EPC's work. This, coupled with the widespread acceptance of the UK-SPEC, led
the review group to believe that the standard in the UK-SPEC could be adopted as the
revised subject benchmark statement standard. In considering this approach, the review
group gave particular consideration to the nature and status of non-accredited degree
programmes. Initial feedback on this approach of adopting the UK-SPEC standard for the
revised subject benchmark statement was supportive so the review group consulted on a
revised subject benchmark statement drafted on this basis. The review group was very
encouraged by responses to the consultation exercise and was left in no doubt that this
was the best approach for the second edition of the subject benchmark statement.
Another important feature of this second edition subject benchmark statement is the
bringing together of the honours and integrated master's awards (MEng), as the MEng
statement was originally published as a separate annex in 2002.
The review group is very grateful to all those who contributed to the discussions and
who submitted comments to the consultation. We can be confident that this approach
will be well received and believe the combined approach to standards will serve better
the needs of our colleagues.
Professor David Bonner
Chair, Review group for the subject benchmark statement for engineering
Professor Kel Fidler
Chairman, Engineering Council UK
Professor Tony Unsworth
President, Engineering Professors' Council
page 1General introduction
The QAA brief for the subject benchmark statement is to produce 'generic statements
which represent general expectations about standards for the award of honours degrees
in Engineering'.
This revised subject benchmark statement defines the academic standard expected of
graduates with an engineering degree. The defined learning outcomes are those
UKpublished by the Engineering Council UK (EC ) in the UK Standard for Professional
Engineering Competence (UK-SPEC): The Accreditation of Higher Education Programmes
(2004). These learning outcomes, also described by the engineering community as
'output standards', have evolved from the first edition of the Subject benchmark statement
for engineering (QAA, 2000) and the Engineering Professors' Council (EPC) Engineering
Graduate Output Standard (published 2000). By using the latest published learning
UKoutcomes from the EC in this revised subject benchmark statement, programme
providers can now use a single set of learning outcomes. The learning outcomes are
expressed for the threshold level that engineering students would be expected to have
attained upon graduation. It is anticipated that there will be many programmes where
this threshold level will be exceeded.
This subject benchmark statement covers engineering degrees at the honours level and
at the integrated master's level (MEng), as defined in The framework for higher education
qualifications in England, Wales and Northern Ireland (FHEQ). The subject benchmark
statement also includes guidance on the applicability of the learning outcomes to
degrees designed as a basis for registration as an Incorporated Engineer (IEng).
(Further guidance on the character and standards of Foundation Degrees can be found
in the Foundation Degree qualification b