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Studying Mechanical
Engineering
Today's employers are looking for more than
just high academic achievers in their new recruits. They are
seeking highly adaptable individuals who are equipped both
with a deeper understanding of their chosen field and with
the knowledge, skills and wherewithal to operate on both a
national and international level. They are also seeking employees
who demonstrate a willingness and commitment to skills updating
and continual professional development. Some employers see
postgraduate study as indicative of a student's commitment
to ongoing professional development and learning new skills
throughout their working life.
Postgraduate study
In today's competitive recruitment market mechanical
engineering graduates eager to succeed and climb the career
ladder have to think carefully about the best way to improve
their employment prospects and keep abreast of today's cutting
edge technology. One option is to embark on a postgraduate
course in engineering.
The number of engineering graduates taking a
second degree has been growing in recent years. Many do so
because they want to improve their employment prospects. For
others it is a foundation for further learning and an opportunity
to specialise in a different subject area because of a late,
newfound interest in a particular field. Although a second
degree does not automatically guarantee future employment
success, or a more prestigious and highly paid job, statistics
do indicate that the employment prospects of students with
postgraduate degrees are improved.
While some companies regard second degrees as
irrelevant, preferring industrial experience to higher qualifications,
many now stipulate a postgraduate degree as a prerequisite
to moving up the responsibility ladder. This is driven in
part by the increasingly global nature of the employment market
and by the rapid pace of technological change.
The opportunities and the benefits
Studying Mechanical Engineering at postgraduate level is
not an easy option. It involves a great deal of hard work
and determination, but for those who decide to go down this
route the opportunities and benefits are numerous. Apart from
improving job prospects and gaining a competitive advantage
in the job market postgraduate study offers an opportunity
to:
-
acquire a necessary qualification for a further career
move
-
gain deeper specialist knowledge in a chosen field
-
develop completely new skills, and expand on others
-
broaden one's horizons and depth of understanding
-
gain a better understanding of companies in various engineering
and geographical sectors
-
do industrial or academic research and learn research
methodology
-
play a key role and make an impact on a company and one's
own development
In addition, for those students opting to study a postgraduate
degree (in part or in whole) in a different country from their
country of origin, it provides an opportunity to study and
develop expertise in a foreign language, and gain insight
into and knowledge of a different country's culture and systems.
In fact, mechanical engineers with language skills who have
worked in more than one country are becoming increasingly
sought after, particularly as many companies now have international
partners or subsidiaries.
Where should I study?
Education systems, standards and qualifications vary from
country to country. There are definite benefits to be gained
from studying for a postgraduate qualification in a different
country, particularly for students living in a country where
training in a particular subject to advanced level is lacking.
However when opting to study abroad, it is important to select
somewhere where the standard of education is known to be high
and the final postgraduate qualification is one that is internationally
recognised. The UK is a popular choice among foreign postgraduate
students for this reason. UK universities are acknowledged
as being among some of the best in the world in terms of the
standards and quality of their postgraduate courses and the
research posts that are on offer.
UK Postgraduate qualifications include an MSc, the Integrated
Graduate Development Scheme (IGDS), MBA (Master of Business
Administration) and an MPhil, MRes or PhD undertaken by research.
Students have access to the latest publications and equipment
and many of the UK university postgraduate engineering modules
are structured to provide an international element; for example,
Sheffield Hallam University offers a module on International
Product Development, which involves Mechanical Engineers working
on European wide products and liasing with different companies
abroad.
Many students chose to study for their postgraduate qualification
in the UK because it enables them to experience the British
culture and improve their working and spoken English, now
used universally in the business world.
Undertaking postgraduate study in the UK can be particularly
beneficial to foreign students if they have the opportunity
to forge links with a company in the UK that also operates
in their own country. They can then act as a liaison person
for that company when they return home.
Likewise UK companies and universities try to maintain links
with students once they have qualified and returned home because
it encourages good working relationships and builds good communication
networks throughout the global market.
In some instances international students stay on for a time
after they have completed their course, continuing to work
for the company they have been involved with during their
study period.
Funding and grants are available for foreign students wishing
to study in the UK through various scholarships and charitable
trusts, via Universities and some Institutions as well as
the British Government and British Council Award Schemes.
The Institution of Mechanical Engineers, for example, has
a number of scholarships available including the Clayton Grants
for members undertaking postgraduate studies or research in
mechanical engineering at an approved centre. European funding
is also available under the European Community Action Scheme
for the Mobility of University Students - the Socrates Erasmus
Scheme. The UK Erasmus Council provides top-up grants for
some 10,000 students each year who are doing a degree in the
UK and part of their degree in another country. All UK universities
and every country in Europe, apart from Switzerland are part
of the scheme and Postgraduate degrees in Mechanical Engineering
are among those particularly encouraged.
The UK welcomes foreign students, and last year in a campaign
to encourage more international students to study here the
British Government and British Council introduced a package
of changes designed to make the process of applying to study
in the UK faster and simpler. These include making visa arrangements
more user-friendly and easing restrictions on taking paid
employment. They are also reducing the need for international
students to reapply for leave to remain in the UK whilst studying.
In addition the Chevening Scholarship Scheme is to be expanded
with funding from government, universities and business to
support an extra 500 scholarships on top of the current 2200
students.
About the Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE).
IMechE was founded in 1847, with the railway pioneer George
Stephenson as its first President.
Today IMechE is the market leader in the field of mechanical
engineering, manufacturing and allied technologies, and is
one of the largest and most prestigious engineering bodies
in the world with approximately 83,000 members in 120 countries.
We play a vital role in the education, training and professional
development of mechanical engineers and act as an international
centre for the development and transfer of mechanical engineering
technology. We are one of the largest engineering institutions
and offer the broadest and most adaptable qualification.
Our headquarters are in an architecturally-renowned building
in Westminster, London which has a modern information centre
and meeting rooms for conferences and seminars. Hundreds of
technical events are organised every year, and a comprehensive
range of general-interest and technical literature is published.
The scope of our activities is continually adapted to the
needs of industry, education, training and management. We
are involved in many fields, including the provision of opinions
and information to government.
Membership of IMechE is recognised professionally throughout
the world. Members and Fellows are recognised as Chartered
Mechanical Engineers, and are given exemption from part or
all of the professional registration examinations in many
countries which have statutory requirements.
For further information about IMechE:
Tel: 020 7222 4557
Email: enquiries@imeche.org.uk
Website: www.imeche.org.uk
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