The role of design within a four year MEng. Programme

The development of skills in design is of vital importance both in the next generation of engineers and for the wealth creation of the UK. Over the last two decades, considerable effort has been put into increasing the awareness of design and its importance as an integrating activity. This has led to a number of initiatives which, whilst well-intentioned, have in the main been overtaken by events. The challenge of creating a high-level degree course based upon a core of design still remains. It is the responsibility of academia to provide both a relevant and educationally demanding course that is attractive to students. The Engineering Department at the University of Bath, UK, has a long tradition in the teaching of design that extends back over thirty years. The authors describe how, during the restructuring of its course into a four-year MEng programme, the opportunity was taken to place design at the centre of all courses. This would provide the relevance to, and underpin of, the main engineering subjects, as well as allowing all students to gain confidence in designing through undertaking a range of industrially related projects.