The employment expectations of Masters Engineering students

Since the mid-1990s, master's level study has experienced massification in terms of participation in the UK. Although the Higher Education Academy undertakes valuable surveys examining the master's and research postgraduate student experience, they occur near the end of a student's study journey. Up until 2014, there had been limited research undertaken on the expectations of applicants and students entering this level of study. This led to independent bodies such as the Higher Education Commission commenting that “Postgraduate education is a forgotten part of the sector” [1]. The Postgraduate Experience Project funded by Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) for the first time explored the expectations of applicants and students in, through and out of study and those of employers recruiting master's graduates. This paper will report the key employability findings from this groundbreaking research of PGT applicants and students enrolled in engineering and engineering related disciplines, as well as employers. It will demonstrate how through understanding the perspectives of all stakeholders, employability expectations and future career prospects can be effectively managed and balanced.