Engineering Professors’ Council - University of Surrey 14/16 April 2003
The Bologna Declaration and Engineering Education - the Irish
Experience
Denis McGrathDenis McGrath
RegistrarRegistrar
Institution of Engineers of IrelandInstitution of Engineers of Ireland
Engineering Professors’ Council - University of Surrey 14/16 April 2003
Institution of Engineers of Ireland
Established 1835, Charter 1877
Charter Amendment Act 1969 - CEng
title protected by law
17,000 members plus 4,500 student
members
5000 Chartered Engineers
Engineering Professors’ Council - University of Surrey 14/16 April 2003
Institution of Engineers of Ireland
Established 1835, Charter 1877 (Cont’d)
Only engineering professional body in Ireland
Functions include accreditation, registration,
promotion of engineering, submission to
government etc
32 full-time staff including 4 Professional
Engineers
Engineering Professors’ Council - University of Surrey 14/16 April 2003
Engineering Education in Ireland
From Grace
Engineering Professors’ Council - University of Surrey 14/16 April 2003
Bologna Declaration - June 1999(35 Signatories)
Prague Ministerial Summit - September
2001
Berlin Ministerial Summit - September
2003
Provisions of Bologna Declaration to be
implemented by 2010
Engineering Professors’ Council - University of Surrey 14/16 April 2003
Bologna Declaration-Goals-
Establishment of a Europe of knowledge
Creation of a European area of higher
education to promote citizens’ mobility and
employability and to attract students from
outside Europe
Engineering Professors’ Council - University of Surrey 14/16 April 2003
Bologna Declaration-Goals- (Cont’d)
Achievement of greater compatibility and
comparability of the systems of higher
education
Development of educational co-operation
Engineering Professors’ Council - University of Surrey 14/16 April 2003
Existing Student Mobility Schemes
Ministers believed that the ERASMUS,
SOCRATES etc. schemes required
extensive management to yield
modest mobility results
Engineering Professors’ Council - University of Surrey 14/16 April 2003
Mobility Mechanisms within the Bologna Declaration
Diploma Supplement
Two cycle structure for degrees
ECTS Credits System
European co-operation in quality assurance
Elimination of obstacles to student and teacher mobility etc
Engineering Professors’ Council - University of Surrey 14/16 April 2003
The two-cycle degree structure was
considered by the engineering
community in Europe as meriting
serious study and comment.
Engineering Professors’ Council - University of Surrey 14/16 April 2003
European Engineering Community
SEFI - European Society for Engineering
Education
FEANI - Federation of European National
Engineering Associations
CESAER - Conference of European Schools for
Advance Engineering Education and Research
Engineering Professors’ Council - University of Surrey 14/16 April 2003
CLUSTER - Consortium linking Universities of
Science and Technology for Education and
Research
CLAIU - Liaison Committee of the Associations
of University Graduate Engineers of the
European Union
European Engineering Community (Cont’d)
Engineering Professors’ Council - University of Surrey 14/16 April 2003
Higher Education in Ireland
Ireland, like the UK, already has a two-
cycle higher education system in place i.e.
Bachelor degrees and Master degrees.
Engineering Professors’ Council - University of Surrey 14/16 April 2003
The IEI decided, however that the response
of the European Engineering Community to
the Bologna Declaration merited careful
consideration, particularly in the context of
the two cycle degree structure.
Engineering Professors’ Council - University of Surrey 14/16 April 2003
“The option of 5-year integrated programmes (exceptionally 4-year) spanning the 1st and 2nd cycles and leading straight to a Master’s Degree in Engineering without the mandatory award of an intermediate professional degree at the end of the 1st cycle, should be maintained in addition to the two-cycle degree structure envisaged in the Bologna Declaration”.
Response of the Engineering Community
Engineering Professors’ Council - University of Surrey 14/16 April 2003
All degrees listed in the FEANI Index to be
classified as :
First Cycle or Second Cycle
and
Applied or Theoretical
Response of FEANI
Engineering Professors’ Council - University of Surrey 14/16 April 2003
The Bachelor Degree is to be the mobility ‘hub’. Graduates should be able to enrol in their chosen Master Degree either at home or in another European university with reasonable transfer constraints.
The Structure should be attractive to students from the Far East who would choose Europe rather than the US as a study destination.
Student Mobility Through Bologna Declaration
Engineering Professors’ Council - University of Surrey 14/16 April 2003
Germany and Italy changed laws to provide for
3+2 Bachelor/Master degree structure
Anecdotal evidence suggested that similar
developments were taking place in other
countries, particularly in Central Europe
Response Of Other European Countries
Engineering Professors’ Council - University of Surrey 14/16 April 2003
“European higher education institutions
reaffirm their support to the principles of the
Bologna Declaration and their commitment
to the creation of the European Higher
Education Area by the end of the decade”.
Convention Of European Universities - Salamanca - March 2001
Message to Prague Ministerial Summit (Sept 2001)
Engineering Professors’ Council - University of Surrey 14/16 April 2003
Published as a discussion document and
submitted to the Irish government in July
2001
IEI Submission to Government
Engineering Professors’ Council - University of Surrey 14/16 April 2003
IEI Submission to Government
Analysed Bologna Declaration
Focussed on two-cycle degree structure
Described and evaluated options in
response to views of European engineering
community
Engineering Professors’ Council - University of Surrey 14/16 April 2003
IEI Submission to Government
-Options described-
Maintain the ‘status quo’ - Present structure
compatible with Bologna Declaration
5 year integrated Master and/or 3+2
Bachelor/Master
Engineering Professors’ Council - University of Surrey 14/16 April 2003
IEI Submission to Government
-Options described- (Cont’d)
Replace 3 year National Diploma with 3 year
Bachelor Degree, transfer then to 2 year Master
Degree
Maintain ‘status quo’ but in addition, offer a 3
year Bachelor degree
Engineering Professors’ Council - University of Surrey 14/16 April 2003
The Bologna Declaration and Engineering
Education in Ireland
IEI Seminar - November 2001
Speakers from CESAER, a German
university, Irish university and an Irish
Institute of Technology
Attended by 70 engineering academics
Engineering Professors’ Council - University of Surrey 14/16 April 2003
Policy Working Group established by our
Accreditation Board in February 2002, to
produce a focussed discussion document
which would:
Analyse all the options available
Recommend the option considered best for
Irish engineering education.
Engineering Professors’ Council - University of Surrey 14/16 April 2003
Feedback sought from HE institutions and
industry representative bodies by 28 March
2003
“Guidelines for the Implementation of the Bologna Declaration in Engineering
Education in Ireland”
Published November 2002
Engineering Professors’ Council - University of Surrey 14/16 April 2003
Not favoured in the majority of European countries
Imbalance in distribution of years within a five year framework
Might (would) be classified with three-year Bachelor Degrees, especially in the FEANI Index
OPTION 1
Four-year Bachelor Degree followed by one-year Master Degree (4+1)
Engineering Professors’ Council - University of Surrey 14/16 April 2003
Does not meet two-cycle degree requirement
Has virtually unanimous support in the
European engineering community
OPTION 2
Five year integrated Master degree (5)
Engineering Professors’ Council - University of Surrey 14/16 April 2003
Broadly compatible with European model (5 years) and the US model (4 years)
Does not meet two-cycle degree requirement
OPTION 3
Three-year Bachelor of Engineering Science followed by one year leading to Bachelor of Engineering followed by one year leading to a Master Degree (3+1+1)
Engineering Professors’ Council - University of Surrey 14/16 April 2003
4 year degree might be classified with three
year Bachelor degree, especially in the FEANI
Index
Not proposed as a Bologna response in any
other signatory country
OPTION 3 (Cont’d)
Engineering Professors’ Council - University of Surrey 14/16 April 2003
Accurately reflects provisions of the Bologna
Declaration and the recommendations of the
European engineering community
Being widely implemented in Engineering schools throughout Europe, in some cases, by legislation
OPTION 4
Three-year Bachelor degree followed by two-year Master degree (3+2)
Engineering Professors’ Council - University of Surrey 14/16 April 2003
Two types of the three-year Bachelor degree
- Scientific
- Applied
Both meet educational standard for Associate Engineer (IEng in UK)
One Master degree type meets educational standard for Chartered Engineer (CEng)
Structure Recommended by IEI
‘3+2’
Engineering Professors’ Council - University of Surrey 14/16 April 2003
Engineering and Sciences foundation needed
for the two-year Master degree (as first three
years of existing four year Bachelor of
Engineering.)
Enables graduates to move to Master degrees
in Ireland and in other European countries.
Bachelor Degree - Scientific
Engineering Professors’ Council - University of Surrey 14/16 April 2003
May prepare graduates for employment
provided above two criteria are in no way
compromised.
Entry Standard as for existing four year
Bachelor of Engineering degrees (Higher
level Mathematics a requirement).
Bachelor Degree - Scientific (Cont’d)
Engineering Professors’ Council - University of Surrey 14/16 April 2003
Prepares graduates for employment as
engineering technologists.
Curriculum focus on engineering
technology with supporting
Mathematics/Sciences
Bachelor Degree - Applied
Engineering Professors’ Council - University of Surrey 14/16 April 2003
Entry standard as for any Bachelor degree
(moderate level Mathematics required)
Transfer to Master degree dependent on
satisfactory completion of bridging studies
and high level of performance in Bachelor
degree examination.
Bachelor Degree - Applied (Cont’d)
Engineering Professors’ Council - University of Surrey 14/16 April 2003
Bachelor Degree (Scientific)
or
Bachelor Degree (Applied) together with
- a high level of performance in the Bachelor Degree examination
- satisfactory completion of a programme of bridging studies in Mathematics/Sciences
(probably one semester)
‘Two-year’ Master Degree
Entry Standard
Engineering Professors’ Council - University of Surrey 14/16 April 2003
The IEI ‘3+2’ Bachelor/Master degree structure was supported by
All 8 University faculties of engineering.
5 of the 7 Schools of Engineering in
Institutes of Technology which responded
Responses Received
Engineering Professors’ Council - University of Surrey 14/16 April 2003
4 year Bachelor of Engineering degree would go
- valid for admission to postgraduate study in US universities at present.
MEngSc by research under threat
“Why Change? Our main graduate market is the US not Europe!”
Funding
Concerns of Universities
Engineering Professors’ Council - University of Surrey 14/16 April 2003
Bridging Studies from Bachelor Degree (Applied) should be carried out over 1 month in Summer
An applied Master Degree?
Concerns of Institutes of Technology
Engineering Professors’ Council - University of Surrey 14/16 April 2003
Very wide consensus in the engineering academic community about the new ‘3+2’ structure for engineering education in Ireland
Next phase, win the case for funding from government so that the new structure will be fully operating by 2010?
Future Strategy
Engineering Professors’ Council - University of Surrey 14/16 April 2003
The Bologna Declaration and Engineering Education - the Irish
Experience
Denis McGrathDenis McGrath
RegistrarRegistrar
Institution of Engineers of IrelandInstitution of Engineers of Ireland