Engineering 2

There is a wide range of programmes available to engineering graduates in Ireland, encompassing several different branches within the field. To name just a few of the options, there are postgraduate courses in mechanical engineering, electronic engineering, pharmaceutical engineering and chemical engineering on offer throughout the country.

For instance, DIT (Dublin Institute of Technology) offers an ME (Master of Engineering) course in Mechanical Engineering. This recently introduced programme can be pursued in a full-time capacity for one year, or in a part-time capacity over two years.

David Kennedy, head of the Mechanical Engineering Department at DIT, explains the college’s motivation for founding the course, saying: ‘We saw the opportunity for people to move up the value chain, the knowledge economy, and advance their career opportunities.’

DIT has taken great care to ensure the course, and the one-year project students complete as part of it, reflect the type of work participants will be performing when in full-time engineering employment.

Kennedy explains: ‘From a career point of view, we’ve kept the Master degree reasonably technical, so it will specialise (participants) in particular areas. We’ve broken the project into three unique projects, and we relate the three areas to modules the students are studying. We feel the industry wants a sharper response to a problem, and we feel that by having three mini-projects students will have to deliver that little bit quicker – and respond quicker to the request.’

He also says that a lot of engineering undergraduates from DIT have been leaving Ireland to find work, but that this postgraduate course offers them a good opportunity to hone their skills should they choose to stay at home.

So, has the Irish engineering sector been badly hit by the current economic situation, or are there still plenty of opportunities available to those qualified in the field? According to John Power, Director General of national professional body Engineers Ireland, the situation could be better – but there is still cause to remain optimistic.

He explains: ‘It’s fair to say that, in the current climate, it’s going to be difficult for everybody to get work in Ireland. At the moment engineering firms are experiencing a difficult time – no more so than anybody else.’

However, he adds: ‘I think the important thing to bear in mind, from the perspective of engineers, is that the nature of our training allows us to be considerably more flexible and more adaptable – but also more employable – in areas that aren’t necessarily directly related to our discipline. Essentially, engineers are problem-solvers and, in the present climate, a lot of problems need to be solved.’

But what advantage does the possession of a postgraduate qualification give engineers in their hunt for employment?

Power explains: ‘(A postgraduate qualification) adds another arrow to their quiver, and makes them even more employable than they would have been. The more qualified one is, the more employable one is.’

And luckily for Irish engineers, there are a whole host of postgraduate avenues they can venture down. For instance, DIT offers several other engineering postgraduate options; an ME course in Signal Processing Engineering, an MSc (Master of Science) in Engineering Computation and an MSc in Electronic and Communications Engineering are all available at the college.

Elsewhere, UCC (University College Cork) offers an MEngSc (Master of Engineering Science) in Pharmaceutical Engineering, which is primarily geared toward boosting the professional development of engineers already working within the pharmaceutical industry. It also aims to improve participants’ knowledge of subjects they may not have been offered in their chemical and process engineering undergraduate courses.

Course director Edmond Byrne explains: ‘Many of the (programme’s) courses and modules would not normally be taken at an undergraduate level. Some people may come from broader types of undergraduate degrees, so if they’re working in – or want to branch into – the pharmaceutical industry, it can be useful in that case. It would certainly be adding to somebody’s skill set.’

He adds: ‘Most of the (participants) would generally be engineers already working in the pharmaceutical industry – they’re looking to do the course for professional development.’

But this course is not the only engineering postgraduate option on offer at UCC. For instance, an MEngSc in Sustainable Energy is available at the college on both a full-time (one-year) and part-time (two-year) basis. Candidates looking to apply must have obtained a second-class honours, grade two – or higher – in their BE (Bachelor of Engineering) degree. Engineers with equivalent academic qualifications and suitable experience may also be accepted.

The University of Limerick (UL) also offers a number of postgraduate engineering programmes. For instance, there is a Biomedical Engineering MSc available at the college that can be pursued in either a full-time or part-time capacity. This course focuses on the industrial sector.

Among the numerous other postgraduate options available at UL is the Graduate Diploma/MEng (Master of Engineering) in Computer Engineering. This course deals with software and hardware developments of computer, electronic and communication systems. It is a two-year, full time course which is available to students with a primary degree in a relevant engineering, scientific or technological field.

Indeed, a number of the engineering-related postgraduate courses offered in Irish institutions can be accessible to people who do not possess engineering qualifications – provided they have a degree and experience in an allied field. For instance, when discussing admittance to the UCC Pharmaceutical Engineering postgraduate, Edmond Byrne says: ‘Candidates would need an engineering degree or an allied degree – for example, in chemistry – with some engineering-type experience working in the pharmaceutical industry. We do look at it on a case-by-case basis, and we look at their background and experience as well as their qualifications.’

So, not only do engineering postgraduate courses open up extra job possibilities for those within the sector, they can also provide non-engineers with a gateway into the industry.