There is an increasing realisation that the MBA approach to career development is not the most relevant form of education & training for engineers. During the mid 1990's, the UK's Engineering and Physical Science Research Council (EPSRC) funded over 20 Masters programmes that had at their heart: · Promotion of subject-specific advanced engineering topics · A parallel approach to teach management practice to an engineering audience · The creation of a management role for industrial representatives in academic programmes These Integrated Graduate Development Schemes (IGDS) cover a wide range of industries aerospace, chemical, material science and manufacturing engineering being some of the many represented in the programme. They all endeavour to meet the need for employment-based part-time learning within the context of continuing professional development, providing core and advanced engineering knowledge & skills and encouraging a multi-disciplinary approach to the learning process. IGDS courses provide a technology-based version of an MBA and features a strong multi-disciplinary theme that integrates advanced technologies, management and business (with a strong emphasis on the process of innovation) and IT strategy. The paper will look at some of the reasons for the development of these programmes, drawing in particular on the model from the University of Strathclyde's department of Chemical & Process Engineering and parallel programmes in the IGDS Process Industries Sector group. The University has pioneered several postgraduate distance-learning courses for industry-based students that are unique in the UK and are attracting interest on a world-wide basis. The design and development of the course was undertaken with a wide range of partners including industry, Professional Institutions and other Universities. The course delivery involves new methods of teaching, learning and communications that range from text-based to internet-based. There is a strong emphasis on employment-based project work. The paper will also cover: · The key features of course and curriculum development and the role of partnerships · The most effective methods of teaching, learning and communication · The most effective use of work-based projects · The methods of achieving team-work with widely dispersed students · Case Studies illustrating the diversity of students' background, learning experiences and outcomes from the courses · Conclusions and wider implications for engineering education · Make comparisons with similar programmes which provide Masters level CPD
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