Hi All,

I would like to hear the experiences of those who are doing or have completed the EngD.

Do you feel it was a good decision to take this route?

Are your daily activities satisfying?

What are the career prospects and financial rewards as compared with a direct route into industry?

Thanks in advance.

Haven't done one, but worked with people who had.

Isn't EngD like a PhD, but 4years, with some extra courses.? It's still a research project, thesis etc.

Some people I know who had them were academics, some in Industry. I don't think their prospects and perspectives on their careers would be much different from people with PhDs.

From the industrial perspective, EngD/PhDs had the Academic/Research background and ethos. This does not neccesarily align with constrained budgets and so on, so there could be a little friction, but that's normal I guess.

Alternatively, you could spend the time in Industry, and whether one or other is best depends on the field and personal aspirations, and the type of professional you want to be seen as.

I don't think the EngD/PhDs made any more money, or climbed the ladder any faster, but they did have those little letters, which is nice. (though not everyone likes it if they insist on being addressed Dr ;) )

======= Date Modified 27 Sep 2010 10:35:58 =======
I am currently working on the EngD, i've just finished the first year. So far it has been a great experience. I work in research and development. The projects I work on are completely run by myself and are only supervised. I have previous industrial experience but the level and responsibility I have now is much greater. I whole heartedly recommend it to anyone who wants a highly rewarding career and a good step up when you graduate. You will have a doctorate and 4 years work experience. The EngD also allows you to study half an MBA which will really help when running projects and driving company goals.

As for financial rewards and prospects. The stipend is what you will get for fours years with a small increase. A little annoying as no bonuses or significant pay rises occur at the moment. However the pay is good anyway and I have no issues and am actually saving for a mortgage in the near future. I have done a lot of research into the graduating pay and prospects and have found an average salary of £40-41k and a senior position such as project leader or senior technical lead. I have also read some research council literature which has found salary increases greatly over time from when you graduate.

You will charter after the 4 years because of the technical, innovation and leadership qualities/experience you have gained. Despite what most engineering bodies claim it is very difficult for someone without an EngD to attain CEng in 4 years. The scoring system does not allow any zeros in the large range of categories and where as some will fall at innovation most will fall at leadership because they have never completely managed a significant project and budget.

Thank you very much for your useful reply.

I am glad to hear that you’ve found the choice to do an EngD the right one. I have a few questions out of curiosity if you don’t mind and would like to tap into your knowledge seeing you seem to have researched your decision to do the EngD well:

- You say you have industrial experience, how many years, in what area and why did you decide to leave your previous career behind? And how old are you if you don't mind?

- How much of your ‘free-time’ do you spend working on your projects? In other words, what’s the work-life balance like?

- EngD’s are advertised as up to 75% spent in the sponsor company. Did you find this to be the case?

- Upon completing the EngD does the engineer become too specialized or do they have wider options due to the business awareness skills?

- I suppose one of the most difficult concessions you’d have to make is to take a large drop in your salary for 4 years while you could be earning more. If you have industrial experience (I have 3 years since grad), is it possible to negotiate your overall stipend – which if I’m correct can be topped up by the sponsor company?

- My concern is that most R&D careers don’t reward financially very well at all despite all the hard work, extra qualifications etc. You said ‘salary increases greatly over time’ – does the EngD distinguish you in that regard? And do you know what the typical salary range or upper-limit for EngD engineers is?

Thanks in advance!

======= Date Modified 05 Oct 2010 15:21:42 =======
I have 1.5 years experience of working in an engineering firm working on projects which would be used for science. I never really left the career behind it was part of my degree. I graduated just over a year ago and the EngD opportunity came up and it was in an area I was very interested in. I was already aware of the EngD few years ago and following some research I decided to do it. I don't regret it at all.

I am 24 and will finish the EngD when I'm 27.

I normally spend only work hours on the EngD, i.e. 37.5 hours a week. The last couple of weeks I have spent a bit of time in the evening working and a Sunday. This was all due to a report deadline and I was asked to do a presentation at a conference at the last minute which made things a little tight.

You also get the normal 25 days holiday.

The time spent at university is on technical and MBA modules. You also spend time using their facilities to aid your research. You can easily spend less than 25% of your time at university if the company has everything you need.

The EngD will specialise you technically to some extent, but not like a PhD. The EngD is problem solving through innovation, practical design and project management. A requirement in any engineering career. The doctorate level comes from understanding and proving why and how you have solved a problem/number of problems and this will set you apart from the competition. This is invaluable for any company and any business area. You learn a lot about management of projects and so business skills are wide. The EngD does not mean you will be doing R&D. Even the guys with PhDs where I work are engineers so an EngD is definitely not going to limit opportunities. Your experience and qualification will put you in senior techincal design role or a team leader role.

Graduating last year I expect I would have picked up a job for about 24k and with the recession pay rises would be small. I think in 4 years time I would have broken through 30k and maybe got to 35k. I am not taxed on my stipend so to compare my stipend with this I have back calculated it to a pre tax amount. It is 27k. Not bad, but as I said no real pay rise or bonuses. However the average EngD graduate pay is 40-41k which I have found by looking at a number of surveys from various bodies and then extrapolated them by looking at the amount they increased by from following surveys and inflation. They track inflation quite well. There is no upper limit of salary. It is as high as you want to go with regards to position and salary. I think the only limitation is yourself. The qualification is very desirable with almost all large and some medium engineering firms fund it.

I have high aspirations and think this qualification will help me achieve them. Everyone has their own goals and targets, but mine are to achieve 100k salary before I'm 40 and to be a team leader of a business area. If you look into the background of most high paying positions in engineering firms you will find that a lot of them have doctorates and MBA or similar qualifications. The EngD brings both together, gives you 4 years experience and chartership.

Doing an EngD is obviously fine, if you love the topic. But I think an EngD, at least from an Industrial perspective, will not necc earn you more money at a given point in your career than without it, nor would you necc Charter quicker (what is all the fuss about getting Chartered quickly??).
In businesses, salary review committees award pay on the basis of staff who deliver for the business, and simply their personal qualifications acquired are, at best, only a part of that 'delivery'. Most of those doing the awarding will not have PhDs,EngDs etc, some may not have degrees at all, and an expectation of salary on the basis of an EngD may have the opposite effect to that desired. I am Chartered, and getting Chartered (for what it is worth?) is a matter of having the requisite degree, and building a portfolio of experience, and then justifying it at interview. From what I've seen, whether you get that with EngD work, or just the right mix of Industrial (i.e. project/applications) experience, doesn't matter much. Certainly, getting Chartered is easier with that experience than not.

======= Date Modified 01 Dec 2010 15:52:18 =======
The EngD has the same rigour as a PhD. However there are some clear differences. The EngD is based in industry and you will be working on projects in the work place. The doctorate level comes from thorough research and development which solves difficult problems and provides solutions/products which will benefit the company you work at. You will gain 4 years industrial experience of not only technical research but also management of the project, budget and people. The EngD satisfies the requirements to apply for CEng status as soon as you complete it. The courses you do are technical and MBA courses. As for salary all EngDs I know that have just graduated are on 40-50k now. It does get you up the ladder into a better paid jobs. Experience counts for a lot later but when you have climbed the ladder earlier (i.e. project manager at age 25-27 and technical lead engineer 28-30 which the EngDs I know are now,) then you set yourself up for a good position and salary later on. It gives you around 10 years avantage in job position and salary. It also helps remove the glass ceiling because you have a lot of excellent experience and a doctorate. Although it is not a replacement for good quality hard work in your career you will not pass the EngD with out this ability. The EngD is aimed at the highest calibre of engineers. Picking the subject you are interested in is critical. However the skills and experience you develop is broad.

Durgod I think you've missed the point a little with the qualifications concept. 20+ years ago it was normal for people to get into engineering through apprenticeships and now that person will be in a higher position than any graduate coming in. However while there is still a key place for apprenticeships (and I am a fan of them) they are not an ideal route for those which wish to charter quickly and to attain a high career position. This is why there is a major support for BEng and MEng degrees. Even more so for MEng as it offers a clear route to chartership when coupled with industrial experience. The EngD takes this to a new level. It not only means you are much more employable than the MEng competition it commands a higher salary. The point of all the degrees is to introduce a standard qualification which is rigorous (meeting engineering council requirements) and puts the investment of these individuals in the hands of the university with support from industry. Going on from the BEng or MEng into an EngD gives you responsibility that most graduates will not achieve for a number of years after graduation. The first degree gives you some competence and any industrial experience you already have supports your application for the EngD but the competition is great for the limited spaces and only the best will get in. These people are expected to be amongst the highest level in industry later in their careers.