Routes into engineering

Those considering a career in Engineering are recommended to take STEM subjects at school, particularly maths and maths based subjects

Educational routes for attainment of chartered status

Chartered Engineer is the highest qualification level in the UK for Professional Engineers. It sets the gold standard and is recognised globally.

Professional engineers, in contrast to people who have served an apprenticeship in an engineering trade, will have undertaken formal university or college training and have had their qualifications recognised by a professional institution for part qualification for chartered status. The accreditation of degree courses is controlled by the Engineering Council see: Accreditation of Higher Education programmes and Approval of Qualifications and Apprenticeship programmes

Note that not all university engineering degree courses are accredited by the institutions and you must choose one that is, otherwise you may not attain chartered status. Seek advice from the institutions before undertaking your degree.

Achieving Chartered Engineer status is a measure of professional competence awarded by the main engineering institutions e.g. Institution of Civil Engineers, Mechanical Engineers, Chemical Engineers etc., (in the same way it would be for example in different medical disciplines).

To become a chartered engineer one must satisfy three basic criteria: educational qualifications, practical experience/training and a professional assessment.
The quickest educational route is to get a Master of Engineering (MEng) degree. Other possibilities are the Bachelor of Engineering (BEng) degree route and the Higher National Certificate (HNC)/Higher National Diploma(HND) route and for some subjects, a City and Guilds Route - see diagram above.

At least 3 years of practical experience is needed. Most people have more than that when they attain chartered status.
The form of the professional assessment depends on the regulations of the institution involved.

The M. Eng Degree

The most direct route to attaining the required educational qualification is to take an accredited M.Eng degree at a UK university. This is normally a four year programme in England and 5 years in Scotland.

Entry directly to M.Eng degree courses requires a high level of performance in school examinations. The entry standard for MEng courses has been rising in recent years as a result of a growing shortage of professional engineers in the UK and the significant growth in salaries relative to other professions. The minimum entry standard varies between universities and departments but is often below that required for medicine, accountancy etc.

The Bachelor degree Route (e.g. BEng Hons, BSc Hons, BTech Hons)

Those who do not achieve entry to an MEng course but are able to graduate BEng can become eligible to apply for chartered engineer status on the basis of further educational attainment. This can include formal programmes of Continuing Professional Development and opportunities may exist to take an additional year at university to achieve an MEng. It is important to check when considering any job offer that your prospective employer’s CPD scheme satisfies the qualifying institution.

Note too that University entrance grades for BEng are likely to be slightly lower than for M.Eng courses so it is worth applying for both via UCAS to avoid disappointment if your achieved grades don't quite hit the mark.

Higher National Certificate/Diploma Route

Engineering employers also recruit high school leavers who have passes in maths and science in their subject groups to train them to Technician and Incorporated Engineers grades. These are the Engineering Council formal qualification grades below chartered status.

Such training will usually involve employer day release and /or night school sponsorship to local colleges towards acquiring HNC and/or HND qualifications.

It is possible to extend such studies to degree level in some cases starting in the second year of a degree course.

Some universities make special provision for this route. See, for example, the Engineering Academy at the University of Strathclyde where an enhanced HNC course can enable students to save time in achieving a bachelor’s or master’s degree by this route. Again it is permitted and also worth applying for the ‘enhanced’ route via UCAS to avoid disappointment if your achieved grades are not adequate for degree course entrance.

Modern Apprenticeship/City and Guilds Qualification Route

Students following the Modern Apprenticeship/City and Guilds qualification route can reach C&G Level 7 Post Graduate Diploma in Engineering for a range of subjects including Electrical and Mechanical Engineering which is set at the standard of the final year of a British M.Eng degree course.
The City and Guilds website advises that some professional engineering institutions may impose constraints on the time taken and the number of re-taken exams at Level 7 to achieve the Post Graduate Diploma.
IES has not addressed all of the Modern Apprenticeship/City and Guilds options in the above basic qualification route map and we recommend students contact the awarding body for precise guidance if intending to progress to HNC/HND equivalent, Incorporated Engineer or Chartered Engineer status. Further information on apprenticeships is here