Code of Practice for Quality Assurance (Research Students): Annex C: Approval of New Research

University of Kent

Code of Practice for Quality Assurance for Research Programmes of Study: Approval of New Research Programmes

Professional Doctorate

1.1 Award and Title

Engineering Doctorate (EngD) in Engineering

1.2 Length and Mode of Registration

4 years, full time.

1.3 Entry Requirements

Admission to the programme will follow the guidelines set out in the Code of Practice for Quality Assurance for Research Programmes of Study - Annex C: Approval of Research Candidates and Projects. These require evidence of at least a 2:1 honours degree in a relevant discipline or equivalent, or an MSc in an area relevant to the area of study. Where the applicant’s first language is not English, evidence will be required of proficiency in written and spoken English that meets the University’s criteria for competence in English at the time of admission and published in its prospectus. Current requirement are in line with the IELTS (6.5), TOEFL, Cambridge Certificate in Proficiency in English at grade B, or Cambridge Advanced Certificate in English at grade A.

1.4 Anticipated Total Student Registrations

5

1.5 Programme Management

The management of the programme will be overseen by the School Director of Graduate Studies and the School Graduate Studies Committee. The management of the programme will also be reviewed at Faculty and Institutional Levels by the Faculty Graduate Studies Committee and the Graduate School Board as outlined in the University’s Codes of Practice for the Quality Assurance for Taught and Research Programmes of Study.

The Director of Graduate Studies with responsibility for this programme is the Director of Graduate Studies covering research programmes and throughout this document Director of Graduate Studies refers to this post holder within EDA.

The Director of Graduate Studies and the potential supervisor(s) will consider applications for admission to postgraduate research. The Director of Graduate Studies will ensure that there are suitable supervisors and that all criteria for applicants have been met. All supervision arrangements will be in line with the code of practice at The supervision team will consist of a panel chair, a supervisor and co-supervisor from the School of Engineering and Digital Arts together with an Industrial Supervisor who will be a member of the company providing and hosting the project component. This Industrial Supervisor will normally be an experienced engineering professional who can provide additional support to the student specifically on the industrial dimension of their studies. The Industrial Supervisor will not be employed by the University and will not be responsible for decisions on the academic progress of the student. A contract will be set up by the Research Office to cover the industrial collaboration as is currently done for EPSRC Case students, for example. The Director of Graduate Studies will be responsible for ensuring; the suitability and qualifications of applicants; that appropriate expertise for supervision (in line with the University’s requirements); and that the resources for the proper conduct of the proposed research will be available.

1.6 Proposed Start Date

1 October 2013

1.7 Opportunity and Need

Evidence of opportunity and need for the programme, including student/employer demand, and relationship to the School Plan, University Plan, the University Curriculum Policy and other University provision.

Analysis of those academic institutions in the upper quartile of the subject league tables for engineering demonstrates that almost all such institutions offer an EngD route. As the School of Engineering and Digital Arts and thus the University of Kent’s primary engineering provider and with support from the Head of the Centre for Molecular Processing and the Head of School of Biosciences, where academic staff in both these areas are also involved in existing EngD supervision on behalf of other Universities, we believe extension of the regulatory framework at Kent to include an EngD award route will ensure the engineering provision at the University of Kent is better benchmarked to the position of its competitors, which will enable both the University and its staff to gain academic recognition for the research supervision that is currently undertaken for existing EPSRC Industrial Doctorate Centres as well as expanding this involvement and will also enable us to recruit both home and international students directly into an EngD stream at Kent.

The EDA School plan states that it will ‘provide an environment which supports world-class research in the subject areas in which we teach’ and ‘nurture strong partnerships with academic and industrial organisations in the UK, Europe and worldwide’. This is strongly aligned to the University Plan which seeks to ‘produce innovative world-leading research forging new knowledge and creating change’ and make ‘a major economic, social, and cultural contribution: by providing excellent opportunities in Higher Education for the most able students regardless of social and educational disadvantage, by undertaking innovative world-leading research, and by leading innovation, enterprise and creative activities’. The EngD is a qualification offered by those higher education providers that are research leaders. It is also strongly aligned to industrial needs and partnerships. The societal demand is articulated in the original Parnaby Engineering Doctorate Report (1990) and supported by the current economic need to promote industrial growth. An EngD is a natural means to move University research closer to industry as well as to inform University research about problems of current industrial concern.

1.8 Aims and Objectives (including assessment criteria)

The Engineering Doctorate (EngD) concept was first established by EPSRC in 1992 following the recommendations of the Parnaby Engineering Doctorate Report (1990). An Engineering Doctorate aims to provide engineers with an intensive, broadly based research programme, incorporating a taught component, relevant to the needs of industry. This doctorate-level training should provide ambitious and able graduates (called “Research Engineers – REs”) with the ability to innovate and implement new ideas in practice, and enable them to reach senior positions in industry early in their careers.

The EngD research and training programme is undertaken as a partnership between industry and academia, with objectives to

• provide REs with experience of rigorous, leading edge research in a business context;

• develop competencies which equip REs for a range of roles in industry;

• provide a mechanism and framework for high quality collaboration between the academic school and a range of companies;

• contribute to the body of knowledge on a particular technical discipline, industrial sector or multidisciplinary theme.

In line with the Framework for Higher Education Qualifications (FHEQ) in England, Wales and Northern Ireland this Engineering Doctorate will be awarded to students who have demonstrated:

i) the creation and interpretation of new knowledge, through original research or other advanced scholarship, of a quality to satisfy peer review, extend the forefront of the discipline, and merit publication;

ii) a systematic acquisition and understanding of a substantial body of knowledge which is at the forefront of the academic discipline and professional practice of engineering;

iii) the general ability to conceptualise, design and implement a project for the generation of new knowledge, applications or understanding at the forefront of the discipline, and to adjust the project design in the light of unforeseen problems;

iv) a detailed understanding of applicable techniques for research and advanced academic enquiry.

Holders of the qualification will be able to:

a) make informed judgements on complex issues in engineering, often in the absence of complete data, and be able to communicate their ideas and conclusions clearly and effectively to specialist and non-specialist audiences;

b) continue to undertake pure and/or applied research and development at an advanced level, contributing substantially to the development of new techniques, ideas, or approaches; and will have:

c) the qualities and transferable skills necessary for employment requiring the exercise of personal responsibility and largely autonomous initiative in complex and unpredictable situations, in professional or equivalent environments.

The Engineering Doctorate should be at least equivalent to the intellectual challenge of a PhD, but enhanced by the provision of taught material in both management and technical areas. The training provided should be flexible and should evolve in line with the emerging needs of the individual and industry. In line with EPSRC recommendations, Research Engineers are expected to spend around 75% of their time working directly with the collaborating company on project work and 25% on taught courses.

The taught component will be taken at this University and requires the successful completion of up to 180 credits of modules, normally during the first year of the course; this period constitutes Stage 1 of the programme. The University's Regulations for Taught Master's Degrees, Postgraduate Diploma and Postgraduate Certificate courses shall apply with regard to satisfactory progression on Part 1 of the degree. The project report at Stage 1 covers literature surveys, design studies and preliminary experimental work related to the doctoral topic. The University’s regulations for PhD degrees shall apply with regard to satisfactory progression on Stage II of the degree. Fundamentally, Stage 1 is subject to the credit framework and Stage 2 is subject to the research regulations. Undertaken mainly in Years Two to Four (Stage 2), the engineering research topic chosen relates directly to the interests of your industrial sponsor and includes an analysis of the business and commercial implications of the topic. The thesis must demonstrate an original contribution to knowledge, and will also contain interdisciplinary material. By the end of the programme, Research Engineers will have a detailed understanding of the technical area involved in the project and a broad grasp of the management, economic and marketing considerations.

Students who don’t wish to continue onto Stage 2 of the EngD or fail to submit a thesis, will receive a fallback award of an MSc. Students who fail to meet the standard required for the award of the EngD, may, upon the completion of a satisfactory thesis, be awarded the MPhil or the MSc.

1.9a Details of the programme structure

(Please refer to the Regulatory Framework for Professional Doctorates)

i) Taught component:

Stage 1 consists of the taught components required to enhance the knowledge and understanding in areas required for the Stage II dissertation and consists of 180 credits as for a taught masters programme. The students are introduced to their Stage 1 dissertation project in a 30-credit “Research Methods and Project Design” module during the second term. Otherwise, each taught module consists of approximately 150 hours of student learning, endeavour and assessment and has a credit value of 15 credits. The Stage 1 dissertation project, has a credit value of 60 and, in the full-time mode of study takes place from the end of the examinations until the end of the academic year. The Stage 1 dissertation consists of a comprehensive research proposal for their project to be undertaken in Stage II. Ninety taught credits are taken across the three faculties where the subject topics are selected as optimally appropriate to provide the subject depth and breadth for the needs of the EngD research project. All credits are at level M.

In Stage I, students will be awarded a pass/fail grade for the required modules and dissertation and must pass all modules in order to proceed to Stage II. The trailing of credits is denied for this programme. The transition from Stage I to Stage II will also require approval of a Stage I Board of Examiners.

ii) Research component:

1.9bDetails of the assessment method

In Stage II students will conduct their own professionally focussed research project (or series of projects) and present this work in the form of a thesis. The final examination will be a viva voce following the same code of practice as for PhD candidates. The supervisory team will guide the candidate through this process as with a conventional PhD. The candidate will be required to produce work that is of doctorate level, i.e. that contributes new knowledge, understanding, or method, and is of a standard that could be published in a peer-reviewed or professional journal.

Normal expectations regarding length, content and style of submitted theses are dictated by University policy. Detailed guidelines on writing theses may be downloaded from the University web-site. In the Faculty of Sciences, the length of the thesis is normally between 160 and 225 pages but not more than 250 pages, including diagrams. For the degree of MPhil, the thesis is normally between 140 and 200pages.

1.9c Details of the Research Training that the student will be expected to complete

Stage I will ensure that students develop research-aware practice, can recognise their professional capabilities within the context of this award, and learn about research methods. Stage I is designed to support students in undertaking a review of their previous experience with a view to enhancing their existing professional and academic learning to enable them to successfully complete Stage II.

In line with practice for new PhD students, all EngD students are required to undertake a Researcher Development Assessment which they are introduced to at a Researcher Development Assessment Workshop (part of the Graduate School’s Researcher Development Programme).The completion of a Researcher Development Assessment is a requirement for successful completion of the probation review. For full details of the Graduate School’s Researcher Development Programme (including on-line training provision) (see:

1.9d Details of other courses students may benefit from e.g.: Health & Safety, IT, writing skills, English language, library skills etc;

Students will be given a Health and Safety induction by the School’s Health and Safety co-ordinator. Students can receive IT training provided to university staff via the Computing Service and the Unit for the Enhancement of Learning and Teaching. The Student Learning Advisory Service provides extra support with English language and writing skills. The School’s subject librarian can provide students with additional support and tuition with library skills.

1.9e Details of progression milestones that the student will need to reach and successfully pass (to include transfer from a lower qualification to a higher qualification e.g. MPhil to PhD).

The University’s regulations for PhD degrees shall apply with regard to progression milestones at Stage II. Students will be subject to the progression milestones outlined in Annex K (Progression and Examination) of the Research Code of Practice (see: In line with the formal PhD progression review stages, EngD progression review will commence from the beginning of Stage II of the programme. Monthly supervision meetings (as required by Annex H of the Research CoP) will also commence at the beginning of Stage II.

1.10 Chairs of Supervisory Teams

Members of the School nominated for approval to act as Chairs of supervisory teams (see Annex H). Schools should establish that there is a critical mass of research experience and supervisory expertise for this named programme.

Supervisory teams will be appointed by the director of graduate studies in accordance with Annex H of the Code of Practice for Quality Assurance for Research Programmes of Study. The School currently has sixteen staff approved to act as Chair of supervisory teams:

Batchelor, Dr John

Deravi, Dr Farzin

Fairhurst, Professor Michael

Gomes, Dr Nathan

Guest, Dr Richard

Howells, Dr Gareth

Kelly, Stephen

Lee, Peter

Lu, Dr Gang

Pepper, Dr Matthew

Spurgeon, Professor SK

Walczowski, Dr Les

Waller, Winston

Wang, Professor JZ

Yan, Professor Y

Young, Dr Paul

All current members of academic staff have experience of supervising research students.

1.11 Research Environment

Details of the community and environment in which the student will conduct his/her research and of the facilities and support that the School will make available for research students, to include: the numbers of research active academic staff and associated research staff; physical resources (equipment, facilities, dedicated rooms, study space for research students); information resources (ICT & Network Provision, library holdings, other collections, access arrangements); culture of the research community including internal and external seminars, visiting researchers, related taught postgraduate programmes and external links and funding.

The School of Engineering and Digital Arts is a broad-based research centre that has engaged in postgraduate research training since the 1960s. In research assessment exercises the department has consistently achieved a grading of four, denoting evidence of international/national recognition.

The School has four research groups

• Image and Information Engineering
• Instrumentation, Control and Embedded Systems
• Broadband and Wireless Communications
• Digital Media

which form the focus for research work in the department. Each member of research active staff is a member of at least one group, but many staff participate in the work of more than one group, and inter-group and interdisciplinary work is encouraged. Every research student will join the primary research group of their supervisor(s). Each research group organises its own seminars and meets on a regular basis. A School seminar series is also organised and postgraduate students are encouraged to attend relevant seminars from other Schools across the University.

The School is well equipped with a wide range of laboratory and computing facilities and diverse software packages for teaching and research support. Well qualified research and computing technicians help to run laboratory and measurement systems and provide computing support.

Research Engineers will have free access to university facilities such as printing, photocopying, a well provisioned Library and high bandwidth internet links.

The School aims to provide an environment which, in material terms, offers a high level of physical resource and direct support to students to enable them to work effectively and to gain experience and expertise in the core techniques and technologies which underpin the broad area within which their research is placed. Equally, from a less immediately tangible point of view, we aim to establish and nurture a culture of ready familiarity with a field, a sense of belonging to an identifiable and vibrant Group of researchers with common interests, a recognition of the value of productive interaction with other researchers and industry stakeholders and, above all, an enthusiasm for the research process which will facilitate the easy acquisition of fundamental knowledge and practical skills which are to be found in the best researchers. Therefore, we aim to develop an atmosphere of informality but serious commitment, of a lively but purposeful pursuit of research goals and recognition of the inter-dependence of researchers and the place of the individual within the wider research community. Staff and students work together primarily as colleagues in a joint enterprise where all have an important part to play.