The Programme
About the Package
Our students have their fees paid for the duration of the programme and also receive an annual stipend of £16,062 in year 1, rising to £17,229 (PhD) and £23,236 (EngD) in years 2-4. In addition to this, they have access to a conference budget of up to £4,000 for the duration of the course.
What is an EngD?
An Engineering Doctorate (EngD) is an alternative to the traditional PhD for students who want a career in industry. Our four-year programme combines PhD-level research projects with masters-level technical and MBA courses. Our students spend 75% of their time working directly with a company and 25% on courses.
Each research project is proposed by one of our 35 industrial partners and is normally located at the company’s site. Students are co-supervised by an industrial and academic supervisor and submit a thesis which is examined in a similar way to a PhD.
We are part of the AEngD (Association of Engineering Doctorates), a community of EngD providers, researchers, sponsors, EngD alumni and other stakeholders in the EngD ‘brand’, ensuring the qualification is widely recognised in industry and academia.
What does the Programme involve?
The programme duration is four years. All students study 180 credits of postgraduate technical and business courses (SCQF Level 11 NQF/QCF Level 7). Normal entry is in September, with core technical courses delivered in two 60-credit residential blocks, the first from September to December at the University of St Andrews and the second from January to May at the University of Strathclyde and Heriot-Watt. Each block comprises a set of mandatory courses, but elective modules are available from our partner universities.
Selected courses are available in distance-learning format, allowing company employees to pursue an EngD without spending a large amount of time away from the company.
Students progress to their research project in June, with EngD projects located at the company’s site and PhD projects based at one of our six university partners.
The remaining taught courses are business-oriented and are delivered by the Edinburgh Business School at Heriot-Watt University in intensive blocks. These courses run in years two and three.
Forming a strong cohort is an important part of the programme and our students meet regularly for professional and computational skills workshops throughout the duration of the programme.
Typical Course Route
Year 1
Semester 1 (September - December)
Mandatory courses
| Photonics Lab (PH5181) | 15 credits | University of St Andrews |
| Optical Imaging Concepts (PH5192) | 15 credits | University of St Andrews |
| Concepts in Signal and Image Analysis | 15 credits | University of Strathclyde (delivered at St Andrews) |
Semester 2 (January - May)
Mandatory courses
| Systems Engineering Lab and Group Project | 20 credits | University of Strathclyde |
| Photonic Sensors from Devices to Systems | 15 credits | Heriot-Watt University |
Plus 40 credits of elective courses from a wide choice at each partner university.
University of St Andrews | |||||||
15 credits | |||||||
15 credits | |||||||
15 credits | |||||||
University of Glasgow | |||||||
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Computer vision Methods and Applications (COMPSCI4066) |
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Machine Learning (COMPSCI5014) |
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Research Methods in Sensing and Measurement (PHYS5043) |
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Elective Courses
University of Edinburgh | |
Innovation-driven Entrepreneurship-Data Science, Technology and Innovation (CMSE11515) | 10 credits |
10 credits | |
10 credits | |
10 credits | |
10 credits | |
10 credits | |
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Heriot-Watt University | |
Biophysics (B21FI) | 7.5 credits |
Optical Design (B21OZ) | 5 credits |
Fibre Optics (B21FO) | 7.5 credits |
University of Glasgow | |
Advanced Devices (ENG5261) | |
Imaging and Detectors (PHYS5035) | |
Applied Optics (PHYS5002) | |
Advanced Imaging and Therapy (ENG5285) | |
Years 2 & 3
Edinburgh Business School at Heriot-Watt University
Mandatory courses
| Financial Decision Making | 20 credits | Heriot-Watt University |
| Delivering Successful Projects | 20 credits | Heriot-Watt University |
| Strategic Marketing | 20 credits | Heriot-Watt University |
