Master Degrees in Engineering

The Master of Engineering (Magister in Ingeniaria), MASc, MEng, MIng, degree is awarded to students who have done graduate work at the master's level in the field of engineering.

In the United Kingdom, the MEng is an undergraduate award, available after pursuing a four or five year course of study. These are taught courses, with only a small research element in the final year, and are not available as postgraduate qualifications in most cases. Most British universities offer both the traditional three year or four courses in engineering, leading to a BSc or BEng, and MEng respectively. Some universities, such as Oxford and Cambridge, offer only the four year MEng, although even these make provision for leaving at the end of the 3rd year. For those who leave after 3 years or fail the fourth year, a BA is awarded.

In terms of course structure, MEng degrees usually follow the pattern familiar from bachelor's degrees with lectures, laboratory work, coursework and exams each year. There is usually a substantial project to be completed in the fourth-year which may well have a research element to it, and a more teaching-based project to be completed in the third year. At the end of the third year, there is usually a threshold of academic performance in examinations to be reached to allow progression into the final year. At some universities, the structure of the final year is rather different to that of the first three - for example at York the Computer Systems and Software M.Eng final year consists entirely of project work and intensive advanced seminar courses rather than traditional lectures and problem classes. Final results are, in most cases, awared on the standard British undergraduate degree classification scale, although some universities award something structurally similar to 'Distinction', 'Merit', 'Pass' or 'Fail' as this is often the way that taught postgraduate master's degrees are classified.

In the United States, the Master of Engineering degree is generally a Professional degree offered as a coursework-based alternative to the traditional research-based Master of Science (M.S.). It is typically a two-year program, and many universities allow students to choose between the Master of Engineering and the Master of Science. The distinction between the two programs varies between schools, but the MS or M.Sc. is largely considered an academic degree, whereas the MEng is a professional degree

In Canada, the Master of Engineering degree is a graduate degree of typically two years length that involves coursework and a thesis or research paper of significant depth. Some Canadian universities offer a Master of Engineering or Master of Applied Science in engineering or both. Master of Engineering degrees usually require more coursework and less research, whereas Master of Applied Science degrees require less coursework and more research. However, this is not absolute since some universities only offer a Master of Engineering and some only offer a Master of Applied Science.

In Nigeria, candidates are awarded MSc, or MEng degrees after one or two years. The Master of Science (M.Sc) is awarded to master's degree students with a research focus (having completed work leading to a thesis), while an MEng is awarded to master's degree students with a coursework focus and the completion of a research work.

In Germany, the country of origin of the European engineer's degrees, the local engineer's degree (Diplomingenieur, a first degree after 5 years of study) will be abolished by 2010, and will be replaced by postgraduate master's degrees (MSc and MEng). The first Master of Engineering courses were introduced in Germany in 2000. This type of master's degree is in most cases offered by German Fachhochschulen (Polytechnics). Unlike the Master of Engineering degree in the United States, the German Master of Engineering, like the Canadian Master of Engineering degree is not regarded as a terminal degree. It is typically a two-year program with applied oriented coursework and an applied research thesis.

Gideon M. Adogbo
Chemical Engineering Department
Ahmadu Bello University
Zaria, Nigeria