UK civil engineering education in the twenty-first century

The paper reviews many of the recent changes in the general and specific education of civil engineering graduates including: grade inflation at GCSE, AS and A level; the pressure on engineering education due to university expansion in non-traditional subject areas; the negative effect of research assessment exercises leading to skewed academic appointments; common teaching for three years for MEng and BEng (Hons) degrees; the proliferation of MSc degrees; the potential threat arising from the Bologna declaration; together with some views from industry. The paper concludes with a proposal to maintain the ‘gold standard’ MEng degree by developing closer relationships between industry and academia via the initial professional development of graduates.