4+1>3+2?

Abstract

The focus of engineering education has dramatically changed in Europe as a direct result of the Bologna process. While the intention of this was to create a more uniform educational system, another outcome has been that professional engineers are now expected to graduate with a Masters Degree rather than a Bachelors Degree. The University of Melbourne has been the first Australian university to proactively approach this issue by introducing the Melbourne Model, which comprises of a three (not four!) year Bachelors Degree (not a BEng!) followed by a two year Masters Degree (3+2). In an environment conditioned to focus on the quality of undergraduate programs, one initial reaction might be that the degree has been watered down. However, this is far from the case because the emphasis is clearly on the students completing five years of study in total. Melbourne University has in fact raised the bar. Never-the-less, their decision to proceed along this pathway has been perceived as risky and expensive, with few Australian universities following as a result. However, there is a real need to refocus on Masters Programs if our graduating students are to be formally recognised globally as world leaders in their professional capacity. The Faculty of Engineering Computing and Mathematical Sciences (ECMS) at the University of Adelaide will therefore introduce an alternative pathway to Masters in 2010, requiring only one additional year of study upon the successful completion of a four-year Bachelor of Engineering degree. This paper is very much a show and tell work in progress, with only very early indicators of the program’s potential success. While it is believed that there are a number of advantages to the Adelaide Four plus One Model, these are not presented as a better option, but simply as an option. Four plus one programs may be perceived as a long-term solution, or even a transitional solution towards a three plus two. Regardless of the preferred pathway, Australian Universities must now prepare for the obviously imminent refocusing of our educational system towards Masters Programs.