Pathways to Success in Engineering Degrees and Careers A project - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Pathways to Success in Engineering Degrees and Careers A project for the Royal Academy of Engineering Tim Bullough School of Engineering, University of Liverpool and Diane Taktak EMERG, School of Engineering, University of Liverpool Engineering Professors’ Council Congress 2015, 14 April 2015

Pathways to Success in Engineering Degrees and Careers First time in 2013, graduates could be tracked from entry (via UCAS data supplied to HESA) right through to graduation and first destinations (employment, further study etc) six months after graduation. As well as providing detailed data on UK-domiciled engineering students’ journeys through the UK University system and into engineering employment …… Does the “academic” success of engineering students (e.g. progression, and good degree outcome) depend on: entry qualifications, gender, University sector, degree discipline … ..? Does the “first destination” success of engineering graduates (e.g. employment in a professional engineering job; or progression into postgraduate study) depend on: degree award, gender, University sector …… ?

Pathways to Success in Engineering Degrees and Careers Our cohort included 98.7% of the 10,561 UK-domiciled students graduating in 2012 from full-time 3, 4, or 5 year bachelor’s or integrated-masters engineering degree programmes with >60% engineering content. [Note: in 2012 also about 800 graduates from degree programmes containing 25-50% engineering, plus about 5,000 non-UK domiciled engineering graduates, and about 1600 part-time UK-domiciled engineering graduates.] The engineering graduates came from 90 different UK Universities (62% from 45 pre-92 Universities; 38% from 45 post-92 Universities). Engineering disciplines of the graduates: Mechanical 26.2% Aerospace 8.2% Civil 22.1% Chemical/Process/Energy 7.8% Electrical 20.8% Production/Manufacturing 4.2% General 9.8% Other 0.9%

“Degree awards” of UK Engineering graduates Integrated- master’s graduates Bachelor’s graduates

“First destinations” of UK Engineering graduates (6-months after graduation - DLHE survey) unemployed working full-time. in full-time study.

Pathways to Success in Engineering Degrees and Careers • Entry Qualifications • Progression: how important is Maths and Physics • Degree success at graduation • 1st destination success

UK Engineering students’ entry qualifications [The percentage of engineering students holding each entry qualification (any grade) as recorded by HESA] Pre 92 Universities Post 92 Universities Whole Cohort (%) (%) (%) A-level maths 70.0% 22.1% 51.6% A-level physics 59.8% 18.8% 44.1% A-level chemistry 26.6% 5.5% 18.5% A-level General Studies 14.0% 7.3% 11.4% A-level further maths 13.0% 0.7% 8.3% A-level biology 10.6% 4.3% 8.2% Scottish Higher Maths 11.3% 2.6% 7.9% A-level D&T 7.8% 7.3% 7.6% Scottish Higher Physics 10.6% 2.3% 7.4% A-level Geography 6.6% 4.8% 5.9% A-level Electronics 3.9% 2.3% 3.3% A-level Computing 3.2% 3.0% 3.1% Advanced Scottish Higher Maths 4.4% 0.3% 2.8% Advanced Scottish Higher Physics 4.2% 0.3% 2.7% AS level maths only (no BTEC, access course, OCR diploma) 1.2% 2.6% 1.7% BTEC HNC/HND Engineering # 0.6% 3.3% 1.6% OCR national diploma 0.0% 0.2% 0.1% Access Courses 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% Those that hold none of the qualifications requested* 13.3% 57.7% 30.3% Total number of students 6429 3992 10421 # BTEC highers (level 4) only - Accurate recording of BTEC entry qualifications in HESA datasets soon after such data was first recorded (in 2007/8) was highlighted to us by a number of universities as being an issue. Universities were unsure at that time exactly how to record BTEC qualifications (especially BTEC qualifications below HNC/HND level) in their returns to HESA.

Pre-92 University engineering students ‘ highest qualification on entry’ Any combinations of GCE 'A'/SQA 'Higher'/SQA 'Advanced Higher' & GNVQ/GSVQ or NVQ/SVQ at level 3 'A' level equivalent qualification not 3.4% elsewhere specified 1.4% 1.3% HNC or HND (including BTEC & SQA equivalents) 1.1% 1.1% ONC or OND (including BTEC & SQA 1.0% equivalents) 0.6% Baccalaureate 2.7% Qualifications not known 87.4% Other non-UK qualification, level not known Foundation course at HE level Other **

Post-92 University engineering students ‘ highest qualification on entry’ Any combinations of GCE 'A'/SQA 'Higher'/SQA 'Advanced Higher' & GNVQ/GSVQ or NVQ/SVQ at level 3 HNC or HND (including BTEC & SQA equivalents) 'A' level equivalent qualification not elsewhere specified 11.2% ONC or OND (including BTEC & SQA equivalents) 10.4% Not known 50.1% 7.3% Other non-UK qualification, level not known 5.3% Foundation Degree 3.4% First degree of UK institution 1.9% 1.5% 1.2% Foundation course at HE level 1.1% 0.5% 1.0% 0.8% Other non-advanced qualification 0.5% 0.8% 0.5% 0.8% 0.6% 0.7% 0.6% NVQ/SVQ level 3

Engineering students What % of UK-domiciled engineering graduates are female? Only 12.6% are female. (8-10% in Mechanical/Aerospace Eng ; 20-21% in Chemical Engineering) . Proportionally larger numbers of females study in the pre-92 sector (15%) than the post-92 sector (8.7%). Why?

National picture: Maths A level: Numbers awarded Maths A-level 100000 90000 80000 70000 60000 Boys 50000 40000 Girls 30000 20000 10000 0 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2007 2011 Awarded a % with Maths % of those who Awarded a % with Maths % of those who Maths A- A-level who achieved an A Maths A- A-level who achieved A or A* level in 2007 subsequently grade in Maths level in 2011 subsequently grade in Maths (nationally) study that went on to (nationally) study that went on to engineering study engineering study engineering engineering Male 36036 15% 15% 49828 17% 18.6% (60%) (60%) Female 24057 3.7% 3.9% 33167 3.9% 5.1% (40%) (40%) In 2014: 61% male: 39% female

Physics A level: National picture: Numbers awarded Physics A-level 40000 35000 30000 25000 Boys 20000 Girls 15000 10000 5000 0 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2007 2011 Awarded a % with Physics A- Awarded a % with Physics A- Physics A- level who Physics A- level who level in 2007 subsequently level in 2011 subsequently (nationally) study engineering (nationally) study engineering Male 21357 23% 26011 28% (78%) (79%) Female 6109 11% 6849 14% (22%) (21%) In 2014: 79% male:21% female

Engineering-related BTEC: BTEC highers (level 4 only) in Engineering (aggregated E31, E64, E43, M56, E67, M60, E41, E68, E62) 2007 2011 Awarded a % with BTEC Awarded a BTEC % with BTEC BTEC in in Engineering in Engineering in Engineering who who Engineering (aggregated) subsequently in 2007 subsequently (aggregated) in 2007 study (nationally) study engineering # (nationally) engineering Male 167 (96%) 83% 1544 (96%) 75% Female 7 (4%) 71% 72 (4%) 68% # Accurate recording of BTEC entry qualifications in HESA datasets soon after such data was first recorded (in 2007/8), was highlighted to us by a number of universities as being an issue. Universities were unsure at that time exactly how to record BTEC qualifications (especially BTEC qualifications below HNC/HND level) in their returns to HESA.

Progression: how important is Maths and Physics?

End of 1 st year Continuation rate by Maths and Physics entry qualification and grade (non-exclusive datasets) • Better maths, or maths and physics, at entry results in the highest continuation rates (>90%). • ‘No maths at all’ at entry results in the lowest continuation rates.

Degree success at graduation: degree awards

Graduation: degree awards What % of UK-domiciled engineering graduates leave with integrated- masters (MEng etc) compared with bachelor (BEng etc) degrees? • 32.5% of the full-time UK-domiciled engineering students graduate with an integrated master’s degree , • 65% of graduates leave with a bachelor degree, and • 2.5% leave with an ordinary degree. How many engineering graduates receive 1 st , 2.1, 2.2 etc classifications?

Integrated- master’s graduates: 38% receive a 1 st class degree Bachelor’s graduates: 46% receive a 2:1 23% receive a 1 st class degree 6.4% receive a 2:2 or lower, and 40% receive a 2:1 10% receive a degree without a 29% receiving a 2:2, and classification*. 8% a 3 rd class degree or lower.

N.B. The final degree classifications of female graduates from integrated master’s degrees are almost the same as for male graduates, but female graduates obtain proportionally more 1 st and 2:1 classification bachelor’s degrees .

Are there differences between Pre-92 and post-92 University sectors?