The Diploma in Engineering has been designed
to meet the entry standards for studying engineering at degree
level, and it will give many young people their first chance to
find out about engineering before choosing a course at
university.
There
are three different levels of Diploma:
- Foundation (equivalent to 5 GCSEs at grades D to G)
- Higher (equivalent to 7 GCSEs at grades A* to C)
- Advanced (equivalent to 3.5 A Levels, worth 420 UCAS
points)
There is also a Progression level Diploma,
which is like the Advanced Diploma, but without various options,
and is equivalent to 2 A Levels. It is worth 300 UCAS
points.
There is also an Extended Diploma, which has
more generic and additional and specialist learning. It will be
available from 2011.
The Advanced, Progression and Extended levels
have been created with input from a range of higher education
lecturers and other education professionals.
Successful Diploma students will have learnt
about engineering in the modern world, technology, new materials,
and taken courses on many diverse engineering topics, as well as
completed an engineering project and work experience. They will
therefore be more informed and suitable applicants for taking a
degree in engineering at university.
An important element of the Advanced and
Extended Diplomas is the Maths for Engineering unit. Click
here to find out more.
The Maths for Engineering unit has been
shaped, reviewed and assessed by a specialist team from the Higher
Education Academy’s Engineering Subject Centre, the Engineering
Professors’ Council, the Royal Academy of Engineering, the
Engineering Council UK, the Engineering Diploma Development
Partnership and the Institute of Mathematics and its
Applications.
Key to the unit are exemplars for maths topics
from the world of work, bringing the subject to life. To ensure
they are solidly based on current and future technology, they have
been produced by JCB and a diverse range of other leading
companies.
The Diploma in Engineering was acknowledged by
admissions tutors as an approved route for studying engineering at
university, at an event held at JCB World Headquarters at Rocester,
Staffordshire in 2007, and attended by over 30 university
admissions tutors from Cambridge, Nottingham, Bristol, Birmingham,
Loughborough, Sheffield Hallam, Newcastle and other
universities.
Universities can get involved in the
teaching of the Diploma with schools and colleges by:
- sharing equipment, workshops and/or expertise, on a regular or
occasional basis
- providing visiting lecturers
- providing opportunities for students to complete particular
units
- setting real engineering problems for students’ projects
Universities can also communicate in their
prospectuses and websites that they recognise Diplomas as an entry
qualification.
Click
here for our guide for university admissions tutors to recruiting
Diploma students.
Click
here for a variety of DCSF guidance documents for higher education
staff.
Click here for QCA guidance on Diploma
grading and assessment.