4-year Course Literature4-year Course LiteratureThis page contains a scanned and OCR'd copy of the literature produced by Bath University for their 4-year Electrical and Electronic Engineering Degree course, 1982 intake.
A few added comments have been inserted thus [bla bla bla].
This course is intended to provide an education in electrical and electronic engineering at a level equivalent to that offered by the French Grandes Ecoles or the German Technische Hochschulen. The course covers a broad spectrum and yet allows for specialised subject study to a greater than normal depth It makes provision for the student to gain an appreciation of the many support technology subjects needed by engineers who fit into key roles in industry and is intended for students of high calibre.
Bath. The University occupies a large open site on one of the hills overlooking the city of Bath. The campus is self-contained and compact with refectories, shops, banks, sports and union facilities, and residential accommodation all within a very short walk of each other. The city is one of the most pleasant in Britain and is renowned for its architectural beauty and its festival of music and the arts.
Introduction. Opportunities for chartered electrical engineers in modern society are virtually limitless. The demand for advanced communication systems, data processing, automation, electrical transport and power continues and the growing complexity of these systems, and of the manufacturing systems which produce them, has increased the need for well qualified and highly motivated young engineers. These young women and young men will be responsible for the new products and new industries of the next century and the University has been working closely with industry to produce a course which will prepare them for this role.
The interests of the companies involved with the course cover communication systems, radar, space and defence systems, avionics, instrumentation, process control, automation, advanced transportation, and machines and power projects so that the expertise available to the University in developing this course has been drawn from a very broad section of the electrical and electronics industry.
The Course. The aim of the course is to provide a fully integrated programme of professional development for the electrical and electronic engineer and the curriculum emphasises [sic] not only the academic abilities but also the personal skills which will enable a graduate to operate effectively in industry.
The course is 4½ calendar years long and is so structured that within this time span students will complete four academic years of education and more than a year of industrial training.
Two major areas of study have been defined. These are Product Technology and Support Technology.
Product Technology is the main electrical and electronic core of the course. It covers all that is taught on the existing honours degree course with the addition of advanced design studies in the fourth year, which will introduce students to the most up-to-date techniques in selected areas, and specialist options which will draw upon the considerable expertise available from the groups within the School. An advanced technical project will be started by all students in the final year and continued into the final industrial period.
Support technology is perhaps the most obvious distinguishing feature of the new course and is a completely new approach to the more general aspects of engineering education. Two assumptions lie behind this development: (1) that professional electrical engineers should be able to achieve set technical objectives within the technical, commercial, organisational and social environment of any given enterprise; and (2) that the undergraduate education should prepare the engineer for this role. Subjects such as the human component, technology and society, commerce and industry, production, quality and reliability, information, and design will be covered, but it is more important to see the whole as an integrated curriculum and not as a set of discrete subjects. The themes of systems analysis and design will run throughout the course and will provide the integrating factor. In addition time will be allocated to a wide range of group activities, including case studies, industrial seminars, simulation exercises, design studies etc. which will repeatedly emphasise the interrelationship of all the component parts. This activity will extend into the industrial training periods with students being given study briefs to follow through to extend and reinforce their understanding of industrial situations.
Industrial Training. This will be provided by whichever company is sponsoring the student. A three-week, pre-university period is planned with three 13-week periods between the four academic years, and a final period following graduation.
The industrial curriculum will be on the following lines:
1st Period: Introduction to the sponsoring company; product design and manufacture as a systems activity; introduction to workshop skills; project design and construction. [3 weeks between school and university]
2nd Period: The production system; batch and mass production; production methods; planning for production; design and production; quality control; the human component; project work. [13 weeks - 1st university summer vacation]
3rd Period: The commercial system; commercial objectives; marketing; tenders and contracts; legal restraints; quality specifications; quality assurance; product costing; accounting in planning and control; project work. [13 weeks - 2nd university summer vacation]
4th Period: Product design; the role of the design engineer; legal, economic, material, production and quality restraints; ergonomics; project work. [13 weeks - 3rd university summer vacation]
5th Period: Industrial design project; advanced design studies within industry. [up to 1 year, after beginning work at the sponsoring company]
All industrial assignments will be assessed.
Admission. Candidates are expected to achieve a grade A and two grade B passes at A-level. Passes in A-level Mathematics and Physics or Engineering Science are expected and students must in addition obtain a third A-level pass, and two O-level passes which must include English Language. An O-level pass in a second language would be looked upon favourably. In addition students must obtain sponsorship with one of the supporting companies. Applications from students who are taking HNC or ONC will be considered provided that they are strong in Mathematics. Considerable emphasis will be placed on the personal qualities of the applicants and those who appear to have the necessary depth of interest and motivation to become chartered electrical engineers will be invited for interview.
Sponsorship. Training places will be available within the GEC Marconi Electronics Group, the GEC Power and Industrial Groups, EMI, Plessey, Motorola, Philips, Satchwell Controls, and Brush Electrical Machines. Students must apply in the first instance to the University through UCCA and they will then be provided with details of the supporting companies. All companies will be offering bursaries to students during their academic periods and pro rata payments during industrial training. Training places will be available across a wide range of interests including power and control engineering, communications, avionics and electronic systems design.
The Award. Students will be eligible for a BSc on completion of the honours component in the course and the MEng will be awarded on successful completion of the advanced design studies and the final industrial design project.
