New doctorate focuses on photonics

17 Jun 2002

The engineering doctorate in photonics will give students an industrially-relevant doctorate-level qualification.

Three UK universities have received GBP 3.5 million funding from the country's Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) to provide industrially-relevant doctoral-level training in photonics.

Heriot-Watt, St Andrews and Strathclyde universities, all in Scotland, have been given the funding to set up the engineering doctorate (EngD) program. An EngD is significantly different from a conventional PhD in that the research project work takes place mainly at a sponsoring company, supervised by an appropriate expert from one of the three universities.

Duncan Hand, director of the Engineering Doctorate Center in Photonics at Heriot Watt University said: "The center can provide a very cost-effective way for companies both to train employees, and to carry out collaborative research projects with the three universities involved."

In order to fit with industrial timescales, the research work can be a portfolio of projects, rather than the single large project typical of a PhD. Students also have to complete the equivalent of one year of coursework, which includes business modules (in this case from the Edinburgh Business school MBA programme) as well as technical ones.

To help recruit high-quality candidates, an enhanced tax-free stipend is available (GBP 12 500 per annum in 2002-2003) for the four-year duration of the course. Funds can also be used to support current company employees, to enable them to complete the EngD whilst remaining in employment.