Tell us about your background. What have you been doing before starting the course?

I completed my BSc in Mechanical Systems Engineering in 2011 and gained IEng (Incorporated Engineer) status in 2019. Now I work as an engineer for the Ministry of Defence, and have covered a range of roles including air integration, field hospitals, and armoured and amphibious vehicles.

Working in such a variety of roles gave me a growing interest in systems engineering, and I wanted to progress towards CEng (Chartered Engineer) status. The SEMAP offered both a fully funded master’s degree, to gain the right level of further learning, and an apprenticeship which would help me to build and demonstrate the skills, knowledge, and experience against the required competencies.

How did you find starting the programme after time away from education?

I had about a nine-year gap from gaining my degree to starting the SEMAP. In between, I had done short courses for continued development and completed assessments for IEng, but in truth I had forgotten about the academic side of things. The first module was a bit of a jolt, particularly remembering how to write notes and manage coursework, but it didn’t take long to get back into the mindset. I hadn’t realised how much I enjoyed research until the final year project, so there may be a future there.