Publication
Educating engineering graduates to confidently tackle issues in their future jobs demands a well-balanced curriculum that integrates development of essential conceptual knowledge, professional skills and attitudes for ethical conduct. Often, it is the case that priority is given to developing a strong knowledge base, with an expectation that other professional elements will gradually emerge in the course of students’ engagement with either project-related work or other collaborative tasks. Designing a comprehensive Master programme requires careful balancing of technical and professional skills, hence in this paper we expose the results of a study that looks at the strengths and weaknesses of five Master courses of our institution, from the students’ point of view. Data gathered through a survey that contains quantitative scales and open ended qualitative questions provides the perceptions of students on their gains in terms of both conceptual knowledge and professional skills. Results indicate strong student outcomes in theoretical knowledge across several disciplines, but a clear request for a more practical and real-life based approach. Moreover according to the students’ opinions, there is an expectation for more learning experiences regarding project management skills, use of IT tools and understanding on some ethical, legal and environmental aspects of engineering. Observations and conclusions of this study also include reflections on the extent to which the COVID-19 lockdown impacted the overall student experience of the Master courses.