University Education in Electronics in the United Kingdom

Although the overall aims of university engineering education in the U. S. A. and the U. K. are broadly similar, the means of achieving these aims in the two countries are rather different. This paper discusses teaching methods and philosophies in the Department of Electronics at the University of Southampton and compares them with attitudes in the U. S. A. First, high-school curricula in the U. K. are reviewed, as they determine the quality of students at university entry. Then, the probable future pattern of industry, and the aims of a university education are discu sed. The courses devised to train both "systems" and "device" engineers, including the all-important laboratory training, are outlined together with examination and assessment techniques. Postgraduate activities include a new type of postgraduate Master\´s degree course in semiconductor product technology and industrial techniques.