The Doctor of Engineering (D.Eng or EngD) is a professional doctorate in engineering and applied science. An EngD is a terminal degree similar to a PhD in engineering but applicable more in industry rather than in academia. The degree is usually aimed toward working professionals.
The DEng/EngD along with the PhD represents the highest academic qualification in engineering, and the successful completion of either in engineering is generally required to gain employment as a full-time, tenure-track university professor or postdoctoral researcher in the field. However, due to its nature, a DEng/EngD graduate might be more suitable for the Professor of Practice position. Individuals can use the academic title doctor, which is often represented via the English honorific "Dr”.
DEng/EngD candidates submit a significant project, typically referred to as a thesis or praxis, consisting of a body of applied and practical methods/products with the main goal of solving complex industrial problems. Candidates must defend this work before a panel of expert examiners called a thesis or dissertation committee.
International equivalent qualifications
Countries following the German/US model of education usually have similar requirements for awarding PhD (Eng) and doctor of engineering degrees. The common degree abbreviations in the US are DEng/EngD, DEngSc/EngScD, whereas in Germany it is more commonly known as Dr-Ing The common degree abbreviation in the Netherlands is Professional Doctorate in Engineering (PDEng), which is equivalent to the EngD (as of 1 September 2022, the PDEng title in The Netherlands has been renamed to EngD).
History
To be admitted as a doctoral student, one must usually hold a Master's degree in engineering or related science subject and pass a comprehensive entrance exam. The student must complete the necessary required course work, be taught examinable courses, perform independent research under the supervision of a qualified doctoral advisor, and pass the thesis defense. The degree requires a high level of expertise in the theoretical aspects of relevant scientific principles and experience with details of the implementation of theory on realistic problems. The DEng takes three to six years (full-time) to complete and has compulsory taught components and coursework/projects and is granted in recognition of high achievement in scholarship and an ability to apply engineering fundamentals to the solution of complex technical problems.
A Doctor of Engineering degree awarded by universities in East Asian universities is equivalent to a PhD degree. To be admitted as a doctoral student, one must hold a master's degree in the same or related subject and pass a comprehensive entrance exam. The student must complete necessary course work, perform independent research under the supervision of a qualified Doctoral Advisor, and pass the thesis defense. It usually takes more than three years for a student with an M.S. Degree to complete his/her doctoral study. However, there are few areas of study (such as Materials Science, Polymer Technology, and Biomedical Engineering) where both Doctor of Science and Doctor of Engineering can be awarded depending upon the graduate school which houses the department.
In Germany the doctoral degree in engineering is called Doktoringenieur (Doktor der Ingenieurwissenschaften, Dr.-Ing.) and is usually earned after four to six years of research and completing a dissertation. A researcher pursuing a doctorate needs to hold a master's degree or the Diplom-Ingenieur degree (Dipl.-Ing.).
In France the degree of "Doctor-Engineer" (docteur-ingénieur) was a formerly applied science research degree. It was discontinued after 1984 and engineers wishing to go further as researchers now have seek a PhD.
British Higher Doctorate
In the United Kingdom, the D.Eng. degree was traditionally awarded as a higher doctorate on the basis of a significant contribution to some field of engineering over the course of a career. However, since 1992 some British universities have introduced the Engineering Doctorate, abbreviated as "EngD", which is instead a research doctorate and regarded in the UK as equivalent to a PhD.
Modern British Engineering Doctorate
The Engineering Doctorate scheme is a British postgraduate education programme promoted by the UK's Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC). The programme is undertaken for over four years. Students conduct PhD-equivalent research and undertake taught business and technical courses whilst working closely with an industrial sponsor. Successful candidates are awarded the degree of Doctor of Engineering (EngD) and are addressed as doctor.