What’s in a Name? (stakeholder Perceptions of Engineering Programmes)

1 Peter Scallan, University of Paisley, Paisley PA1 2BE, UK [email protected] 2 Steve Gallagher, University of Paisley, Paisley PA1 2BE, UK [email protected] Abstract  As with many Higher Education Institutions in the UK, the University of Paisley has experienced a significant drop in the number of applications for engineering degrees in the last five years. As part of a Faculty strategy, it was decided to replace the two existing Honours degree programmes in Mechanical Engineering and Manufacturing Systems and Management respectively with a single Honours degree focusing primarily on design. As part of any new programme proposal at Paisley some assessment of the market must be carried out. A professional market research company was commissioned to carry out the research with leads and guidance provided by the University. A number of objectives were set and these included trying to establish the main influencing factors when making university applications, the perception of 'design', the perceived link between mechanical engineering and design and the perceived importance of industrial links and university facilities. This paper details the methodology, findings and subsequent conclusions from the market research.