An integrated approach to rehabilitation engineering education: the development of a new masters programme at Brunel...

We report on a new multidisciplinary course at Master's Level; a joint venture between the Department of Design at Brunel University. U.K. and Brunel Institute for Bioengineering. The Bachelor of Science degree in Industrial Design at Brunel includes an important proportion of technological courses such as mechanics and electronics. The MSc course, which is modular, continues to embrace a wide range of disciplines but it also seeks to bring together graduates from traditional engineering backgrounds in addition to those from arts based design courses. Appropriate elements are offered in order to allow access into unfamiliar disciplines. One novel and valuable aspect of the course is the way in which graduates from diverse backgrounds, having complementary experience and skills will be studying and developing projects alongside one another. Although much of the academic content will be through the department of Design and the Faculty of Technology, the Brunel Institute for Bioengineering will play a major role in the provision of modules in Rehabilitation Studies and in the generation and supervision of projects. This project work will therefore be carried out within the Rehabilitation Engineering Unit at Brunel Institute for Bioengineering. The course to be discussed has been developed at Brunel University in the department of Design in conjunction with The Brunel institute for Bioengineering.