ENGINEERING EDUCATION AND PRACTICE IN THE UNITED STATES. FOUNDATIONS OF OUR TECHNO-ECONOMIC FUTURE

In the early 1980s the engineering profession was in ferment over its future. Soaring undergaduate enrollments coupled with faculty shortages threatened the quality of engineering education. At the same time, industry struggled to recruit adequate numbers of engineering graduates to meet the nation's growing needs. Clearly, these problems go beyond the university and the board room-in a society increasingly dependent on high technology they command national attention. Despite engineering's crucial role in modern economic life, public debate on technology development and its impact on the national and global economics have not often included examination of the engineering profesion per se. Prompted by concern over the health of the U.S. engineering endeavor, the National Science Foundation asked the National Research Council in 1980 to conduct a study of the state and the future of engineering education and practice in the United States. This report of the committee on the Education and Utilization of the Engineer is a crystallization of those themes that emerged out of the broad study. It begins with a brief discussion of the role of engineers and engineering in building and shaping America anddin maintaining America's economic power, world influence, and high standard of living. The report next examines the status of engineering today. Chapter 3 looks at the nature of the work, the organizational and occupational structure of the profession, and its support network. Chapter 4 assesses the strengths and weaknesses of contemporary engineering education. Chapter 5 discusses characteristics and trends of the engineering work force. Chapter 6 attempts to specify world economic and technolgoical features to which the engineering community must be able to adapt in the year 2000. The report concludes with a review of some of the educational and professional characteristics that the engineering community must acquire or maintain in order to adapt successfully. Findings, conclusions, and recommendations of the committee pertinent to each chapter are presented at the end of that chapter. (Author)

• Corporate Authors:

  Comm on the Educ & Utilization of the Engineer

  National Research Council, 2101 Constitution Avenue, NW
  Washington, DC  United States  20418
• Publication Date: 1985

Media Info

• Features: Appendices; Figures; References; Tables;
• Pagination: 148 p.

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Administration; Economic impacts; Education; Engineers; Measures of effectiveness; Recommendations
• Uncontrolled Terms: Effectiveness
• Subject Areas: Administration and Management; Economics; Highways; Research; I10: Economics and Administration;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00395666
• Record Type: Publication
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Feb 28 1986 12:00AM