A Look at the Past and Present of General Engineering and Engineering Science Programs

Abstract

In this article we discuss engineering programs named Engineering (sometimes referred to as General Engineering) and Engineering Science. Our purpose is to explore the role such non‐specialized programs have played, and currently play, in the overall scheme of engineering education. There are currently forty‐eight programs offered at U.S. institutions with EAC/ABET accreditation under the name Engineering or Engineering Science. Such programs are typically characterized by a general or interdisciplinary nature, and as such do not have to satisfy any discipline‐specific EAC/ABET program criteria beyond the basic criteria. Our analysis of Engineering and Engineering Science programs consists of two parts. First, we explore the historical trends in the evolution of such programs. Then we examine their uses, their current status, and their prospects for the future.

International Perspectives on Engineering Education

“…With the creation of the National Science Foundation and NASA in the 1950s, federal funding for scientifi c research expanded, including for research in the engineering sciences . To help garner such research funding, from the mid-1950s through the mid-1970s many schools went so far as to create new academic programs in engineering science , which helped to push engineering further into the theoretical realm (Newberry and Farison 2003 ). The seminal Grinter Report of 1955 , which made recommendations for the future of engineering education, also emphasized the need for more scientifi cally trained engineers.…”

Contextualizing a New General Engineering Curriculum in the Liberal Arts

“…In a 2003 paper, Newberry and Farison categorize and define three types of general engineering programs in the United States. 8 • Philosophical programs are broad by intention, under the philosophy that a general education has intrinsic advantages over discipline-specific programs; • Instrumental programs are often temporary and designed to later transform into one or more discipline-specific options; and • Flexible programs often complement discipline-specific programs to allow students to tailor their own intra-or interdisciplinary educational experiences.…”

Integrating Environmental Engineering and Sustainability into Engineering Science and General Engineering Programs

“…In particular, general engineering and engineering science programs offer broad-based engineering programs. These programs are largely found at small private liberal arts institutions that do not have the numbers to support the numerous engineering disciplines 5 . They provide students with an ABET-accredited engineering degree rooted in fundamental engineering courses, but also allow students immerse themselves in the humanities.…”

“…They provide students with an ABET-accredited engineering degree rooted in fundamental engineering courses, but also allow students immerse themselves in the humanities. The graduates from these types of programs are a small, but growing portion of the overall pool of matriculating engineering students 5 . However, the number of engineering science programs has increased by 68% over the past thirteen years.…”

“…However, the number of engineering science programs has increased by 68% over the past thirteen years. Despite the general nature of engineering science, many of these programs offer concentrations in specific disciplines so students receive sufficient specialization to find jobs in the desired field 5 . This research focuses on the growing number of general engineering and engineering science programs offering environmental engineering concentrations with some integrating sustainability into their curriculums.…”