Integrating NACE Competencies into Architectural Engineering Curricula: A Pilot Approach for a Foundational Course

Architectural engineering programs strive to equip their students with technical expertise and essential core competencies vital for success in the dynamic professional landscape. It is important to integrate such competencies in architectural engineering to prepare students for their future careers and make them lifelong learners. Although national policy documents, Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET) Criteria, and 21st-century grand challenges highlight the importance of developing competencies in students, the current courses may not necessarily adhere to such necessities. Considering the importance of the competencies, this work-in-progress study considers the architectural engineering program at Texas A&M University. It focuses on two aspects: 1) identifying the core competencies using the University's architectural engineering Program Educational Outcomes (PEO) aspirations, ABET outcomes, and National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) competencies, and 2) providing a mechanism to integrate such competencies using a foundational architectural engineering course at the University as a pilot. In the paper, we provide future directions for such integrations for courses and probable suggestions for evaluating the effectiveness of these integrations on students' success and career readiness.