Educating the Engineer of 2020: A Practical Implementation

The College of Engineering (CoE) at Wichita State University (WSU) has launched a strategic initiative, Engineer of 2020, in order to prepare graduates for effective engagement in the engineering profession in the year 2020. This initiative is, in part, motivated by two reports from the National Academy of Engineering, of the National Academies, entitled The Engineer of 2020 and its follow-on report, Educating the Engineer of 2020. These reports, written by two groups of distinguished educators and practicing engineers from diverse backgrounds, were developed in response to a concern that engineering students of today may not be appropriately educated to meet the demands that will be placed on the engineer of the future, without refocusing and reshaping the undergraduate engineering learning experience. Beginning with the Fall 2007 class, to fulfill the requirements for an Engineering BS degree at WSU, each student will complete the program course requirements including at least three of the following six activities: Undergraduate Research; Cooperative Education or Internship; Global Learning or Study Abroad; Service Learning; Leadership; and Multidisciplinary Education. This program will make the educational experience more meaningful to the student and the student more desirable to local and national industries. This paper describes the details of the requirements at WSU, the resources required, and the linkage to ABET outcomes.