Industry Expectations of New Engineers: A Survey to Assist Curriculum Designers

Abstract In an era of unprecedented technological advancement, engineering practice continues to evolve but engineering education has not changed appreciably since the 1950s. This schism has prompted industry, government, and other key constituents to question the relevancy and efficacy of current programs. The Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET) Engineering Criteria 2000, which will be fully implemented in 2001, emphasizes outcomes over process, and provides an opportunity for stakeholders to help universities define educational goals and objectives and design a curriculum to meet the desired outcomes. 1 While the need for curriculum reform has been acknowledged, the “industry position” was amorphous and anecdotal and therefore difficult to address. Qualitative methodologies such as formal surveys and structured interviews can be used to capture and quantify industry expectations of the needed attributes (i.e., knowledge, skills, and experience) for entry level engineering employees. Such instruments can provide key data useful in determining objectives and designing curricula to attain those objectives. This paper presents results of a formal survey of fifteen aerospace and defense companies concerning the perceived importance of 172 attributes related to the eleven ABET Program Outcomes and Assessment categories. The survey, resulting database, and preliminary analyses are available in hard copy and electronic form. This is the first formal survey and database resulting from efforts of the Industry‐University‐Government Roundtable for Enhancing Engineering Education (IUGREEE) to initiate a continuing, evolving process to provide curriculum designers with important information from industry.