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Wm. A. Wulf
President
National Academy of Engineering

Better Preparing Our Engineers for the 21st Century
From Remarks
Presented at the Annual Meeting of the
American Association for the Advancement of Science
Philadelphia
Feb. 16, 1998


Change is a fact of life. Engineers and the engineering profession are not immune. Growing global competition and the subsequent restructuring of industry, the shift from defense work to civilian enterprise, the use of new materials and biological processes, and the explosion of information technology have dramatically and irreversibly changed the practice of engineering. But although there are isolated "points of light," in general, engineering education has not kept up with the changing environment.

It is only a slight exaggeration to say that our students are being prepared to practice engineering in a world that existed years ago, and not for the 21st century. We have not been sufficiently responsive to the concerns of industry, nor to the changing demographics of our students. Fundamental changes are needed.

The notion that the bachelor's degree should be the first professional degree misrepresents the preparation of students. Engineering is the only profession that perpetrates this fiction. As a result, the private sector spends one or two years finishing what we should have done in the university. At the same time, trying to force requisite technical material into four years has squeezed out liberal education in the humanities, social, policy, and management sciences -- all of which are essential to modern engineering practice.

Further, the useful "half-life" of engineering knowledge is now only a few years. In order to keep up with rapid change, engineers must "relearn" their profession more rapidly than ever before. There are at least three implications: (a) we must focus on the fundamentals at the undergraduate level, (b) we need to accept that the Masters of Engineering is the first professional degree, and (c) we must infuse the culture of engineering with the necessity for lifelong learning.

It's easy to reach agreement that we should teach the fundamentals, but harder to agree on what those fundamentals are. For example, it is not widely understood that biological processes, nano-technologies, and information technology are all examples that demand a different science and mathematics base than the physics and calculus that have dominated past engineering curricula.

Every engineer must take responsibility for their own career plan, which must include a graduate professional degree, and must recognize the need for continuing education. Our professional societies and educational institutions must step up to play an active role in supporting the engineer's career plan, and employers must both expect engineers to have a career plan and assist them in obtaining them.

At the same time, every liberal education needs to include technological literacy -- including science, math, and engineering. Technology shapes our society more strongly than anything else does, and its rapid change demands a citizenry conversant in the social and technical processes that create this change. Informed decisions in business, law, and education -- indeed in every facet of life -- require a basic understanding of technology. Again, our educational institutions, notably our engineering schools, need to step up to this expanded responsibility.