Office of the Dean
Herff College of Engineering
201 Engineering Admin Bldg
Memphis, TN 38152-3170
Voice: 901.678.2171
Fax: 901.678.4180
June 6, 2006
Editor
PE Magazine
NSPE
1420 King Street
Alexandria, VA 22314-2794
A number of articles have recently appeared citing the decrease in the number of credit hours required for an engineering degree over the past several decades and appear to suggest that this decrease is contributing to the apparent lack of preparation of engineering graduates for entrance into the profession. (“The Education of a professional Engineer,” January/February,
p. 22).
I recently reviewed a copy of my B.S. in mechanical engineering transcript that had been submitted as part of the application package for licensure in Tennessee. The most critical comparison deals with the courses that comprised curricula in the 1950’s and 60’s as compared to current curricula. My circa 1960’s quarter-hour curriculum totaled to 220 credit hours.
My curriculum included a year of basic math such as algebra and trigonometry, subjects that current entering engineering students are expected to have mastered and for which they do not receive credit toward their degree if they must take remedial courses. In addition, two years of mandatory ROTC was required as was a full year of drafting/drawing, including the appropriate shading, lettering and inking skills, two surveying courses, two shop courses, etc. At that time, what is now generally referred to as the ‘general education’ component of the curriculum consisted of 28 semester hours of English, humanities, philosophy, speech, and Technical Writing, excluding the math and basic science requirements. When the surveying, algebra, trigonometry, ROTC, shop and drafting, etc. courses mentioned above were eliminated and the remaining quarter credit courses were converted to semester credit hours, my undergraduate curriculum was equivalent to 124 semester credit hours, which is less than the credit hours required for many current programs.
There are several other factors that should be considered. At that time our calculations were carried out using the slide rule, a notoriously slow computational tool. Report writing used typewriters and editing required a complete re-type, if changes needed to be made. Library research required a physical visit to the local facility, time spent hunting through the stacks for the particular reference we were seeking and then copying by hand the relevant passages and citations.
The engineering accreditation criteria in effect today (EC2000) have essentially eliminated the previous approach to engineering education, which specified certain courses or a minimum number of credit hours in various areas. EC2000 requires that engineering programs demonstrate that their graduates have certain knowledge and abilities. A recent study of the effect of EC2000, indicated that 2004 graduates, as compared to 1994 graduates, had a better understanding of societal and global issues, an improved ability to apply engineering skills, and an improved understanding of ethics and professional issues.
As with most engineering problems, there does not appear to be a single or simple solution to perceived problems or shortcomings. However, it appears that a reduction in the number of hours in the curriculum required to obtain a degree is not the sole reason some engineering students may not be prepared to enter practice upon graduation from their institution.
Sincerely,
Richard C. Warder, Jr., PE
Dean and Professor
A Tennessee Board of Regents Institution
An Equal Opportunity – Affirmative Action University