Purdue university's engineering leadership program: Addressing the shortfall of engineering leadership education

Abstract

Engineering leadership education should lie at the intersection of theoretical conceptualization and practical implementation; an experiential education in other words. Engineering students should be exposed to formal studies in leadership which they aren't[1]. Satisfying the societal demand of engineering leadership education is, regrettably, commonly limited to introductory-level coursework in technical communication in most engineering curricula[1]. The purpose of this paper is to revisit the state of engineering leadership education in academia and to introduce Purdue University's College of Engineering's recently endorsed Engineering Leadership Minor. A potential model to address the shortfall of experiential engineering leadership education within traditional engineering curricula, this minor, which is one element of a larger engineering leadership program, will involve the use of coursework, discussions, one-on-one mentoring by distinguished leaders, guest speakers, and job-shadowing to provide engineering students with understanding and experience applying engineering leadership principles, practices, and tools in a multicultural context. This model will reinforce the educational process by encouraging students to mentor younger students after their first year in the program and by allowing students to facilitate their engineering leadership training. Students will supplement the required seven credits in engineering leadership core courses with nine credits which includes an experiential program and elective courses in one or two of the following concentrations: communication, global and societal impact, creativity and innovation, and ethics. © American Society for Engineering Education, 2013.