A proposal for an integrated mechanical engineering program at the United States Military Academy

Abstract

This paper presents a proposal for an integrated, project-based mechanical engineering curriculum Several justifications support this significant change to the existing curriculum This paper discusses the advantages of an integrated curriculum that enables tomorrow's engineers to meet the multidisciplinary challenges of the future. This integrated curriculum satisfies the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET) engineering criteria, and thus supporting program outcomes and objectives. Adoption of the integrated curriculum provides flexibility to add new and innovative courses. Course recommendations within this proposal include the addition of an Introduction to Engineering course - a multidisciplinary first-course for engineering majors of all disciplines - and other specialized Electives, including the possibility of distance learning. An integrated curriculum also lends itself to a project-based learning model that is especially beneficial to engineering education. Finally, the proposed changes focus on bridging the gap between a structured, compartmentalized high school curriculum and an unstructured, open-ended graduate school experience. This paper presents current and proposed curricula, to include course "tracks" - the result of combining several current courses - and recommendations for new courses and specialized electives.