Internationalization of engineering education

Abstract

Providing global skills to engineering graduates is an urgent need. This paper points out that efforts to internationalize engineering curriculum through add-on courses like study abroad programs are not enough because, even if they are effective, they still serve fewer than 20 percent of the graduates. The paper proposes a way to provide global competencies to all engineering graduates by partially reforming the engineering curriculum. The need for global competencies in engineering graduates and the reasons for the need are discussed first. Some components of an enlarged set of knowledge and skills that graduates must have to be globally competent engineers are then presented. Strategies for teaching the global skills and strategies for assessment of the graduate global skills are also discussed. © American Society for Engineering Education, 2008.