An Introduction to the Engineering Profession

Engineering 390 Section 001 Topics in Engineering

Course Description

The course will provide students with an introduction to the engineering profession and to possible careers that utilize the unique skills and knowledge provided by an engineering education. It will help them develop a plan for their own education, exploring the many options, opportunities, and decisions that will confront students during their undergraduate experience. Included will be an introduction to the engineering profession itself, a review of the many fields and functional roles available to engineers, broader professional opportunities for engineering graduates (e.g., business, law, medicine, graduate education). The course will also provide a framework to better understand the organization of an engineering education, including an introduction to engineering problem-solving and design, testing and experiments, scientific foundations, collaboration, information technology, communication, economics, management, and professional ethics.

The course will make extensive use of multimedia technologies (including the resources of the Media Union), case studies of engineering, and visiting speakers to provide various perspectives of the professional opportunities available to engineering graduates.

NOTE: While this course is aimed primarily at first- and second-year students, its content is appropriate to any engineering undergraduate. The course has been designed and scheduled so that it could easily be added by any student, without concern about overloading or competing with other curriculum requirements.

Background

The role of engineers is to apply their knowledge of science and technology to the needs of society, to solve its problems, and to pave the way for its future progress. As our society has become increasingly dependent upon science and technology, it has also become more dependent on engineers, not only for its prosperity but for its very survival. Many of the major problems faced by the world today cannot be solved by social or political actions alone; they require the knowledge, skills, and discipline of engineers.

Engineering students must prepare for this world and these challenges. In a world of change and diverse opportunity, the key to success in engineering is a broad education based on fundamental scientific concepts, coupled with the development of a disciplined approach to problem solving that is characteristic of engineering. But this is not enough. The technological and social aspects of the challenges faced by modern society have become closely intertwined. It is essential that an engineerŐs education also include studies in the arts, humanities, and social sciences, as well as an introduction to aspects of professional disciplines such as business and law.

Herein lies a dilemma. A broad-based education tends to concentrate technical subjects in engineering into the final two years of the undergraduate program. The first two years are given over almost entirely to basic courses in mathematics, physics, chemistry, the humanities, and social sciences. Many students find such programs quite frustrating since they seek exposure to engineering and engineering faculty at the earliest possible moment in their education. They wish to learn what engineering is all about, what its opportunities and challenges are, and how one prepares to become an engineer.

Content

The course is designed to provide students with a road map to the engineering profession, a knowledge of career opportunities, and a design for their own undergraduate experience. Included will be the following topics:

• The Profession of Engineering
  What is an engineer?
  Disciplines of engineering
  What does the engineer do?
  How does one prepare to become an engineer?
  Engineering as a profession
  Other career opportunities for engineering graduates
  (law, medicine, business, teaching, etc.)
  
  
• An Introduction to the Approach
  The methodology of engineering problem solving
  The engineering design process
  The engineering team
  
  
• The Tools of Engineering
  A rationale for the scientific foundation of an engineering education
  Experiments and tests
  Communication and collaborative
  Information technology
  
  
• The Constraints
  Economics
  Management
  Professional Ethics
  
  
• The New Engineering: An Integrative Approach
  

About the Instructor

Dr. James J. Duderstadt is President Emeritus and University Professor of Science and Engineering. He currently serves as a member of the governing council of the National Academy of Engineering. His past professional service has included Dean of the College of Engineering, chair of the National Science Board, and Provost of the University of Michigan. Among his many awards and honors are the National Medal of Technology and the National Engineer of the Year Award.