Increasing Enginering Student Participation in Study Abroad: A Study of U.S. and European Programs

Abstract

It is generally assumed that undergraduate students in any major benefit significantly from study abroad, with respect to personal, academic, and pre-professional development. For students in all professional programs, and for engineering students in particular, it has become increasingly important to acquire global competency. As nations become more economically interdependent, the engineering profession increasingly involves international bids and projects, demands interaction with international colleagues because of rapid advances in technological developments, and requires engineers to gain an awareness of world events and the global economy as well as acquire intercultural under-standing. However, engineering graduates generally do not have the necessary skills to work in an international environment, as few engineering students gain international experience by either studying or interning abroad as part of their education. Engineering students encounter a number of barriers preventing them from taking advantage of international study. The aim of this paper is to provide an overview of and compare the types of initiatives in the United States and Europe designed to increase the numbers of engineering students participating in international study, and to present recommendations to remove the barers to study abroad encountered by engineering students. The authors are aware that international experience as part of an engineering undergraduate education is a matter of great concern, and that a number of actions are being implemented to facilitate increased mobility. This paper contributes to these current and future initiatives.

Get full access to this article

View all access options for this article.

References

Bismuth, Pierre and Edmundson, H. (1994). Preparing Professionals for a Global Business Environment. In Richard D. Lambert , ed., Educational Exchange and Global Competence. New York: Council on International Educational Exchange.

Conference of European Schools for Advanced Engineering Education and Research (CESAER) . (1999). The "Bologna Declaration." URL: http://www.cesaer.eu.org/downloadable/BolognaD.pdf

De Winter, Urbain J. (1997). Science and Engineering Education Abroad: An Overview. Frontiers: The Interdisciplinary journal of Study Abroad, 3 no. 2 pp. 181-197.

Directorate General XXII of the European Commission (1996). Education, Training, Research: The Obstacles to Transnational Mobility. Green Paper. Document drawn up on the basis of COM(96) 462 Final (Bulletin of the European Union Supplement 5/96), Luxembourg.

Directorate General XXII of the European Commission (1999). Student Mobility in the European Union: A Statistical Analysis. URL: http://europa.eu.int/en/comm/dg22/socrates/erasmus/statisti/index.html

Directorate General XXII of the European Commission (1999). Number of ERASMUS Students. URL: http://europa.eu.int/en/comm/dg22/socrates/erasmus/studcount.html%23byfield

Directorate General XXII of the European Commission (1999). SOCRATES-ERASMUS: The European Community Programme in the Field of Higher Education. URL: http://europa.eu.int/en/comm/dg22/socrates/erasmus/home.html

Ecole Centrale Paris (2000). The Time Programme: Top Industrial Managers for Europe. URL: http://www.ecp.fr/anglais/TIME.html

Giot, Michel , and Grosjean, P. D. , eds. (1995). The National Systems of Higher Engineering Education in Europe. Pisa, Italy: Edizioni ETS.

10.

Giot, Michel , and Grosjean, P. D. , and van Rutten, S. (1995). A Qualitative Assessment of the Inter-universitq Co-operation between Higher Engineering Education Institutions carried out under the ERASMUS Programme. Study prepared on behalf of the Commission of the European Communities for the Conference of the Evaluation of European Inter-university Co-operation in the Field of Engineering Education organized by CESAER (Conference of European Schools for Advanced Engineering Education and Research). Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium, December 8-9, 1995.

11.

Goodwin, Craufurd D. , and Nacht, M. (1991). Missing the Boat: The Failure to Internationalize American Higher Education. Cambridge, U.K.: Cambridge University Press.

12.

Grandin, John M. (1988). Launching a Program in International Engineering. In Proceedings of the Seventh Annual Eastern Michigan University Conference on Language and Communication for World Business and the Professions. Ypsilanti, Mich.

13.

Grandin, John M. (1989). German and Engineering: An Overdue Alliance. Die Unterrichtspraxis, 22, no. 2, pp. 146-152.

14.

Grandin, John M. (1991). Developing Internships in Germany for International Engineering Students. Die Unterrichtspraxis, 24, no. 2, pp. 209-214.

15.

Higher Engineering Education for Europe (H3E). (1999). Private communication. Draft of its recommendations prepared in the framework of the Thematic Network Project in Engineering supported by the European Commission (SOCRATES Action Programme) and to be published in 1999.

16.

Holmes, Patrick (1997). Future Directions in International Science Education. Frontiers: The Interdisciplinary journal of Study Abroad, 3 no. 2, pp. 233-239.

17.

Humily, Gertrud (1997). Science and Engineering Education in Europe. Frontiers: The Interdisciplinary Journal of Study Abroad, 3 no. 2 pp. 30-34.

18.

Johnston, Joseph S. , and Edelstein, Richard J. (1993). Beyond Borders: Profiles in International Education. Washington, D.C.: Association of American Colleges.

19.

King, Lynda J. and Young, John A. (1994). Study Abroad: Education for the 21st Century. Die Unterrichtspraxis, 27, no. 1 pp. 77-87.

20.

Maury, Claude (1997). International Education in French Engineering Schools. Frontiers: The Interdisciplinary Journal of Study Abroad, 3, no. 2, pp. 218-222.

21.

Miller, Bradley (1999). Literacy of Professionals in Transnational Contexts of Practice: The Case of the Regulated Globalized Professions in the U.S.A. Journal of Studies in International Education, 3, no.2, pp. 83-96.

22.

National ERASMUS/SOCRATES Agency-Italy (1999). Private communication regarding student mobility statistics, 1994-1995.

23.

Open Doors 1994/95: Report on International Educational Exchange (1995). Todd M. Davis , ed. New York: Institute of International Education.

24.

Open Doors 1997/98: Report on International Educational Exchange (1997) Todd M. Davis , ed. New York: Institute of International Education.

25.

Sangster, William M. (1994). Engineering Education Faces the Challenge of Internationalization. In Educational Exchange and Global Competency. Richard D. Lambert , ed. New York: Council on International Educational Exchange.

26.

Spinelli, Giancarlo (1999). Information on the Sorbonne Declaration and on the Diploma Supplement. Presentation as part of the session European Union Programmes and Other Initiatives at the NAFSA 51st Annual Conference, May 23-28, 1999, Denver, Colo., U.S.A.

27.

Van der Gen, Arne (1997). International Science Study for Undergraduates. Frontiers: The Interdisciplinary Journal of Study Abroad, 3, no.2, pp. 210-217.

28.

Wakeland, Howard L. (1989). A Model International Program for Undergraduate Engineers. Engineering Education, 69, no. 4, pp. 430-433.

29.

Weinmann, Sigrid (1995). German for Engineers and Scientists: Initiatives in International Education. Paper presented at the Annual Eastern Michigan University Conference on Language and Communication for World Business and the Professions 13th, Ypsilanti, Mich., April 6-8, 1995.

30.

Weinmann, Sigrid , and Weinmann, Klaus J. (1996). German for Engineers: Initiatives in International Education. Society of Manufacturing Engineers Technical Paper (ER96-184).