Are Colleges Teaching the Subjects Needed for Today's Engineering and Technology?

One of the topics I keep coming back to is my concern that the colleges and universities are not teaching the right subjects to prepare graduates for jobs in industry.  If you have read my rants before, you know   I am being critical, in a nice way, of course.  Yet, I think it is important to ask the question about courses, subjects, and the knowledge an engineer or technician really needs to learn. 

I know the institutions do not like change.   Professors want to keep on teaching the same subjects forever if they could.  Change is hard.  Whatever.  Aren’t you concerned that the colleges may actually preparing graduates for jobs that no longer exist?  Most colleges seem to be behind the curve in teaching the latest technologies and methods.  Academia always seems to lag the industry meaning that it is continually teaching the history of engineering and technology.  Yes, I know.  Not all schools are like this.  But many are.  And many do not even know they lag the real world.  The academic bubble, so to speak.

In talks I have given on this subject, I am invariably asked what I would do to change the curriculum.  What would I drop, add, enhance, or eliminate?  Great question.  Here is what I usually say.

·         Keep the physics and math pretty much as is.  Drop advanced courses in calculus.  When is the last time you solved a calculus problem in your recent engineering work?  I asked that question in a blog a while back and almost unanimously working engineers said never.  Yet all agreed it should be taught.  Engineers need to know it, but does not necessarily need advanced courses that could be taken in graduate school if needed.  Many in industry say teach probability and statistics instead.  Not a bad idea.  As for techs, I don’t think they need it at all.

·         Cut some of the more detailed circuit design courses.  Not every graduate will be designing ICs.  Make these design courses optional.

·         Add more system design instruction.  A huge segment of new hires never design circuits but do design systems.

·         Make the curriculum broader.  Give the BSEE, BSET and even AAS students the big picture and expose them to multiple disciplines like RF/communications, robotics, industrial, video, renewable energy sources, and automotive so they can know what they want to specialize in later.

·         Go heavy on the software and programming.  Today everything is embedded computers, interfacing and coding.  Artificial intelligence is the hot topic right now and there is a severe shortage of AI programmers and engineers.  Is anyone teaching this yet?

·         More hands-on lab.  Emphasize test and measurement.  That is what engineers do yet graduates don’t seem to know enough if any about the instruments or the procedures.

I do realize that you cannot teach all that a graduate needs to know.  Too many topics, so little time.  And the technology is changing at a rapid pace.  The secret is making the most of the limited time and credit hours we have to work with.

Anyway, I urge all of you who teach to get out and talk to industry and find out about what the jobs are like today and what subjects are critical to know.  Then initiate some changes in your own courses or curricula.  And while you are at it, learn some new things on your own.  I recently took an embedded controller course with C programming and interfacing using the TI 430 from Udemy.  Udemy is a great source of college level online courses and very affordable.  Check it out at www.udemy.com.

Cheers for now and happy New Year.

Lou Frenzel

P.S.  If you haven’t seen my new website on books, go to www.loufrenzel.com.