Current State of Graduate Education

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Current State of Graduate Education
National Science Foundation Directorate for
Engineering Division Director for Engineering
Education and Centers Gary A. Gabriele
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The reports...

• Engineering Research and Americas Future (NAE,
  2005) Committee to Assess the Capacity of the
  U.S. Engineering Research Enterprise
• The Engineer of 2020 (NAE, 2004) and Educating
  the Engineer of 2020 (NAE, 2005)
• Rising Above the Gathering Storm Energizing and
  Employing America for a Brighter Economic Future
  (NRC/COSEPUP, 2005)
• Innovate American National Innovation Initiative
  Final Report (Council on Competitiveness, 2005)

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The book...
Clearly, it is now possible for more people than
ever to collaborate and compete in real-time,
with more people, on more kinds of work, from
more corners of the planet, and on a more equal
footing, than at any previous time in the history
of the world
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Another report..
The Emerging Global Labor Market

• Engineering occupations are the most amenable to
  remote location
• Offshore talent exceeds high-wage countries
  potential by a factor of 2
• 17 of engineering talent in low-wage countries
  is suitable for work in a multinational company.
• At current suitability rates, and an aggressive
  pace of adoption in demand, supply of engineers
  could be constrained by 2015.

Suitable quality of education, location,
domestic competition
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Summary of the current environment

• Knowledge and human capital have become key
  driving forces in a global economy.
• All countries, developing and industrialized,
  have a shortfall in SE talent.
• Education has become one of the highest
  priorities for developing countries.
• Competition for SE talent in the future is going
  to be a major global battleground.

Arden Bement remarks at NSB Workshop on
Engineering Education
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Graduate student education

• Engineering Ph.D. culture is individualist not
  team oriented
• Increasingly cross-disciplinary through co
  advisors
• Focused on fundamental engineering science, not
  integrated with technological innovations
• No systems

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To be the best in this market..
..our students will need to know how to deal with

• Systems design and complex problems
• Global and social relevance
• Production systems, logistic systems
• Project management
• Research
• Creativity and Innovation processes
• Business and marketing principles
• Use of modern computing infrastructure and tools

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Engineering Graduate Degrees
AAES/EWC, 2004
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Engineering Graduate Degrees-Women
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Engineering Graduate Degrees-Women
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Graduate Enrollments in Engineering
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Graduate Enrollments in Engineering
2002 Enrollments
SOURCE National Science Foundation/Division of
Science Resources Statistics, Survey of Graduate
Students and Postdoctorates in Science and
Engineering.
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