Assessing The Competencies In The Manufacturing Engineering Technology Programs

The rapid advancement in all aspects of technology and globalization of competition dictates a need for a knowledgeable and technically competent work force. Engineering education programs should reflect the needs of industry and prepare young engineers to meet the challenges of the competitive world of manufacturing. Industry needs engineers who have the understanding of basic manufacturing engineering theory and the ability to apply their knowledge to the real world of manufacturing. Today’s integrated manufacturing environment requires a work force possessing strong technical and people skills. Therefore, the graduates of manufacturing engineering technology programs must have the knowledge and skills to direct, organize, motivate, and be able to work with today’s multicultural workforce. The changes in the manufacturing field created the need to update the Manufacturing Engineering Technology programs. Therefore, to keep up with these trends and technological developments in the manufacturing fields there is a need for assessing and identifying the current competencies in the Manufacturing Engineering Technology programs by examining the curricula of these programs. The purpose of this paper is to report on the relationship between the competencies identified by the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET) and the competencies learned in manufacturing engineering programs.