Promoting Engineering Sense In The Civil Engineering Technology Education

The Engineering Technology profession is more sensitive to the new changes in the engineering practice. The engineering technology programs in general and the civil engineering technology program in particular are not responding well to the demand in the engineering market. This causes the gap between the education and the engineering industry to widen continuously. The new ABET Criteria was a step in the right direction but was too little too late. What was accepted in the 1970s may not be accepted today as far as civil engineering technology curriculum is concerned. The civil engineering technology industry changed drastically lately while the civil engineering technology education changed a little. Five-year study at Gaston College of the Civil Engineering Technology two-year program will be presented. The study will focus on the factors affecting the survival rate, student academic performance, initial salary, and the waiting period before getting the first job after graduation. Techniques and procedures to enhance creative environment in the civil engineering technology program will be discussed. Reforming math and science courses in the engineering technology curriculum became a necessity to help engineering technology graduates survive with the new challenges in their careers. North Carolina statewide completion study for the Civil Engineering Technology program will be presented. The study shows the survival rate of the students in the engineering technology program. Several factors affecting the survival rate in the engineering technology program will be discussed.