Problems And Solutions In Internationalizing Capstone Design

ABET is authoritative in US. However, engineers who graduate from an ABET accredited curriculum may not meet expectations in a global environment such as working in an Asian country. Through discussion with collaborating faculty members in 2-year and 4-year US colleges, and in two Asian universities, this paper first attempts to recognize the strengths and differences of engineering curriculums in different countries in teaching capstone design. It is found that a typical US 4-year engineering curriculum trains engineers in a more broad-base, applied science direction, and its Asian counter part focuses more on specialized and pragmatic training. Analyzing the differences and learning from each other's strengths in an effort to internationalize the teaching of capstone design, it is hoped that students trained in different countries will be more adaptable to a global working environment.