Developing An Industry Driven Graduate Certificate In Test Engineering For Electrical Engineering Technologists

The School of Technology (SofT) plans to be nationally recognized for programs advancing technological education through excellence in learning, discovery, and engagement. To achieve this result, the Electrical Engineering Technology (EET) program as part of the School of Technology needs to continue to improve curriculum that prepare graduates for careers in a wide scope industry and support a broad spectrum of technology. The EET program is collaborating with GE Aviation to offer a graduate certificate in Test Engineering. This certificate represents a good model of collaboration between industry and academia. The demand for electrical and computer engineers who are equipped with test engineering skills continue to rise. Unfortunately, the curriculum has not yet “caught up” to industry needs and the role of academia in meeting industry expectation of test engineering skills has not been sufficient. Only a few universities have test engineering incorporated in their curriculum. To meet this goal, the School of Technology is stepping up to this challenge and is collaborating with local industry, specially GE Aviation, to develop a Test Engineering curriculum. This paper describes the development of a new graduate certificate in Test Engineering in the EET program and in collaboration with industry.