Identifying The Content Of A General Engineering Program Using Benchmarking And The Fundamentals Of Engineering Examination

Several studies related to the future of engineering and engineering practice have highlighted the importance of broad engineering skills such as those targeted by General Engineering programs. However, identification of the curricular content for general engineering is still evolving. In the Fall of 2004, a new Engineering program was initiated in a large state university which aims to support a diverse group of constituencies ranging from traditional design, engineering and production companies, biopharmaceutical and bioprocess manufacturing, and biomedical interests (complementing the university’s medical school). This paper describes the process pursued to identify the core courses of this multidisciplinary program, receiving recommendations and ultimate consensus from the advisory board, industry representatives, and the new department’s academic and industrial experienced faculty. A critical tool to build this consensus was the mapping of the core curriculum to the Fundamentals of Engineering (FE) examination to ensure that students will be prepared to succeed in that recognized engineering benchmark.