Basic Structural Education

A recent topic of sometimes heated debate is the prospect of a Master’s degree being recognized as the first professional degree for the practice of Civil Engineering. It is a common belief that graduation from a 4-year ABET accredited university arms the new graduate with enough of a well rounded education to provide adequate preparation for the engineering workplace. The entire engineering profession is taking a hard look at the relevance of this belief given the current work environment.

Employers seem to be asking for “more” and expressing disappointment in the caliber of new graduates. Professional organizations are looking to designate the ”fifth” year as mandatory for entry to the profession. For example, the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) has adopted a policy which supports the attainment of a Body of Knowledge for entry into the practice of civil engineering at the professional level. The objective was to “raise the bar” for the professional practice of civil engineering, and require a bachelors degree in Civil Engineering and masters degree (or 30 semester hours of acceptable education) and appropriate experience to obtain licensure. In addition, ASCE drafted a model registration law for consideration by the National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying (NCEES). The model law incorporates the above education requirements.

Given the needs of employers and activities of professional organizations, are current university programs adequately preparing students for entry into the work environment? Has engineering become so specialized, and the required body of knowledge so vast, that an extra year of learning is necessary to be adequately prepared? Specific to the practice of Structural Engineering, it is questionable that sufficient preparation can be obtained with a 4-year Civil Engineering degree.

It is no secret that the practice of structural engineering is changing and will continue to change at a rapid pace. The classic image of a structural engineer has been that of a quiet person, at times with glasses and a pocket protector, tucked away in a corner, furiously working on a design for a new bridge or building. When one reads the history of engineering projects of past years and some of the people in Associations such as SEAOC who collaborated to bring forth the application of theories developed in past centuries to design the structures we now have, it becomes evident that these were not quiet people sitting in a corner with their slide rules. Unfortunately, this is not the knowledge the general public has, or frankly has any interest in. The modern version of structural engineering is completely different: Structural Engineers must operate in teams, with engineers and non-engineers alike, collaborating on projects and communicating regularly with clients. Technical competence is required upon entrance to the work environment. Critical thinking and communication skills are also required upon entrance. Is this possible to attain with a 4 year bachelor’s degree?

Engineering is one of few professions that accept a bachelor’s degree as a professional degree. This may be the primary reason that the undergraduate engineering curriculum is so dense with technical requirements, leaving little time for specialization, let alone learning the softer aspects of business acumen. Other professions contain significant technical content, but much of it is saved for post-graduate study. For example, both medicine and law require graduation from a professional school in addition to passing examinations to demonstrate competency. Up until the late 1800s medical education consisted of attending formal lectures for a semester or two and being apprenticed to a practicing physician for several years. No academic preparation was required, no written exams were mandatory. Similarly, the practice of law was primarily an apprenticeship program, with little formal education and no written exams. With the progress of science in the nineteenth century, started a new era of medical education calling for full time researchers and teachers. The practice of law was not far behind. The American Bar Association was established to set minimum standards and governance of the practice. These improvements in medical and legal education were followed by standardized testing for professional school admissions and licensure required for practice.

Structural engineering has also evolved from an apprenticeship profession to one principally requiring a four year degree. It cannot be said that it is any less complex or has any less impact on the public than the practice of medicine or law. In fact, some aspects of structural engineering are more complex and touch more people, albeit remotely, on a daily basis than either medicine or law. Compared to 20 years ago, structural engineering faces many challenges; such as increasing ability to explore complex problems with the advent of computers, increasingly sophisticated production tools, and increasing liability. Yet, the profession currently requires only a traditional 4 year degree for entry into the practice.

Contrast the four year approach with what employers need and demand in a new engineering graduate. Employers need communication skills, technical skills, and the ability to provide critical thinking, all in addition to the 4-year ABET degree. Many employers feel today’s structural engineering graduates should come to the workplace armed with the following skills:

• An ability to demonstrate critical think ing and apply their knowledge of mathematics, science, and engineering to design. (The answer isn’t in the back of the book, and more information is provided than what is actually needed to solve the problem.)
• An ability to use the tools of technology, and to be able to challenge the results with sound logic and judgment.
• An ability to perform on multidisciplinary teams and communicate effectively. (Need to educate the public that the classic image of the engineer in the corner furiously performing calculations is untrue.)
• A broad education to help in understanding the impact of engineering solutions in a global and societal context. (Structural Engineers must be able to solve problems that intersect technology and society. This requires basic knowledge of and appreciation for history, sociology, and psychology as well as the technical aspects structural engineering.)
• A thirst for and dedication to lifelong learning. (The profession is in a state of constant evolution.)

On the other hand, today’s structural engineering graduates want to assume leadership and management responsibilities relatively early in their careers. With the graying of the workforce and a shortage of engineers in the workplace, engineering graduates are being asked to assume leadership roles at what was once thought to be quite a young age. They must abstain from thinking that structural engineering is all about equations.

In addition, skills required for the practice of structural engineering are different than they were 20 or even 5 years ago, but engineering fundamentals have not changed. While the overall approach to learning and teaching has changed to embrace technological advances, fundamentals are no longer emphasized, presumably due to time constraints. Consider that rather than increasing the number of courses required to obtain a degree, the trend has been to decrease the requirements for the bachelor’s degree. In addition, thought must be given to the fact that as more students enter structural engineering from a wider variety of backgrounds, they are often unprepared for the rigors of an undergraduate structural engineering curriculum. The old way may have been to exclude this group from higher education, but society has softened its approach to include remedial courses in mathematics and science as a part of a basic curriculum, further taking away from the ability to teach structural engineering fundamentals within the traditional four years.

There may be more than a bit of truth in the statement of William A. Wulf, President of the National Academy of Engineering: “We are constantly in the business of trying to stuff 10 pounds of content into a 5-pound sack in engineering education.”

The onus of education should not be completely shouldered by the universities. Structural Engineering requires lifelong learning, and much of that learning comes on the job over the course of a career. However, the recent graduate must have a basic knowledge of structural engineering fundamentals and the ability to adapt to a diversity of challenges in order to be productive and ready to learn the transactional aspects of the job, such as roles and responsibilities, project phases, and the process of contract document development.

Is it reasonable on the part of the employer, educator, and graduate to expect achievement of all of these expectations within a four year program? The answer is a clear and resounding “NO.” In short, a crisis of preparation has developed within the profession. Industry and academia must form a solid partnership to understand how to better prepare structural engineering students for their futures. Structural engineering is no longer a one-dimensional profession, and it is time to follow the other professions, such as law and medicine, and work towards requiring graduation from some form of post-baccalaureate professional school as the first professional degree. Currently, completed problem sets and exam scores define success in academia. Success in business is defined by an ability to analyze situations, succeed with diverse project teams, and to develop and conduct effective presentations. These skills separate the good from the outstanding structural engineers. The two seemingly divergent skill sets, technical and non-technical, must be combined to create a well rounded professional structural engineering education. Four years is not enough.