This award is funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5).
This engineering education research award to the University of South Carolina will employ researchers to investigate how engineering doctoral programs can better prepare graduates for careers in industry. This research explores the transformation of doctoral engineering education from the current structure with an emphasis on engineering science and narrowly defined research topics, to an intentional process that produces outcomes which are valued by modern constituencies. The project team will determine the knowledge, attributes and skills (KAS) valued by industry and the components of the Ph.D. programs that best prepare students in acquiring KAS valued by industry. It will also explore potential Ph.D. candidates' perceptions of KAS and how this relates to their attitudes towards pursuing a Ph.D. degree. This research could have a significant effect on strategies which will enable the United States to maintain its economic leadership and capacity to innovate and to sustain its share of high-technology jobs.
