News & Analysis
U.S. engineering gap: number of degrees declining
Sheila Riley
3/14/2008 2:18 PM EDT
Just how worrying depends on the degree level—bachelor's, master's or doctorate.
According to a February report by Engineering Trends, U.S. universities are awarding more engineering Ph.D.s than in the past. However, the report's authors predict that those gains will be lost because there aren't enough engineering students in the pipeline.
"The problems have taken root and they will be difficult to deal with," said Richard Heckel, founder and technical director of Engineering Trends, a consulting firm specializing in engineering education.
Small but steady declines in bachelor's degrees have occurred in the past three academic years. In 2004-05, some 76,632 engineering bachelor's degrees were awarded. In 2005-06, the number dropped slightly to 76,301. In 2006-07, it again decreased to 75,113.
Increases in undergraduate enrollment occurred in freshmen classes in fall 2006, but second-, third- and fourth-year enrollments declined. That means the pattern of slowly declining degree numbers should continue for another three or four years, Heckel said.
Computer and electrical engineering bachelor's degrees were no exception to the rule. Graduates numbered 14,584 in 2004-05, but declined to 14,209 in 2005-06 and 13,783 in 2006-07.
Master's degrees also dropped in the same time period, recording a significant decrease from 41,087 in 2004-05 to 38,451 in 2005-06, followed by a smaller decrease to 37,320 in 2006-07.
But master's programs reported a 2 percent increase in fall 2006 enrollment, meaning there could be a turnaround in the works, with graduation rates increasing again in 2008-09.
While doctoral programs report growth in enrollment, it's at a lower rate than before. In academic year 2001-02, there was a meteoric rise from 5,863 Ph.D.s awarded to 8,559 in 2006-07. But the rate of increase began to slow in 2006-07. Based on enrollment figures, the slowdown is expected to continue.
EE doctorates went from 13,083 in 2001-02 to 20,072 in 2006-07, but that's not a reason to celebrate, according to Heckel. "If you look at those numbers, you'd say, 'Wow, there's no stopping us'. But all those increases came from the increases in enrollment several years before," he said.
A reduced rate of doctoral degrees should begin next year and continue for at least three years, Heckel added.
Look to the overall economy to partly explain the problem, said Paul Kostek, IEEE-USA's vice president for communications. "The trend there would be that, as engineering and computer science employment decreases, or is perceived to decrease, enrollments go down," Kostek said.
Perceptions of fewer jobs due to outsourcing can become a self-fulfilling prophecy, he added. While there's plenty of talk about outsourcing as a threat to jobs, there's not much discussion of "insourcing" as a job creation engine, Kostek added.
Emerging countries such as India and China are granting more engineering degrees than ever before, but they're also building their industrial presence here. That means more jobs, Kostek said.
Meanwhile, fewer available qualified engineers means more responsibility for the less-experienced, said Albert Helfrick, chair of electrical and systems engineering at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University (Daytona Beach, Fla.)
The population of experienced engineers is aging, he said. "There's a serious problem in our country with people like me: gray-haired people who could retire tomorrow," Helfrick said. If large numbers do retire, the U.S. faces a severe engineering shortfall.
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halherta
3/15/2008 5:39 PM EDT
I personally think that the rate of decline in Engineering, specifically electrical engineering is higher than portrayed here. I can completely understand it. Why should one invest 4 years on their life and at least 30-40 grand on tuition and textbooks if there are little to no job opportunities available and a small chance of making any return on this educational investment?
I'm as upset about this as the other guy, but the fact is in this day and age in North America other professional career options such as Doctors, lawyers, accountants, dentists, teachers are a lot more worthwhile than engineering.
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xrayreality
3/15/2008 8:24 PM EDT
You already have the answer in your statement. As much as the accreditation peons would like us to believe, a hard fought, tough curriculum of EE is not a professional degree. Schools now offer diluted MS degrees as "ME", while Indian and Chinese degree mills do the same.
Engineering will continue its decline until the terminal degree is a PhD or accredited version of the MS that's on the same par.
Doctor's have advanced degrees, Lawyers put in their time, what the he11 is wrong with Engineering?
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velocis
3/15/2008 11:27 PM EDT
There are tons of engineering jobs out there, and there always will be. There is a HUGE population of engineers that are getting ready to retire, and who is going to replace them? It's going to be a lot of chinese, indian and other foreign engineers if lazy American students don't get off their butts, finish school and find" target="_blank" style="">href="http://www.hire-engineers.com">find an engineering job
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xrayreality
3/16/2008 5:32 PM EDT
Get out spammer. EEtimes really needs a spam notification method to get rid of these self-promoting parasites.
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Carl_S
3/17/2008 12:13 PM EDT
High school kids have no idea what the job market is like in engineering or other fields. They will go into engineering if it seems interesting to them.
If we want to perk up interest in engineering, then we need to figure out how to make it more appealing to young people. I think Bill Gates is on the right track: create better science programs in the schools.
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halherta
3/17/2008 12:17 PM EDT
I partially agree with your analysis. However, even if the engineering program was turned into a more professional accredited program and required students to stay in school for 5-7 years, will that guarantee that engineering graduates will get and hold good successful jobs?
It just might but only with the blessing of the industry. Also a powerful national professional engineering licensing body capable of protecting its own is needed, (essentially a form of union if you like). It must be capable of "convincing" the industry to hire only engineers that are accredited by it.
Unfortunately the industry is more interested in making fast money and getting the product to markets by the fastest and cheapest methods....thats their bottom line. Insuring that their engineers are qualified and well educated is not all that important to them.
The conclusion in my opinion is that both academia and the industry have to own up to this problem that they both have helped create....if not then the decline in US electrical engineers will continue and at higher rates.
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EECRUX
3/17/2008 1:57 PM EDT
Note to EE Times Editor:
Please study some web 2.0 sites and make commenting system better.I am sure all EE Times readers agree with me.Sorry to publish this comment here but I have no choice to make better plea.
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xrayreality
3/17/2008 10:48 PM EDT
halherta, it's like the old economic cornerstone: supply and demand. Less engineers, more demand. The old engineers and lucky students get grandfathered in as "engineers", but new ones become accredited with a high-level degree. Employers then can't just hire anyone out of an EE mill, but the bar is set higher for those that want to pursue a proud profession. Look at medicine, sure people will suffer for years through the tough programs and piddly pay. However, once they graduate, whether they work for altruism or some other reason, they will be paid handsomely over the years for it. No such luck with engineering. Imagine if you had to reinvent your degree every 4-5 years and then have your job commoditized anyway?
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Bert Snerd
3/18/2008 9:38 AM EDT
Prospective engineering students are among the smartest kids in their class (by definition). Of course they have figured out that the expected return on the investment is probably risky. All they need to do is ask a sample of readers of EE Times about their recent experiences in the industry. My bet is that the words uncertainty, outsourcing, and layoffs will be mentioned way more than IPO, stock options, and stability. Anyone disagree?
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halherta
3/18/2008 1:12 PM EDT
xrayreality i wholeheartedly agree with your analysis...i.e. academia must fix the engineering education programs. but i still believe that the industry is largely to blame as well. It must create more jobs here in the US instead of outsourcing everything and/or bring in foreign workers who'll accept lower pay than their US counterparts....
Bert Snerd, I agree with you as well!
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