International Experience Requirements for Engineering
Students
A note to put things in historical context. Prior to 1995 the engineering programs were excused from the General Education Section 4 requirements, as it was felt that our curriculums did not provide sufficient flexibility for students to be away for a term. In 1995 we undertook a major curriculum review under the leadership of then Dean of Engineering Richard Kenyon. One of our major conclusions was that engineering was becoming more and more a global enterprise, so the engineering programs voted to voluntarily assume the Section 4 requirements.
Our motivation and goals for requiring some sort of international experience are as follows:
Why do we value an
international experience for our engineering students?
1)
Engineering
is increasingly a global profession. Organizations and companies that hire
engineers increasingly have customers, suppliers, parts of their operation, or
partners abroad.
2)
Engineering
graduates who understand and interact well with other cultures will be sought
after by global companies and those companies developing global ties.
3)
Engineers who
have a global perspective are generally better able to provide leadership in
the organizations they serve.
4)
Engineers
proficient in two or more languages can operate much more effectively in the
international arena than those knowing only English.
What should our
students gain from their international
experience?
1)
Understanding
and appreciating cultures outside the
2)
Learning a foreign
language (if possible).
3)
Being able to
work effectively with people from cultures outside the
How do engineering students
satisfy the international experience requirement under the old General
Education criteria?
Under the auspices of the AAC and the General Education Board, the following are the ways that the engineering students can meet the Section 4 requirements (for students in the classes of 2008 and 2009):
Note that international internships and international summer programs are not tied to academic credit.
Present Academic Register Copy: Engineering and Computer Science have become global professions. As a graduate you will likely find yourself working on an international team in a global company, working for an organization with international clients, or being dispatched to international locations to negotiate or oversee work. Thus it is critically important that you understand the nuances of other cultures, and the proper way to communicate. One of the best ways to accomplish this is through an international experience as a student. For engineering and computer science students possible experiences include: 1) regular terms abroad, 2) engineering exchanges, 3) international internships in industry, 4) mini-terms abroad, and 5) collaborative international design projects. For more information on these programs, please visit our website at http://engineering.union.edu/eta/, or email Professor Jewell, Director of International Programs for Engineering and Computer Science, at jewellt@union.edu.
CCC “Linguistic and Cultural
Competency" requirements (Classes of 2010 and beyond)?
Two (2) courses in
Linguistic and Cultural Competency.
This
category includes courses in any discipline covering:
1. Term
Abroad courses that deal with a cultural tradition outside the
2. Cross-cultural
comparison and theories about cultural complexity
3. One or
more cultural traditions outside of the
4. One or
more cultural traditions in the
5. A sequence of two courses in a foreign language at level
102 or higher.
The Linguistic and Cultural Competency requirement as published is tied to academic credit. The engineering program requirements are slightly modified, as given below.
The Linguistic and Cultural Competency
requirements for engineering students are:
ü
Cross-cultural
comparison and theories about cultural complexity.
ü
One or
more cultural traditions outside of the
ü
One or
more cultural traditions in the
The catalog copy for the International Programs section under Engineering has been modified as of the 2007-08 Academic Register to read:
New Academic Register Copy: Engineering has become a global profession. As a graduate you will likely find yourself working on an international team in a global company, working for an organization with international clients, or being dispatched to international locations to negotiate or oversee work. Thus it is critically important that you understand the nuances of other cultures, and the proper way to communicate. One of the best ways to accomplish this is through an international experience as a student. Therefore, engineering students, except under extraordinary conditions (as approved by the student’s academic advisor and department chair), are expected to meet the Linguistic and Cultural Competency requirements of the Core Components Curriculum by participating in some type of international experience. For engineering students, possible experiences include: 1) terms abroad, 2) international internships in industry, 3) mini-terms abroad, 4) collaborative international design projects, and 5) summer international experiences. For more information on these programs, please visit our website at http://engineering.union.edu/eta/, or email Professor Jewell, Director of International Programs for Engineering and Computer Science, at jewellt@union.edu.