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ENGINEERING DEGREES AT 17-YEAR LOW
The Engineering Workforce Commission (EWC) of the American Association of Engineering Societies (AAES) has released its latest survey on engineering degrees, which reveals that the number of students receiving bachelor’s of science degrees in engineering in the United States has fallen to a 17-year low.
The 1998 edition of the EWC Engineering and Technology Degrees survey covers data from 340 schools with engineering programs and 284 schools with engineering technology programs in the United States. It is billed as the most comprehensive, accurate, and authoritative source for engineering and technology degree data in the country.
The contrast between students receiving bachelor’s degrees overall and those in engineering is striking. According to the EWC, between 1986 and 1998, the number of students receiving bachelor’s of science degrees in engineering declined by 19.8 percent to 63,262 nationwide while the number of students receiving bachelor’s of science degrees overall increased by nearly 20 percent over the same period of time.
When reviewing the data by state, Paul Torpey, Chair of the AAES, noted "How can a state that considers itself ‘engineered for high performance’ believe that it will be able to fuel technological innovation without an adequate supply of engineers to provide the spark...?"
Additional information on the study is available by contacting Gregory Schuckman, AAES Director of Communications, at 202/296-2237 ext. 207 or 888/400-2237 ext. 207 (toll-free). The study costs $154 for AAES members and $253 for non-members.