Educating Future Structural Engineers The National Society of Structural Engineers Associations (NCSEA) is pleased to present the 2013 survey of schools and colleges throughout the United States. The schools surveyed offer educational opportunities for students desiring to become professional civil/structural engineers. NCSEA has sponsored the survey since 2002. Curriculum on which the survey is based is primarily that which practicing engineers have determined as appropriate for structural engineering students working to obtain recognition as a structural engineer in the workplace. Although the emphasis of the National Council of Structural Engineers Associations is on those structural engineers in the vertical and horizontal construction aspects of the industry, structural engineers have prominent roles in other related fields such as the airframe industry and industrial machine design. For those following the progress of structural engineering education in the United States, it has long been recognized that the emphasis and focus of curriculum, and curriculum content, is constantly under review. Readers of STRUCTURE, NCSEA s monthly STRUCTURAL CONNECTION publication, and attendees at the NCSEA annual conference and Institutes have observed the ebb and flow of the process. Since the 2010 survey, NCSEA has gathered opinions from structural engineers and instructors regarding: Offering a single course split in Masonry and Timber Expanding the core curriculum to include non-traditional structural materials such as aluminum and cold formed steel Accepting the substitution of computers as an educational tool to improve the student s understanding of structural function, in lieu of Changing the two concrete courses to be two core requirements for Cast-In-Place Concrete or reducing the demands within Concrete 1 and retaining Concrete 2 for Pre- Stress Post-Tensioning. For the current proposed curricula and past survey results, visit www.structuremag.org/educationsurveys.aspx. And, for the first time, the 2013 survey sought to determine school interest in a student version of the structural certification available to registered engineers (SECB certification); 76% of responding schools expressed interest in the program. Change follows discussion, and systematized discussion results in consensus. This same process established NCSEA s proposed curriculum over 10 years ago, and it is the process that will lead to modifications in the current curriculum, adjustments in school and college programs, and changes in the mindset of practitioners. Parents as well as students use the survey to help plan for the future. Readers of this article and participants in the survey are effective in maintaining its relevance. NCSEA is considering making the survey timelier by conducting a web based survey every year for two years, followed by a detailed interactive response survey from schools every 3rd year. We hope you enjoy reading the 2013 survey, studying the curriculum, and commenting on both. NCSEA and its Education Committee would like to receive your thoughts on the current state of the proposed curricula and the latest survey results. Please send your comments to NCSEA.Education@structuremag.org. STRUCTURE magazine 46 August 2013
Full Curricula The following is a list of schools/universities who responded directly to the 2013 survey AND who have indicated that they provide the full curricula as proposed by the NCSEA Education Committee. Arizona State Auburn Clemson California Polytechnic State California State, Fresno Colorado State Colorado State Fort Collins* Columbia in the City of New York* Kansas State Michigan Technological Milwaukee School of Engineering Missouri of Science and Technology* Montana State New Jersey Institute of Technology New Mexico State North Carolina State Oregon State Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology Sacramento State* Texas A&M of Alabama of Arkansas* of Detroit Mercy* of Florida of Kansas of Maine* of Minnesota of Nevada Las Vegas The of New Hampshire of North Carolina at Charlotte of Southern California of Texas at Austin of the Pacific of Washington of Wisconsin-Madison of Wisconsin-Milwaukee of Wyoming * The schools/universities who did not responded directly to the 2013 survey, yet do list courses which comprise the full curricula (as determined by a review of the school s website). Partial Curricula The following is a list of schools/universities who responded directly to the 2013 survey but who have indicated that they do not provide the full curricula as proposed by the NCSEA Education Committee. The Table indicates which courses are, or are not, offered. Bucknell City College of New York Cleveland State Colorado School of Mines Gonzaga Hofstra Idaho State Illinois Institute of Technology Lawrence Technological table continued on next page STRUCTURE magazine 47 August 2013
Schools/universities who have indicated that they do not provide the full curricula as proposed by the NCSEA Education Committee, continued. Lehigh Marquette Midlands Technical College Northeastern Northern Arizona Ohio Northern Ohio State Ohio Oklahoma State Old Dominion Owens Community College (Design Technologies) Owens Community College (Architectural Engineering Technology) Point Park Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Rutgers Saint Martin s San Francisco State Santa Clara South Dakota State Stevens Institute of Technology The of Akron Tufts of Alaska Anchorage of California at Davis of California, San Diego of Colorado of Dayton of Evansville of Hartford of Houston of Idaho of Kentucky of Miami-Coral Gables of Michigan of Mississippi STRUCTURE magazine 48 August 2013
Schools/universities who have indicated that they do not provide the full curricula as proposed by the NCSEA Education Committee, continued. of New Mexico of North Dakota of Oklahoma of South Alabama of Toledo Valparaiso Virginia Tech Worcester Polytechnic Institute The following is a list of schools/universities who did not responded directly to the 2013 survey, and do not list the full range of courses which comprise the full curricula (as determined by a review of the school s website). Alabama A&M Arkansas State Berkeley of California Blue Mountain Community College Bradley Brigham Young Broome Community College Brown Cal State Long Beach Cal State - Northridge California Tech California State - Fullerton California State - Los Angeles Carnegie Mellon Case Western Reserve Catholic of America Central Connecticut State Central Piedmont Community College Christian Brother Cincinnati Technical College The Citadel City of New York Clarkson College of San Mateo Cornell CSU Chico District of Columbia Drexel Fairleigh- Dickinson Fairmont State Florida Institute of Technology Georgia Institute of Technology George Washington Georgia Southern Horry-Georgetown Technical College Howard Iowa State Johns Hopkins Lakeland Community College Lamar Louisiana State continued on next page Suggested Course/Curricula Semester Credit Hours Suggested Course Comments 3 3 3 3 Including code application 3 Including code application 3 Including code application 3 Including code application 3 3 3 3 3 STRUCTURE magazine 49 August 2013
ADVERTISEMENT - For Advertiser Information, visit www.structuremag.org Schools/universities who do not list the full range of courses which comprise the full curricula, continued. Louisiana Tech Loyola Marymount Manhattan College Massachusetts Institute of Technology Merrimack College Metropolitan State College Miami Michigan State Middlesex County College Mississippi State Missouri Western State Morgan State Murray State Nassau Community College North Carolina A&T State North Dakota State Northwestern Norwich Oregon Institute of Technology Penn State Pennsylvania State - Dunmore Polytechnic Institute of New York Portland State Prairie View A&M Pratt Institute PHOTO BY: DAVID WAKELY Princeton Purdue Rice Roger Williams Rowan San Diego State San José State Sandhills Community College Seattle South Carolina State Southern Illinois Southern Methodist Southern Polytechnic State Stanford Swarthmore College Syracuse Temple Tennessee State Tennessee Tech Texas A & M Texas Tech Tulane United States Air Force Academy United States Coast Guard Academy United States Military Academy - West Point AIA San Francisco Chapter Integrated Project Delivery Award PALO ALTO MEDICAL FOUNDATION Seattle Tacoma Lacey Portland Eugene Sacramento San Francisco Walnut Creek Los Angeles Long Beach Pasadena Irvine San Diego Boise Phoenix St. Louis Chicago New York at Buffalo, The State of New York of Akron of Alabama - Birmingham of Alabama - Huntsville of Alaska Fairbanks The of Arizona of California, Los Angeles of Central Florida of Cincinnati of Colorado of Connecticut of Delaware of District of Columbia of Hawaii of Hawaii Manoa of Illinois at Chicago of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign The of Iowa of Louisville of Maryland of Massachusetts Amherst of Massachusetts Dartmouth of Massachusetts Lowell of Memphis of Missouri of Nebraska Omaha of Nebraska-Lincoln of Nevada, Reno The of New Orleans of Notre Dame of Oregon of Pennsylvania of Pittsburgh of Pittsburgh Johnstown The of Rhode Island of South Carolina of Southern Indiana of Tennessee - Knoxville of Tennessee - Martin The of Texas at Arlington of Texas at El Paso The of Utah of Virginia of Wisconsin - Platteville Utah State Vanderbilt Villanova Virginia Military Institute Walla Walla Washington State Wayne State Wentworth Institute of Technology West Virginia Institute of Technology Western Kentucky Widener Youngstown State STRUCTURE magazine 50 August 2013