• E-mail
• Print
• Comment
• Font Size
• Digg
• del.icio.us
• Discuss article

Update of Master's Degree Programs in Engineering Technology

Posted on: Thursday, 26 January 2006, 09:00 CST

By Grubbs, Albert B Jr; Kozak, Michael R

Abstract

This paper reviews features of master's degree programs in Engineering Technology at institutions that currently hold, or are seeking, TAC of ABET accreditation of their undergraduate programs. Descriptions of existing graduate programs include features of departments, colleges and universities, unconditional graduate admission and graduation requirements. The maturing of the field of engineering technology and a growing demand by students and industry have caused an explosive growth in graduate programs from the initial 12 such programs reviewed for this publication in 1995.1 The information presented in this paper is intended to assist those considering a graduate education and those considering development of such programs by providing comparative information from several institutions in response to a questionnaire.

Historical Perspective

The master's degree certainly has humble origins. Before 1870, most master's degrees were Master of Arts (MA) and were not earned in residence; rather, these degrees were conferred upon Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree holders who -were working in their respective disciplines and who paid the required fees. By 1880, the practice of automatically awarding master's degrees to BA graduates was continued by only a few schools; today the honorary master's degree is awarded infrequently.2

The "modern" master's degree program, based upon completion of a prescribed course of study, was first offered at Harvard University in 18692 Given the history of the degree, these required courses may have been part of a marketing concept designed to increase a student population that had been badly depleted by the thenrecent Civil War. The master's degree program at Harvard rapidly gained popularity with educators and in 1870, Yale University, the University of Michigan, and the University of Pennsylvania adopted similar programs.

Degree Acquisition

The Dictionary of Education states that completion of a master's degree program usually requires one year of additional course work after completion of a bachelor's degree program.3 In most cases, students take more than a year to accommodate research and/or employment. In 2001-02,1,514 institutions (503 public and 1,011 private) awarded master's degrees nationwide.4 Included were 72 institutions that awarded engineering-related technologies master's degrees. In the school year 2000-01,482,118 master's degrees were conferred.5 An engineering technology graduate program is an alternative to the traditional MS degree in engineering because of the orientation towards the application of technologies and processes and not necessarily the discovery phases.

Students pursue a master's degree in engineering technology for similar reasons that students pursue master's degrees in other fields. When seeking employment or career advancement, those holding master's degrees are often given additional consideration over those holding bachelor's degrees because of their potential for leadership roles. Further, students expect that the additional investment in graduate education will be repaid in the form of higher salaries and/ or opportunities for promotion.

Data from similar fields, such as engineering, indicate that graduates with a master's degree earn a higher average salary of $8,000/yr over a 40-year career.^ On the basis of 1998 data, the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the US Department of Labor stated, "The additional earnings associated with a professional degree represented nearly a 100-percent increase over the average earnings for those with a bachelor's degree and a 208-percent premium over the earnings of high school graduates."7

Some students undertake a graduate degree to further their understanding of a chosen field. Others seek MSET degrees to satisfy faculty requirements of engineering technology programs. For example, the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) faculty criteria require a minimum of 18 semester hours in the teaching discipline for undergraduate faculty. An earned doctorate/ terminal degree in the teaching discipline or a related discipline is required of those teaching graduate and postbaccalaureate courses.8

Although programs exist in related fields such as industrial technology, this survey addresses only engineering technology. The authors could not locate any Ph.D. degree programs in engineering technology. Engineering technology university faculty continue to come from engineering and closely related backgrounds rather than from within the discipline itself. For those institutions that prefer faculty who hold a doctorate degree, a suggested course of study is to pursue a doctorate in engineering, science, computer science, or other related technical fields.

Survey Results

The information included in this survey represents the data supplied by the respondents.Therefore, it is possible that inaccuracies and inconsistencies may occur and may not necessarily represent the most current information pertaining to the represented institutions.

Institutions Offering Graduate Engineering Technology Programs

Forty-five schools were identified as possibly having a graduate engineering technology program for the current study. These institutions were located using the Engineering Technology List Serve and the Internet, including 12 schools that were in the original 1995 study by Plummer, Grubbs, and Kozak.1 A maximum of four attempts were made via e-mail to solicit information, followed by at least two telephone calls.

Respondents from 18 schools indicated they did not have a graduate engineering technology program and were eliminated from further consideration. Of the remaining 27 schools, four did not respond to attempts to contact them. One of the schools included in the original 1995 study indicated "no graduate program" when contacted regarding the current survey. The 22 remaining schools participating in the current study (see Table 1) represent an increase of 83% in ten years over the 12 schools participating in the 1995 study. Seven of the original 12 schools (58%) are included in the current study. Table 1 also includes an abbreviation for each school that will be used in all tables included in this article.

Table 1 : List of Participating Schools

Features of Departments, Colleges, and Universities

Tables 2 through 5 include general information regarding the departments, colleges and universities in which the engineering technology graduate programs are associated. Eighty-two percent of the institutions are on a semester schedule. More than half the respondents (59%) indicated the total enrollment at their institution is less than 20,000 students. It is interesting to note that four departments (18%) have no TAG of ABET-accredited programs. However, 68% of the departments have at least 75% of their programs accredited. The undergraduate degree, at 59% of the institutions, is located in a Department of Engineering Technology or a department whose title includes "engineering technology." Six of the departments are located in a College of Engineering and four in a College/School of Technology. Six additional departments are located in a college that includes engineering, technology or engineering technology in its name. Fiftynine percent of the programs have been in existence less than ten years.

Most departments offer graduate assistantships, but three (14%) do not. Fifty percent of the departments do not offer graduate scholarships. Graduate enrollment varies; 36% reported an enrollment of 20-29 students and 23% reported 50 or more. Ninety-one percent of the institutions graduated less than 20 students with a graduate degree during 2004. Sixty-eight percent report that 75%100% of their graduate students complete degree requirements, and graduate.

While 59% of the departments stated that the department teaches 75% or more of the courses listed on a degree plan, it is interesting that two institutions (9%) reported 50% or less of the courses listed on a student's degree plan are from within the department. Although Engineering Technology is defined as an applicationsbased program, only 27% of those surveyed have 50% or more of their classes offered with laboratories. When asked for the percentage of total departmental faculty who are graduate faculty and teach graduate courses, 45% replied 50% or less.

Table 2: Features of Departments, Colleges and Universities (Part I)

The name of the graduate degree awarded varies among the institutions. Five award an MS or masters in engineering technology, and three award an MS or masters in technology. Three additional institutions offer an MS that includes the words "engineering technology." All but one program offer their graduate degree within the same department as the undergraduate degree. That program is associated with the graduate school.

Table 3: Features of Departments, Colleges, and Universities (Part II)

Table 4: Features of Departments, Colleges, and Universities (Part III)

Table 5: Features of Departments, Colleges, and Universities (Part IV)

Unconditional Graduate Admission Requirements

Tables 6 through 8 include information relative to admission requirements. Minimum undergraduate GPA requirements vary according to major, last two years and/or last 60 hours. However, 18 institutions have a cumul\ative GPA requirement with 64% requiring a 3.0 cumulative GPA.

Sixty-eight percent do not require any test scores including the GRE. Seven institutions require a test, but do not specify minimum scores. Of those who require the TOEFL, 50% require a minimum score of 550 or higher on the standard version and 73% require 213 or higher on the computer version.

Table 6: Unconditional Graduate Admission Requirements (Part I)

Table 7: Unconditional Graduate Admission Requirements (Part II)

Additional requirements include reference letters (68%), leveling courses if the undergraduate degree is not in engineering or engineering technology (59%), regional institutional accreditation (47%), a degree in engineering or engineering technology (41%), and career goals (32%). Once again, it is interesting that although engineering technology is an applications graduate program, no institution requires work experience.

Table 8: Unconditional Graduate Admission Requirements (Part III)

Graduation Requirements

Tables 9 and 10 present graduation requirements. For those institutions that offer a thesis option, most (57%) require 30 semester hours or 48 quarter hours (67%). For those that offer a non- thesis option, most (40%) require 30 semester hours or 45 quarter hours (67%). Eleven schools (50%) have a six-year time limit to complete the master's degree. Note that three do not have any time limit.

Of those programs that offer a non-thesis option, 88% require a project, but only 47% require a comprehensive examination. Most institutions (59%) have a three-person committee for those pursuing a non-thesis option. However, seven schools (41%) do not require a committee.

Table 9: Graduation Requirements (Part I)

All institutions that offer a thesis option, require a defense of the thesis and seven (44%) also require a comprehensive examination. Eighty-seven percent require a three-person committee, but only two programs (12%) include an industrial member on the committee.

Table 10: Graduation Requirements (Part II)

Conclusions and Recommendations

The master's degree has undergone significant changes since its humble beginning as a small mail-order degree in the 180Os. Master's degree studies have diversified into many different programs, including an expanding number of programs with engineering technology focus, as this survey indicates.The maturing of engineering technology as a distinctive discipline has created a need for substantive master's degree programs. Institutions considering expanding their programs to include a graduate engineering technology program may find the data contained herein to be beneficial to position their programs to be responsive to a demand. Further, current economic and societal factors may favor the development of these additional graduate programs nationwide for individuals who hold a bachelor's degree in engineering technology.

The increase in number of graduate engineering technology programs as documented in this survey is a reflection of the growing desire for advanced studies in application-oriented fields by the populace. Future studies will attempt to determine the number of students in graduate engineering technology holding undergraduate degrees other than engineering technology. In addition, an attempt to identify which fields, other than engineering technology, are pursued by engineering technology baccalaureate degree graduates.

Recent developments indicate that ASEE will create a category for engineering technology graduate programs to be included in their annual survey and published in the "Profiles of Engineering and Engineering Technology Colleges." It is recommended that the Engineering Technology Council undertake to assist in the awareness of engineering technology graduate programs on the national level. Finally, it is recommended that engineering technology graduate faculty become more involved in the ASEE Graduate Division.

References

1. Plummer, M., Grubbs, A, and Kozak, '!Ajournai of Engineering Technology, "A survey of Master's Degree Programs in Engineering Technology." Spring 1995, pp. 811.

2. Deighton, L. C. (1971). The Encyclopedia of Education. VoI 3- New York: Macmillan Co &The Free Press.

3. Good, C.V. (1973). Dictionary of Education. 3rd. ed. New York: McGraw-Hill.

4. National Center for Education Statistics, Digest of Education Statistics, 2003. "Table 258. Number of degree-granting institutions conferring degrees, by control, level of degree, and discipline division: 200102."Washington: US Department of Education.

5. National Center for Education Statistics, Digest of Education Statistics, 2003, "Table 306. Bachelor's and master's degrees conferred by degree-granting institutions, by field of study and state or jurisdiction; 2001-02."Washington. US Department of Education.

6. Lange, S. (1993, June)."I. E. Income Update: New Salary Survey Results." Industrial Engineering, 25:5, 37-38.

7. Bureau of Labor Statistics (1998), MLR:The Editor's Desk,"Earnings increase substantially with additional education."Washington, US Department of Labor.

8. Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (2001), "Principles of Accreditation for Quality Enhancement." p. 26.

Dr. Albert B. Grubbs, Jr.

Dr. Grubbs is Professor and Chairman of the Engineering Technology Department at the University of North Texas in Denton. He is an active member of several professional societies including TTS, SME, IEEE, ASEE and TASET and the National Engineering Consortium, and is responsible for ten publications and ten presentations. He has received $400,000+ in funded research projects. Dr. Grubbs is a consultant to several schools and companies, and has 12 years of industrial experience.

Dr. Michael R. Kozak

Dr. Kozak, Associate Professor, is the Graduate Program Coordinator in the Engineering Technology Department at the University of North Texas. He is an active member ofASEE and SPE, and has 90 publications and 90 presentations. Dr. Kozak has received funded grants from ASEE, SPE, TEA, TEA, and NSE He is a consultant to educational institutions and industries. Dr. Kozak visited Poland in 2000 representing the US State Department. He was the General Operating Chair of the 2001 Annual Technical Conference of the Society of Plastics Engineers.

Copyright American Society for Engineering Education Fall 2005

Source: Journal of Engineering Technology

More News in this Category