Statistics on How Engineers Have Satisfied Linguistic & Cultural Competency
Tables 1 and 2 below show how engineering students have met the General Education Linguistic and Cultural Competency requirements over the past several years.
Table 1: Engineering Students International Experiences (Percent of graduates participating in a particular experience)
|
Type of Experience |
2011 |
2010 |
2009 |
2008 |
2007 |
2006 |
2005 |
|
Term Abroad |
21% |
7% |
13% |
18% |
23% |
21% |
15% |
|
Term Abroad (Engineering) |
40% |
56% |
29% |
28% |
36% |
25% |
31% |
|
Mini-term |
19% |
19% |
27% |
20% |
13% |
24% |
34% |
|
IVDS |
|
|
9% |
|
|||
|
International Term in Industry |
|
2% | |||||
|
Cultural Diversity Track/LCC |
15% |
14% |
9% |
22% |
11% |
16% |
11% |
|
Language |
5% |
5% |
14% |
10% |
17% |
14% |
9% |
On the average, over 50% of our engineering students participate in some type of full-term international program.
Table 2: Comparison of Engineering With the College as a Whole (Percent of graduates participating in at least one international experience)
|
Year |
Union as a whole |
Engineering |
|
2011 |
80% |
|
|
2010 |
61% |
82% |
|
2009 |
62% |
77% |
|
2008 |
60% |
68% |
|
2007 |
61% |
70% |
|
2006 |
59% |
72% |
|
2005 |
62% |
80% |
|
2004 |
65% |
86% |
As you can see, the engineering programs have fared very well in comparison with the college as a whole. This is due mainly to an aggressive marketing of international experiences by the engineering advisors, and our stated policy in the Academic Register, which is copied below.
You will also note that although international design projects, international internships and summer programs are valid ways of meeting Section 4 requirements, we have not had any students go this route in recent years. However, we are actively pursuing opportunities in these areas.
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.