General Education for Civil Engineers: Sustainable Development
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VIEW THE REPLYPublication: Journal of Professional Issues in Engineering Education and Practice
Volume 134, Issue 1
Abstract
The ABET criteria for engineering programs no longer has a requirement for humanities and social sciences but instead requires a general education component that complements the technical component of the curriculum. Achievement of the outcomes called for in the ABET criteria and the ability to apply the constraints listed in ABET Criterion 3 can be facilitated by a well-designed general education component. The old humanities and social science components that many programs still have would probably allow most programs to meet the current criteria but the requirement for general education offers an opportunity to improve the overall educational experience for all civil engineers. One approach to general education for civil engineers would be to incorporate a theme and a case is made that sustainability and sustainable development is a good theme for a civil engineering program.
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© 2008 ASCE.
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Received: Mar 10, 2006
Accepted: Jul 18, 2007
Published online: Jan 1, 2008
Published in print: Jan 2008
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