Society of Manufacturing Engineers

When a student graduates in mechanical engineering and takes on employment in a manufacturing enterprise, a certain high level of competence in product design and manufacturing is expected. Traditionally, subjects of design and manufacturing (often called ‘product realization ’ to broaden its scope) have been taught. The engineering environment that future graduates will find themselves in is subject to forces that are reshaping the very way that manufacturing enterprises ‘realize ’ products. As “industry urgently and daily struggles to overcome tradition and organizational inertia in their product enterprises, one must ask whether the same urgency has propagated to our educational systems that supply industry with engineers.”1 There are a number of driving forces that are cause for examination of the competencies that are going to be required of mechanical engineering graduates, the curriculum implications, and the learning environments for students to be successful in the future. This white paper was written to stir creative thinking in how the mechanical engineering departments of 2010 will address expectations both of students and industry. As leaders of mechanical engineering, we can react within a wide range of responses from ignoring ongoing changes and assuming that academia is doing a great job to the other end of the spectrum which redefines the technical and professional core competencies, curriculum