Using TQM to identify education improvement opportunities in the College of Engineering at the University of Miami

Total Quality Management (TQM) is both a philosophy and a set of guiding principles that provide the foundation for any continuously improving organization. In 1994, the College of Engineering under the leadership of a new dean, embraced the philosophy of TQM. At that time, the faculty of the college spent a day together to develop a specific mission statement for the college. That mission statement reads: We are committed to the constant pursuit of excellence in engineering education, research and service to meet societyʹs changing needs and aspirations. As a continued effort, the dean empowered eight teams to identify opportunities to improve the quality of education in the college. The eight teams were made up of juniors and seniors from the college of engineering. All of the students were enrolled in a senior level quality management course. This paper will discuss the methodology used and the results of one of the teamʹs work.