Modular curriculum: an alternative approach to engineering education

Summary form only given. During the eighteenth century it was assumed that the various engineering disciplines required the same type of preparation in general subjects such as mathematics. It was also assumed that it would be to the advantage of engineering education if students took more mathematics and then prepare them for practice in some particular branch of engineering. At the end of the twentieth century the engineering curriculum is changing drastically in order to respond to the rapid growing technology and organizational/production changes in American industries. There are several coalition, sponsored by NSF, that took part in reform movement in engineering curriculum. In the area of mathematics in engineering curriculum, the synthesis coalition wants to integrate it through all four years of undergraduate studies. Based on this idea, unlike early engineering schools, students will learn mathematics gradually along with engineering subjects and humanities at each of their undergraduate studies. The question is, which of the above mentioned methods is better and more useful for both students and industry? The early type engineering education, which was based on learning mathematics and other fundamental subjects first and then engineering subjects, or the most recent idea, which is learning mathematics along with all other subjects including engineering through four years of undergraduate studies. This paper addresses the advantage and disadvantage of both methods and propose an alternative method, “The modular curriculum: linking mathematics in engineering subject”