Global Interests among First-Year Civil and Environmental Engineering Students

Abstract

Student attitudes about the importance of global issues, their interest in global issues, and their interest in working abroad were evaluated using surveys and content analysis of homework assignments from first year civil and environmental engineering students from 2008 to 2011. Civil engineering students ranked globalization as having the lowest importance among 20 ABET and Body of Knowledge skills; environmental engineers ranked its importance significantly higher at fifteenth. International projects were popular among civil engineering students on two course assignments. Final reflective essays revealed that 20% of the civil engineering and 37% of the environmental engineering students, respectively, were interested in working abroad. In a 2011 survey, all civil engineering students indicated at least some level of interest in working on engineering projects outside the U.S. during their careers, either using distance collaboration or via other assignments abroad. Global work interests were higher among female than male students. The results indicate that many American civil engineering students were interested in working abroad and developing global skills.