Understanding the Educational and Career Pathways of Engineers
2018

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Engineering skills and knowledge are foundational to technological innovation and development that drive long-term economic growth and help solve societal challenges. Therefore, to ensure national competitiveness and quality of life it is important to understand and to continuously adapt and improve the educational and career pathways of engineers in the United States. To gather this understanding it is necessary to study the people with the engineering skills and knowledge as well as the evolving system of institutions, policies, markets, people, and other resources that together prepare, deploy, and replenish the nation's engineering workforce.

This report explores the characteristics and career choices of engineering graduates, particularly those with a BS or MS degree, who constitute the vast majority of degreed engineers, as well as the characteristics of those with non-engineering degrees who are employed as engineers in the United States. It provides insight into their educational and career pathways and related decision making, the forces that influence their decisions, and the implications for major elements of engineering education-to-workforce pathways.

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222 pages · 8.5 x 11 · paperback
ISBN Paperback: 0-309-48560-6
ISBN Ebook: 0-309-48561-4
DOI: https://doi.org/10.17226/25284

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National Academy of Engineering. 2018. Understanding the Educational and Career Pathways of Engineers. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press.

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Front Matter i-xvi
Executive Summary 1-10
Introduction 11-14
1 Characteristics of Engineers and the Engineering Workforce 15-59
2 Challenges for Engineering Education 60-80
3 Factors That Influence the Decision Making of Engineering Students and Graduates 81-116
4 Major Findings and Recommendations 117-124
Appendix A: The Engineering Education-Workforce Continuum 125-148
Appendix B: Glossary of Engineering Fields 149-150
Appendix C: Examining Postsecondary and Post-College Pathways of Engineering Students Who Start at Four-Year Colleges and Universities 151-179
Appendix D: Cobweb Model of the Engineering Labor Market 180-181
Appendix E: Advancing Our Understanding of Engineering Education Pathways, Employment Dynamics, and Economic Impact Through the Innovative Use of Administrative Data 182-197
Appendix F: Workshop Program 198-201
Appendix G: Biographies of Committee Members 202-206

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Understanding the Educational and Career Pathways of Engineers (2018)

Chapter: Appendix D: Cobweb Model of the Engineering Labor Market

Publication information

Suggested citation

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Understanding the Educational and Career Pathways of Engineers (2018)

Chapter: Appendix D: Cobweb Model of the Engineering Labor Market