"For most of my pre-college years, I was intrigued with science and math, mainly because of my interest in and aptitude for problem solving," explains Allison Pitt about her interest in engineering. Now a freshman at Washington University in St. Louis seeking a chemical engineering degree from the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Allison is among the more than 25,000 African American undergraduates in engineering who soon will have to make decisions that will impact their future as engineers.

"What are the professional skills I will need the most to succeed as an engineer? Are a strong math and science background, and a bachelor's degree in engineering enough to make me competitive in a workforce that is steadily advancing in technical expertise?" Allison asks. "What type of jobs will be available to me in four or five years, and which disciplines offer the best salaries and opportunities for advancement into management and administrative positions? Should I plan on eventually earning at least a master's degree in order to qualify for more managerial positions?"

According to experts on engineering education, Allison, as well as engineering students who have yet to select a specific engineering discipline, needs to be aware of a number of important trends that will impact how they should prepare for the engineering workforce.

The State of Engineering Education Today

To keep pace with the rapidly changing technological needs of the global economy, engineering schools, according to Dr. Norman L. Fortenberry, director of the National Academy of Engineering's Center for the Advancement of Scholarship on Engineering Education, "are placing increased emphasis on the global awareness of their engineering students and on better preparing engineers as industrial leaders (versus commoditizibleknowledge-workers) by placing emphasis on professional skills such as communications, project management, and team leadership." Dr. John B. Slaughter, president and CEO of the National Action Council for Minorities in Engineering, Inc. (NACME), the nation‘s largest private source of scholarships for African American, Latino, and American Indian engineering students, adds that engineers "must appreciate the ethical and moral issues associated with their work and they've got to communicate it clearly. Sometimes we neglect to provide students with that sort of preparation."

Recent events here at home and around the world, combined with a decreasing number of students choosing to pursue a degree in engineering, have served to highlight an ever-increasing concern about America's ability to maintain its leadership in science and technology. As a result, an engineering school's success with preparing its students will not depend so much on its ability to retain those students who have traditionally been participants in this field, but on its ability to include underrepresented students of color.

"I believe the future of engineering education is bright, but changes are necessary." observed Eleanor Babco, executive director of the Commission on Professionals in Science and Technology (CPST), which collects, analyzes, and disseminates reliable information about the human resources of the U.S. in the fields of science, engineering, and technology. "It is becoming more important that engineering be more diverse, not only because of the changing demographics, but because diversity enriches engineering. Otherwise, we can anticipate declining interest in engineering careers, as well as competition with other disciplines to recruit, enroll, and educate a diverse talent pool."

Unfortunately for African Americans and other underrepresented students of color, their statistics as degree recipients in science and technology have not been encouraging. CPST's 15th edition Professional Women and Minorities: A Total Human Resources Data Compendium, indicates that "of the degrees awarded in science and engineering in 2003, African Americans, while representing 12.2% of the U.S. population, earned 8.1% of the bachelor's 5.1% of the master's and 2.8% of the doctorates."

(See Chart 1 - Engineering Degrees by Level, and Race/Ethnicity, 2003 and Chart 2 - Employed Engineers by Race/Ethnicity and Sex, 2003)

Engineering Career Opportunities:

So what does this mean with respect to future career opportunities for today's African- American engineering student? Which fields offer them the best opportunities and what must they do to prepare themselves for success as engineers? Is an advanced degree or a license needed? Are internships important?

Dr. Percy Pierre, professor of electrical and computer engineering at Michigan State University, suggests engineering students must understand that "all engineering areas offer better opportunities than most fields. As a result, students must choose a field they like and would be good in. The key is to be very good at what you do."

A Job Outlook 2005 survey released on November 11, 2004 by the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) reports that "new college graduates with business, engineering, and computer-related degrees have the most promising job outlook this year." Included among NACE's list of top 10 Bachelor's Degrees in demand were five engineering degrees: Electrical; Chemical; Mechanical; Computer engineering; and Computer science.

Dr. Gary May, executive assistant to the president of the Georgia Institute of Technology and the university's Motorola Foundation Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering, indicates there is "always a new discipline. Interest has now shifted among students to biomedical-related engineering studies."

(See side-bar: Outlook for Top 6 Engineering Careers for more specific information on job outlook, salary, needed education, etc., for these top engineering fields.)

Financial Aid

Critical to an engineering student's success toward obtaining a degree, just as it is for most undergraduates, is having access to the necessary financial resources. Engineering students can look to internships or co-ops, and scholarships from organizations like NACME. "Good internships are important to begin understanding the engineering profession," advises Dr. Pierre. "In choosing an internship, students should choose one where they can expect to learn the most."

VJ Turner, an electrical engineer at ExxonMobil and a former NACME scholar at Prairie View A&M University, where he received his BS in electrical engineering, agrees that his internships "provided an opportunity to see which company cultures best fit who I was and what I wanted to do."

The search for an internship should begin with a college or university's career counselor to find information about available internships or when recruiters from companies of interest plan to visit a school to interview potential interns. "I worked for three summers at Frito-Lay while in college," stated Rachel Thomas, a NACME alumna who received her chemical engineering degree from Texas A&M. Upon graduation, Rachel was offered a full-time position at Frito-Lay where she is a chemical engineer.

Additionally, students can search the Internet for internships in their specific disciplines at sites such as www.chemicalengineeringinternships.com or conduct a general search using the keywords: "Engineering Internships." Engineering students must remember that engineers created the Internet, so they should use this medium to its fullest advantage.

"NACME's role," as described by Dr. Slaughter, "is to eliminate the (student's) fear of not having the financial resources to complete an education." Since 1974, NACME has provided more than $100 million to more than 18,000 engineering students of color at more than 160 colleges and universities. This year, NACME hopes to reach more than 750 engineering students. More information about NACME can be found at www.nacme.org.

Other Engineering Career Options:

Engineering graduates may also want to consider teaching or research, working as engineers in the military, becoming entrepreneurs, or using their engineering degrees as springboards to non-engineering careers. "I did not always know I wanted academics," explained Dr. Reginald DesRoches, who has traveled the world doing earthquake engineering research as an associate professor in the school of Civil & Environmental Engineering at Georgia Tech. "I really enjoyed the research I was conducting in graduate school and really enjoyed the process of learning new things through research, so I thought academia would be a good move"

Dr. DesRoches, who completed his civil engineering studies at University of California at Berkeley in 1997 as a NACME scholar, has taught at Georgia Tech for more than six years and would not hesitate to do the same thing again. "I feel that I am having an impact on society both through my research and through my work with students."

Eric Adolphe, a NACME alumnus and graduate of the City College of New York's School of Engineering, who started OPTIMUS Corporation in 1992 is one of more than 55,000 engineers in 2002 identified by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics who decided to pursue the entrepreneurial route. "I‘ve always had an entrepreneurial spirit, which started when I worked with my Dad in the family business while growing up. To be a part of a company from the ground up, watch it grow, and to see my team have the chance to make their own career dreams realities while creating technology that makes a real difference in people's lives are true passions and privileges."

The military also offers opportunities for engineering graduates. In June 2003, according to the U.S. Department of Defense's Defense Manpower Data Center East, more than 53,000 officers in the military served in engineering, science, and technical occupations in all branches of the military. Entering as officers, military engineers essentially serve the same roles as their civilian counterpart, and have a wide range of responsibilities based on their area of expertise. They lead or perform activities in areas such as space operations, environmental health and safety, and engineering. Others work as aerospace engineers to design and direct the development of military aircraft, missiles and spacecraft.

Advanced Degree and Licensing

For engineers in any discipline to be successful, they must be life-long learners and not be content with only a bachelor's degree. "If you want to have a career as an engineer," advises Dr. Pierre, "you must get a master's degree, either immediately after your bachelor's degree or not long afterwards. Getting your master's degree immediately may help you get your first job with greater career potential." NACME's Slaughter concurs. "I would certainly urge any student who has a BS in engineering to consider seriously the possibility of obtaining a master's because there are tremendous benefits associated with having the additional degree. And I would also urge those who intend to stay in the engineering profession to obtain their professional license, as I did"

Others, like Rachel Thomas, see the engineering degree leading to other learning options that will enhance their talents as engineers. "I do not have an advanced engineering degree, but I am interested in pursuing an MBA to increase my understanding of the business and to enhance my effectiveness as a future manager." For much the same reason, Eric Adolphe obtained a law degree, which has been "an  supplement to my engineering degree."

VJ Turner, who has both a Master's Degree in Electrical Engineering and a Professional Engineering (PE) license, suggests that having a license, although not required in his work for ExxonMobil, "provides a sense of accomplishment." He advises those who want to obtain an engineering license to do so early in their careers while they still remember engineering techniques.

Rachel Thomas recommends that engineering students research the industry they plan to enter to determine whether a license is needed and to take advantage of the Fundamentals of Engineering (EIT) preparation courses while still in college. Each state has its own requirements for issuing PE licenses. A search of the Internet using the keywords: "Professional Engineering License" or "EIT" will provide additional information for both.

Engineering Workforce in the 21st Century - Life-long Learners

As we look into the future of engineering in the United States, the U.S. Employed Engineers by Race/Ethnicity and Sex, 2003 Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) in its 2004-05 Occupational Outlook Handbook cites the following significant points regarding the opportunities available in engineering from 2004 - 2012:

Crawford B. Bunkley III is a member of the Public Affairs Department (Global Community Relations COE) at Exxon Mobil Corp. At present he is developing the Media Relations Department at NACME.