Research issues in the design of a global curriculum for environmental engineering in the context of globalisation

Abstract

Environmental engineering, from its early inception, lacked an identity both as a profession and as an engineering discipline. The field is broad and multidisciplinary. The foundation upon which it is built includes knowledge and the. understanding of concepts and ideas from engineering and science. The environmental engineer is said to be a hybrid engineer and scientist, thus making him/her the best professional to deal with environmental problems. Environmental engineering education has been undergoing substantial ehanges over the past few years in order to be more relevant and applicable to current times. In this thesis, the researcher traces the history and evolution of environmental engineering education in the context of changing societal needs and demands; discusses how it has developed into an engineering branch of its own merit; and finally, reviews the nature of this vital field in earlier times. The current status and future directions of environmental engineering, as well as the major deficiencies in environmental engineering education are discussed. Important issues related to engmeenng education, such as the nature, structure, contents and specifics of engineering programmes, as weIl as their accreditation and international recognition are also raised and discussed. Further, the research presented here that extends over a period of several years, is an endeavour to ascertain and define the skills and attributes of a modern environmental engineer. The design of a global curriculum for environmental engineering within the context of globalisation is also elaborated on. In addition, some important examples of statistics and findings gathered from an inventory of environmental engineering education are presented and reported in this thesis. The inspiration for this research study was sparked by the onset of globalisation and especially now that the world has become a more globalised place for engineers. It is apparent that it would be ideal for engineering education institutions around the world to collaborate in formulating and developing a standard curriculum, a 'global curriculum', that could be utilised by the global engineering education community.