The evolution of agricultural engineering education and curriculum reform at sultan qaboos university

The objective of this article is to describe the evolution of agricultural engineering education at Sultan Qaboos University, including curriculum changes and employment status of its graduates. The agricultural mechanization program was established in the Department of Mechanization in 1986. After a decade, the department name and program were changed to Bioresource and Agricultural Engineering (BAE). Most recently, the department has been merged with the Department of Soil and Water Sciences to form a new Department of Soils, Water, and Agricultural Engineering. The name change in 1996 was considered to represent a paradigm shift from a focus on 'technology' content to greater emphasis on 'engineering' content and this reorientation was further reflected by changes in the curriculum to increase the content of mathematics and basic engineering courses. Including the word 'engineering' in the name of the major appears to enhance its appeal and attractiveness to students. A comparison between the BAE curriculum and a generalized framework within which most accredited engineering curricula can be evaluated showed that the BAE undergraduate curriculum meets the minimum requirements of ABET professional program. Employment of graduates in the public sector has been very good, but appears to be recently stagnating.