How many B.S. graduates in engineering are needed in the United States over the next 20 years? The answer to this seemingly simple question ranges from "as many as we can possibly produce" to "about the same number that are being produced by U.S. universities today". But, forecasting the actual number required is really quite complicated. There are apparently huge efforts underway across the nation to stimulate the number of students in K-12 who prepare themselves to enter STEM programs in colleges and universities following graduation from high school. But this seems to be an open-ended effort with no targets set for measuring success. Despite dire warnings from the news media, perhaps there is no problem for industries, governments and service organizations that must acquire the engineering talent needed over the next 20 years, after all. In fact, at the urging of engineering employers in practically all technology economic sectors, the U.S. Congress is debating the liberalization of visa and green card policies for foreign nationals who hold degrees in STEM fields. This solution should pose fewer difficulties in the future in terms of credentialing since ABET is now heavily involved in accrediting engineering programs at foreign universities, and NCEES is dutifully following along after ABET to provide routes to professional licensure in the U.S. for graduates from accredited foreign university programs. Further, limited resources for engineering education at U.S. colleges and universities could pose fewer problems because of the existence of distance learning technologies, massively open online courses (MOOCs), and financial incentives provided by institutions to faculty members, departments and schools that teach or offer entire engineering degree programs on-line. So, what does this mean for the engineering educational system in the U.S. - where are we headed (Quo Vadis)? The author is convinced that there are huge policy issues that must be identified, studied and analyzed in order to develop plans for the future of engineering education in the U.S. This paper identifies and discusses some of these issues in an attempt to bring them into sharper focus.
