Science and Engineering Education Abroad: An Overview

Abstract

Today, we live in a very different world- an international and multicultural world- and once again, the university must adjust to the new emerging needs of our rapidly and profoundly changing society. For we too see an educational imbalance that this conference is addressing: all students, not just students of the humanities and social sciences, but of the sciences and engineering too, must be prepared for the global society in which they live and work. When asked why few American undergraduates study science and engineering in other countries, there are still faculty and administrators who respond "Why bother? It may be useful, though not essential, for students of the humanities and social sciences to study abroad, but it is certainly not necessary and perhaps even wasteful for students to do so in the physical and natural sciences." 

This paper will address four aspects of this topic: (1) the rationales for study abroad in the sciences and engineering; (2) the demographic patterns in study abroad in science and engineering; (3) the perceived barriers to study abroad in science and engineering; and (4) some recommendations for the development of study abroad programs in science and engineering.