The Electrical Engineering Curriculum and the Education of International Students

There is a growing recognition that less developed countries (LDCs) should be more discriminating in their choices of technologies to meet their needs. To exercise these choices, the LDC engineers are challenged to be innovative in adapting existing modern technologies to their own circumstances. To be able to meet this challenge, their professional training should account for the fact that when technology is transferred between cultures, non-technical considerations play a crucial role in determining whether or not the transfer successfully meets its goals. It is alleged in this position paper that the educational program of our international graduate students in engineering should prepare them for this challenging task. Needed changes are suggested, and existing opportunities at Iowa State University are discussed.