Engineering curriculum versus industry needs-a case study

This article addresses the relations between the needs of industry and the curriculum for "communications systems" engineers. In a study described in the article, a survey to identify skills and knowledge to be acquired by communication engineering undergraduates has been carried out. Analysis of the findings shows that the field requires a system-wide perspective ("engineering systems thinking" capability), acquisition of basic project-management tools, familiarity with total quality management (TQM) issues, wider use of simulations and analyzes, learning of basic common standards of international standardization organizations and incorporation of advanced communications issues such as ATM and ISDN in the curriculum of undergraduate studies.