| Rapid advances in technology after World War II created an increasing demand for technical manpower. Graduates of associate degree and bachelor degree programs in engineering technology became an important part of the technical manpower spectrum. If engineering technology should evolve in a manner similar to other programs or disciplines in higher education, increased specialization would create a demand for an increase in the level of education, most likely in the form of a master's degree. The problem was to examine the need for a master's degree with a major in engineering technology.;A questionnaire designed to secure perceptions of the need for a master's degree in engineering technology was sent to engineering technology faculty and administrators in baccalaureate programs accredited by the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET). The findings were based on responses to 413 questionnaires from faculty and administrators in 67 institutions.;The majority of respondents held engineering degrees. The respondents indicated that engineering technology faculty should have at least master's degrees with three to four years of industrial experience and that within the next 10 to 15 years there would be an increase in the number of engineering technology faculty with undergraduate technology degrees and a decrease in those with engineering and science undergraduate degrees. Baccalaureate technology graduates who desire to teach in engineering technology, they said, should pursue master's degrees in engineering technology or in engineering. Most of the respondents considered accredited baccalaureate engineering technology programs part of the engineering profession. However, many viewed these programs as part of an emerging profession. Fifty percent of the respondents thought that the master's degree in engineering technology should be developed within the next 5 to 10 years. Thirty percent wanted more study, and 20 percent opposed the degree. An engineering technology master's degree, according to the respondents, should be a professional degree with options in at least manufacturing and discipline majors, such as electrical engineering technology and mechanical engineering technology. . . . (Author's abstract exceeds stipulated maximum length. Discontinued here with permission of school) UMI.;Much of the literature related to the master's degree in engineering technology focused on how such a degree would affect or detract from engineering education rather than on what was in the best interest of engineering technology. Research related to professional education showed that the level of education was related directly to the level of acceptance of a career as a profession. Graduate nursing education was reviewed as a means of understanding how professional graduate education was typically developed. |
