Engineering Programs Revision for Technology Development

Creating linkages between academic and industrial sectors is one of the most important concerns in innovative policy-making within the framework of national innovation system in different developed and developing countries and the role of universities in management and planning of the countries is changing.The first generation universities’ main objective was established based on direct instruction. The objective of second generation universities (currently) is changed to research-based education and training for performing research. In the third generation universities, along with training of human resources to create science and develop technology in order to resolve common issues and problems, entrepreneurship and wealth creation will be also included in their aims and plans. In addition to the duties of the third generation universities, the fourth generation universities should move toward creative and innovative education and creativity and innovation. In the early twentieth century, engineering education programs mostly had provided students with practical skills and experiences. But with advances in science and development in technical knowledge and creation of analytical and computational methods and the employment of fast and accurate computational tools, engineering education has tend toward engineering sciences. Since the 1990s, some changes on the path of optimizing the processes and reducing production costs have been occurred. Since the advancement of science and technology and globalization of engineering education, correspond with international developments, the continuous revision of objectives, structures and modern methods of engineering education system tailored to the needs of the country, more and more has become a matter of necessity. First, the paper discusses the definitions and status and global standing of Iran in the area of technology. Subsequently, it reviews the required courses in order to train human resources for technology development in the country. Afterward, by studying and reviewing the undergraduate and postgraduate programs curricula in five selected and more effective engineering majors including Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Industrial Engineering, Chemical Engineering and Polymer Engineering as a case study and sample and to empower engineering students, the current shortcomings will be discussed.The next part studies the undergraduate, graduate and interdisciplinary majors which are more related to the area of technology. Afterward, the paper discusses the more effective options to amplify the linkages between university and industrial sectors in order to enrich the technology training in the engineering majors. At last, boosting the ability of faculty members in the development of technology will be discussed.