A.ENGT. in Mechanical Engineering Technology

Program Educational Objectives

The educational objectives of the Penn State Behrend Mechanical Engineering Technology Program are to produce graduates who, within three years of graduation are able to:

  1. Be employed in fields of engineering such as design, research, development, applications, testing, manufacturing, processing, safety, quality, and technical sales or service.

For A.ENGT. degree recipients, as a technician or technologist or designer or engineering assistant.

  1. Achieve positions of increased responsibility (technical and/or supervisory) within an organization; and progress through advanced degree or certificate programs or participate in continuing education in engineering, business, and/or other professionally related fields.
  2. Progress through advanced degree or certificate programs or participate in continuing education in engineering, business, and/or other professionally related fields.

Student Outcomes (Associate Degree - 2MET)

  1. an ability to apply knowledge, techniques, skills and modern tools of mathematics, science, engineering, and technology to solve well-defined engineering problems appropriate to the discipline;
  2. an ability to design solutions for well-defined technical problems and assist with the engineering design of systems, components, or processes appropriate to the discipline;
  3. an ability to apply written, oral, and graphical communication in well-defined technical and non-technical environments; and an ability to identify and use appropriate technical literature
  4. an ability to conduct standard tests, measurements, and experiments and to analyze and interpret the results; and
  5. an ability to function effectively as a member of a technical team.

(Well-defined activities or problems are practical, narrow in scope, use conventional processes and materials in traditional ways, and require knowledge of standard operating processes.)

Program-Specific (2MET) Outcomes

According the ABET accreditation agency, Program Educational Objectives are broad statements that describe what graduates are expected to attain within a few years after graduation. Program Educational Objectives were established through the input from employers of our students, alumni, and industrial constituencies of the program.

Student outcomes describe what students are expected to know and be able to do by the time of graduation. These relate to the knowledge, skills, and behaviors that students acquire as they progress through the program. The Student Outcomes are assessed using a combination of the following instruments:

  • Direct Assessment of Student Work. Each year faculty members in the program assess graded examples of student work to determine the level of achievement. The examples of student work are linked directly the Student Outcomes.
  • Senior Exit Surveys. This assessment survey is completed by all graduating seniors in which they are asked to rate how well the Student Outcomes were achieved.
  • Internship Employer Surveys. This assessment survey is completed by supervisors of students who receive internship credit. Employers are asked to rate how well the Student Objectives were achieved.
  • Senior Design Industrial Sponsor Surveys. This assessment survey is completed by supervisors of senior design projects to measure how well the outcomes of the senior design experience were achieved.
  • Fundamentals of Engineering Exam reports from the National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying. This nationally administered exam provides a national benchmark for assessing achievement of the Student Outcomes.

The Student Outcomes are assessed periodically and each academic program employs at least three of the measurement tools above. More detailed information for each program is available upon request.