2023 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Leading an undergraduate program in Engineering Management (EM) can be challenging due to the need to balance the requirements of accreditation engineering topics (ET) and the desire to inspire students through study-abroad opportunities. Often, foreign colleges do not offer the same level of ET rigor, putting students at risk of falling behind and not graduating on time. This paper proposes one approach to planning and creating student opportunity. It begins with understanding the problem in the global context using systems thinking and stays true to engineering design principles for addressing a complex problem in that host country. This approach provides students with a global perspective on technical engineering challenges, while also validating ET credits through applied research pursuits, using an online synchronous study-abroad learning model. The paper will present planning elements, a method of leading initial steps of a study-abroad effort, and case studies of EM students enrolled in the United States Military Academy at West Point who have participated in a semester abroad. This includes how the tools relate to the Engineering Management Body of Knowledge Domain 9 Systems Engineering and broader Engineering Design and constraint principles. The methodology and research approach presented in this paper could be used as a scalable model for other undergraduate EM program to help students meet graduation requirements in an accredited program while giving them the chance to experience global perspectives in EM applications early on in their academic careers.