2024 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Due to the exponential surge in global chip demand and the strategic initiatives to bring semiconductor manufacturing back to the United States as those demonstrated in the CHIPS and Science Act, the industry is facing a severe talent shortage. Consulting companies such as Deloitte have also estimated that by 2030, more than one million additional skilled workers will be needed to meet the global demand (Deloitte, 2023). Higher education has been assuming a pivotal role in the cultivation of STEM workforce including future engineers with semiconductor expertise. Federal funding agencies, such as the National Science Foundation (NSF), and leading research universities, have taken the initiative to create educational and training programs designed to accelerate the development of a skilled workforce for the future of semiconductor engineering. To better design and evaluate these semiconductor engineering programs, it is essential to conduct research on the curriculum structure of these programs, including: (1) whether the curricula effectively impart the competencies demanded by the global industry; and (2) the impacts of these programs on the professional identity of future semiconductor engineers.
We argue that the United States and Taiwan present two unique cases in addressing this global talent shortage. The former has recently begun its domestic chip manufacturing endeavors, whereas the latter has long held a critical position in global chip production. The collaboration between the two has recently started and will become instrumental for maintaining the United States' leadership in critical emerging technology domains, especially artificial intelligence. Both have undergone a recent revamp of curricula among some universities, introducing a range of specialized degree programs in semiconductor engineering education at various levels, including undergraduate, graduate, certificate, and undergraduate research opportunities.
Therefore, in this paper we will conduct a comparative study of the semiconductor engineering curriculum in the United States and Taiwan. More specifically, we choose the Chips-Scale Integration major at Virginia Tech and the Semiconductor Engineering degree program at the National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University (NYCU) for our comparative analysis. Two research questions are explored: (1) What are the distinct program design features and educational objectives in the two programs? (2) How do the approaches to semiconductor education in the two programs as a professionalization process differ in defining and developing competencies required for semiconductor expertise? To answer the questions, this paper employs a four-stage comparison model proposed by Bereday (1964): description, juxtaposition, analysis, and interpretation. Our methodological approaches are also informed by Tang et al. (2023)’s framework for comparative education research especially the “interpretive approach,” with the major goal to understand the prevailing global trends in semiconductor engineering education in the U.S. and Taiwan within the context of social and cultural influences. Data collection and analysis include an in-depth examination of curriculum and course structures and requirements, pathways, program objectives and alignments, and faculty profiles in the two selected programs. In the study, we view semiconductor curricula as a means of cultivating chip competency, professionalization of students entering the semiconductor industry, and a key part of the institutionalizing and boundary-making process that establishes semiconductor expertise. Accordingly, this exploratory study hopes to provide a broad mapping of different semiconductor educational models in the global context. The findings of this study have the potential to provide insights and guidance to both educators and policymakers, contributing to the ongoing discourse about preparing the future of the semiconductor workforce.