Issues in Geotechnical Engineering Education

This paper summarizes discussions held at the 1990 National Forum on Education and Continuing Development of Civil Engineering concerning geotechnical engineering education. We can attract better students by improving the public's perception and image of civil engineers. We believe more emphasis should be placed on classroom teaching. We also believe that if we put a premium on teaching, we will get excellence in teaching. However, priorities must be revised to help achieve this goal. In recognition of the ever-changing need of our profession and the broad nature of the problems of the society we serve, we must provide a background for our civil engineers to work in a multidisciplinary world. This includes a broad-based education with a well-founded understanding of basic sciences, mathematics, and engineering sciences, and traditional disciplines of civil engineering. The current flexibility in the master's program must be retained. Today, the entry-level degree to the profession of geotechnical engineering is the master's degree, and this is as it should be.