Comparative study of First-year Engineering Honors Programs between US and China

In the era of the 21^st Century, the call for change in engineering education has been highlighted and documented. To respond to the challenge of global engineering technological and environmental alteration, some renowned engineering-oriented universities in the United States offer highly motivated, academically excellent undergraduate engineering students with a broader, more enriched academic experience during their years of college. Meanwhile, on the strength of the advantage of rapid economic growth and absolute number of engineering graduates, on the other side of the world, top engineering-centered universities and institutions in China launch programs to cultivate talented undergraduate engineering students to help promote its pace to industrialization. Previous research studies both in the United States and China have generalized and summarized their experiences and characteristics to design and implement their unique engineering programs; however, there are few comparative studies between the two countries on this topic. Therefore, this paper presents a comparison between a First-year Engineering Honors Program at a university in the United States and a first-year of Undergraduate Honors Program implemented by a university in China. The paper will mainly compare the following three aspects: the program overview, central program themes, and the curriculum system through interviews with directors of both programs. The results of this paper will present the directors' outlooks of the ongoing programs in both a theoretical level (program vision and mission), and in an operating level (curriculum). The reasons for the programs' similarities and differences will be thoroughly discussed based on a broader and comprehensive international and educational background, in order to obtain a more clear understanding and more rapid advancement of this kind of programs.